Whisper

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“MOM LEFT THE DOOR UNLOCKED,” I hollered at my twin brother, Nathan.

He slammed the door to his ’67 Mustang. “That’s weird.” He brushed a hand through his sandy-brown hair and shoved his keys into his jean pocket. “You know how she’s always nagging us about it.”

“I know, right?” I held the front door open for him. “I guess the rules only apply to us.”

“Apparently.”

Mom was married to a cop once. Our father. He’d drilled it into all our heads about locking the door, even when we were home. Now that they were divorced, she’d been especially adamant about keeping everything secure and had even talked about getting a dog.

Nathan followed me into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He sighed and scratched his chin. “There’s never anything good to eat in this place.”

I set my backpack down on the floor. “Seriously? How can you still be hungry after eating that monster burger and malt?”

We’d just returned from Grannie’s Malt Shop, where we’d pigged out on burgers and shakes with some friends. It was the last day of school and we were officially seniors. No more schoolwork, tests, or girls grilling me about Nathan. The guy was a major flirt and being his messenger was annoying as hell.

He flexed his bicep. “I’m going to the gym later and these guns need ammo.”

I snorted a laugh and shook my head.

Nathan began rummaging through the refrigerator and pulled out the milk carton. “Just ’cause you’re a string-bean doesn’t mean everyone else has to eat like a bird.”

I pulled out my cell phone and started checking my messages. “If I eat like a bird, it’s the large yellow one from Sesame Street. I devoured almost as much as you did.”

“That’s right you did, Big Bird.” He raised the milk carton to his lips and was about to take a swig, when we both heard a faint noise.

Stiffening up, I turned to Nathan. “What in the hell was that?”

His eyebrows knitted together. “It sounds like—”

That was when we both heard it again. Someone was sobbing.

My stomach dropped. “It sounds like Mom. Isn’t she supposed to be at work?”

“Yeah.” He slammed down the milk and rushed out of the kitchen.

I chased after him up the stairs and we stopped outside of her bedroom door. The sounds were definitely coming from her room.

Nathan knocked on the door. “Mom?”

She moaned.

He looked at me. “What do I do?”

“Go in,” I urged.

Nathan opened the door and peeked his head inside. “Oh, my God.”

I pushed him forward and that was when I saw her lying n***d on the floor next to the bed. Her face was swollen and bleeding. Her body was badly bruised.

Both of us stood frozen in shock for a second before rushing to her side. I kneeled down next to her while Nathan covered her with a blanket from her bed. She looked like she was in so much pain; I was afraid to even touch her. “Mom?”

She opened one of her black-rimmed eyes. “Call the police,” she whimpered, barely coherent.

I grabbed the phone and dialed nine-one-one. I couldn’t remember much of the conversation, only that the operator promised to send help while trying to console me.

“Is the assailant still in the house?” the woman asked.

I looked at Nathan. “If he was, we’d need the morgue, too.” My brother was very protective of our mother. If he’d caught the asshole who did this, he’d have gone ape-s**t.

The woman sighed. “Tell everyone to remain calm. Lock the door and wait for the ambulance. They should be arriving shortly.”

“Thank you.” I ended the call and turned around. “They’re sending help.”

Mom nodded. “Good.”

I felt so helpless and frightened for her. We had no idea of the injuries she’d sustained. She could be bleeding internally for all we knew.

Nathan, who was kneeling next to her, brushed the hair out of her eyes gently. “Mom, what happened?”

She didn’t answer, but to me, it was pretty obvious. The woman had been attacked and r***d.

I got down on my knees next to her again. I had so many questions but wasn’t sure if it was the right time to ask. She was obviously in a lot of pain. I grabbed her hand and held it. Seeing her like this broke my heart. “Can I help you with anything?”

She let out a shaky breath. “I should probably get dressed before the paramedics and police arrive. Could you find me something to wear, Nikki?”

“Of course.” I stood up and went over to her dresser.

“Mom?” prodded Nathan. “Can you tell us what happened?”

She opened her mouth to reply, but couldn’t seem to get the words out.

I pulled him aside. “Nathan, leave her be,” I murmured. “She’s been r***d. She probably doesn’t want to talk about it right now.”

Not with her son, anyway.

He looked torn up inside. “I understand that, but we need to find out who did this. If she knows the asshole, we can send the cops after him.”

He had a valid point.

I kneeled back down next to her. “Mom, do you know the person who did this to you?”

She nodded.

Nathan and I looked at each other in surprise. I think we’d both expected her to say it was some stranger.

“Who was it?” Nathan asked.

Her eyes filled with tears. “Your father.”