Legend (Arizona Vengeance 3)

Baking.

Maybe I should make cookies or something.

My hips yell at me that it’s a bad idea.

I consider my options for perhaps getting out of the house and socializing but the truth is, I don’t have any close girlfriends. My sister, Amy, and I are close but she has a job that doesn’t just let her walk away for an impromptu cup of coffee or lunch with her sister. She’s an orthopedic, same as my dad, and they practice together.

My mom is out of the question, as she’s just as busy. She has a general medical practice and she’ll be elbow deep in patients right now.

For a moment, I gloat. While I know my parents and sister have a true passion for what they do in life, I have a career that lets me have freedom to do so many things that they can’t.

Like just get in my car and head to Starbucks for a coffee and a Cake Pop. My hips yell again that’s a bad idea, so maybe just coffee. While I have to admit to being concerned that Lida could still be watching me and could accost me again, I’ll never be the type that will be held prisoner in my own home because of those fears.

Yes, I think I’ll go to Starbucks.

And then maybe the grocery store to make dinner for Legend tonight. He has mentioned going out for a bite, but I do like cooking and it’s an opportunity to get him over to my house. We spend 90 percent of the time at his place just because all of Charlie’s stuff is there. In fact, he’s never slept in my bed at night since we started seeing each other.

I walk to the back patio door that leads from the kitchen to outside and make sure it’s locked. I nab my purse off the counter and fish out my keys.

Just as I make it to the front door, I realize I forgot my cell phone in the kitchen. I trot back and grab it, shoving it into my purse. Back through the living room, through the foyer and to the front door where I swing it open. I take a step over the threshold and come to a dead stop because there’s a gun pointed at my face.

Following the slender arm outstretched toward me, my eyes land on Lida’s face.

Demented is the only word that comes to mind as I take in the dark circles under her eyes and the paleness of her skin. Her pupils are huge and her hair is a mess of knots and tangles, as if she rolled out of bed this morning and forgot she had a brush. Her clothes are wrinkled and stained.

The hand holding the gun pointed right at my face shakes slightly.

My hands come up automatically in the universal sign of surrender and I lean back from the gun.

“Get inside,” she tells me in a quavering voice. Her eyes dart left and then right before coming back to me. “Now.”

My pulse is pounding so hard I can actually hear it throbbing inside my ears. A bolt of fear renders me almost immobile but when she waves the gun and barks “Inside” at me, my feet start moving.

I stumble backward into my house as she advances on me. Lida uses her free hand to shut the door behind her and I find it to be an ominous sign that she doesn’t bother to lock it.

It’s as if she doesn’t plan on being here long, and she’s not interested in keeping me hostage. The alternative to that is not good.

“Stop right there,” she orders as I continue backing into the living room. I do as she says, my hands still raised up with my palms facing her.

“Lida,” I say in what I hope is a calm voice, but I can hear it shaking hard. “What is it you want?”

“You don’t care what I want,” she sneers at me. “I tried to get you to help me but you wouldn’t.”

“I’m sorry,” I say quickly and lower my arms. I tilt my head at her and give her a tremulous smile. “But you have my attention now. What is it I can do for you? How can I help you now?”

Her eyes flash with anger and she gives me a mocking laugh. It seems to bolster her with confidence because her gun hand stops shaking. Narrowing her eyes at me, she says, “Two times I’ve tried to come here to see Charlie. Both of those times you were here and helped prevent that. Now, I want to see my daughter, so I figured I would just come here first to make sure you don’t interfere before I go over there.”

Jesus, please, please let Lucy have the door locked and know better than to do something as stupid as I did and just walk outside.