One of them reached into his pocket.
Not for a tool.
For a key.
He unlocked our front door.
The house swallowed them whole.
“Mama,” Kenzo whispered, gripping my arm. “How do they have a key?”
I couldn’t answer.
Then I smelled it.
Gasoline.
And a thin line of smoke curled from the window.
My heart seized.
Fire bloomed inside my home.
I lunged forward instinctively, then froze as flames swallowed the living room, climbing fast, merciless.
Sirens wailed in the distance.
The van sped away.
Kenzo wrapped his arms around me from behind as I collapsed onto the curb, staring at the inferno that used to be our life.
My phone vibrated in my hand.
A text from Quasi.
Just landed. Hope you and Kenzo are sleeping well. Love you.
I stared at the screen, then at the burning house.
And in that moment, I understood the truth.
If I hadn’t believed my son at the airport, we would have been inside.
Asleep.
And I realized, with sickening clarity, that the danger wasn’t over yet.
