No Way Out by Fern Michaels (great books for teens .TXT) 📗

kkarak@squibmail.com. It was from Kara. This was something out of the ordinary. They rarely exchanged e-mails. Ellie had told her that her work was top secret and that she should only contact her in case it was an emergency.

The e-mail read:

Call me ASAP.

Ellie jumped up and grabbed a new burner phone package. She tore it open, made sure it was charged, and dialed Kara’s number.

“Hello, is that you?” Kara breathed heavily into the phone.

“Yes. What’s going on?” Ellie tried to mask the panic in her voice.

“Christian heard from Rick.” Kara gasped.

“Oh my God.” Ellie sat back down in her chair.

“How? Why? Where is he?” It had been two years since she had heard her ex-boyfriend’s name. She was starting to shake.

“Why? Because he needs money, that’s why.” Kara could barely keep her composure.

“Where is Rick?” Ellie couldn’t help but ask.

“Who knows. He asked Christian to send it to a PayPal account.”

“How much money does he need?” The hair on the back of Ellie’s neck was standing up.

“Five thousand dollars,” Kara barked.

“Five thousand dollars?” Ellie was stunned.

“Yep. Five grand. Five smackeroos. Five big ones.”

“Is he going to send it?” Ellie asked.

“Not if he plans to stay married to me, he isn’t,” Kara replied.

“Did he say what he needed it for?”

“Are you kidding? That would be too much to expect from him.”

“What did Christian tell him?”

“He said he’d see what he could do.”

“Did he give him a phone number to call him back?” Ellie was hoping for a “yes” answer, but didn’t really expect one.

“No. He said he was using someone else’s phone and that he would call again tomorrow.” Kara took a gulp of air. “Can you believe that guy? After all this time? Talk about gall!”

“Was there a phone number on the caller ID?” Another disappointing response followed.

“Only if ‘Out of Area’ counts. I can’t believe that guy!”

“Wow.” That was all Ellie could muster at the moment.

“Sorry if I upset you, but I had to tell you. I just couldn’t wait until Sunday.”

“No. It’s fine. I’m glad it wasn’t some kind of health emergency.”

“Oh, it will be if Christian sends that jerk one penny! I will kick his ass.”

Ellie had to laugh at Kara’s remark. And she knew Kara was just the type who would do it.

“I will never forgive him for skipping town when you were in the hospital,” Kara said.

Ellie had a completely different opinion.

“Well, don’t be surprised if Christian tries to send him something.” Ellie wondered if she should pursue the conversation further.

“I mean it. I will throw his sorry ass down the stairs,” Kara said plainly. “If Rick can’t tell us where he is or why he needs the money, you have to think something is rotten in Denmark.”

“Yeah, especially if Rick is there.” Ellie needed more comic relief from this shocking call.

“Oh, aren’t you funny?” Kara hadn’t heard Ellie crack a joke in a very long time.

“I’m not really on a secret mission. I’m at a comedian school.” Both women broke out laughing.

“You do sound a bit more chipper,” Kara noted. “Anything or anyone tickling your fancy?”

“As if,” Ellie replied, remembering to keep up the deception. “All a bunch of geeks, dweebs, dorks, and propeller heads.” She looked down at Buddy and mouthed, “I don’t mean you,” and she patted him on the head, hoping he wouldn’t bark. That would draw a lot of suspicion, so she thought she had better get off the phone fast. On Sunday, when she normally called her mom and Kara, she would do it from the bedroom closet, keeping Buddy locked in the hallway. Sitting on the floor underneath her clothes created a great sound barrier, just in case the bell rang.

“Listen, I have to go. Keep me posted. Love you.” Ellie quickly ended the call. Had she not been shaken by Kara’s e-mail, she would have placed the call the way she normally did. Ellie let out a huge sigh of relief. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep up the charade with her mother and her friend.

She pulled the SIM card from the phone, cut it in half with a wire cutter, and put the small particles in the garbage disposal. She wondered how many times she could get away with that before the disposal crapped out on her. The SIM card was as small as her thumbnail, so half of that shouldn’t screw up the blades too much. She hoped. That thought led her to another: What if I need something fixed? It’s bound to happen. She tried to keep calm and not have one of her panic attacks.

Maybe it was time to invite Colleen over. Or maybe let Hector in? Her head was spinning. She had to lie down. She didn’t want to take another pill.

Ellie jumped when the buzzer rang. She must have dozed off as she fought the panic attack. She checked her watch. It was 3:30 already. Time for Jackson and Buddy. She gave that kid a lot of credit.

Even if it was raining, Jackson never missed a day.

Ellie thought about her conversations over the past couple of days. Colleen, then Kara. She surely missed girlfriend companionship.

Chapter Thirteen

Andy Robertson had lived on Birchwood Lane for the past twenty-five years. The house he had moved into was the oldest one on the block. When he moved in, there were only three houses on the street. Over the years, he had watched two more houses be built and families come and go. The houses were modest cottages, ranging from twelve hundred to sixteen hundred square feet. Many of the homes were considered “starter homes” for new families or people wanting to invest in their future. He had weathered all the ups and downs of the housing market, happy that his house had long ago been paid for. While the exterior of the house was pristine, inside it needed some work. He felt almost guilty that his five cars were in better condition. Almost. Once a week, he would