“Really? Shall I introduce you to your grandmother? Who risked the exposure of her darkest secrets to find you? She’s the only one who gets to sit around and brood. And she vacuums instead.”

She should have told me the truth. I deserved to know.

“That’s crap, William. She and your parents and your Grandpa Tom gave you a normal life. Now that you’re in the middle of this mess, take a minute and be glad you lived in the bubble. Your grandmother risked everything to stabilize her family. And she did.”

William rolled over to his other side so he couldn’t see the chair.

I wonder how many other twentysomethings project their grandmother’s best friend as their voice of reason.

The sad part was, he wasn’t that surprised about Steven. Of course he’d heard the rumors. Once, a girl he dated had called him over to her laptop to show him a picture of Dr. Steven Richards from when he was arrested. William had gotten angry, asking what she’d been looking up. She’d just casually leaned back, pointing to the photo. “You know, you look a lot like him.”

The fact of the matter was, of all the rumors, William cared the least about the one concerning his grandmother’s affair, because it just didn’t seem at all possible. His grandparents were in love. It was obvious by the way that Grandpa Tom doted on Nanna. He’d heard his mother say several times that it wasn’t always that way, that it was practically a new development in their relationship.

Plus, it was miniscule. Grandpa Tom would always be his grandfather. Nothing would ever change that. It was simply just a final kick in the pants on a day that left his head spinning—

He heard the door handle turn quickly, and he sat up. Lily slipped through, wearing a nightgown, the whites of her eyes shining.

“Lily—”

She scurried past him to the windows. She was practically shaking.

“What is it?” he asked, sliding out.

“They’re here,” she said, pointing.

William looked through the glass. The moon was full, so the entire backyard was awash in pale light. He saw nothing but the fountain and the scattered gardens. Then, forms dressed in the color of night began to emerge from the trees and move towards the house.

TEN

By the time William shoved his feet into his shoes and grabbed Lily’s hand, Steven was at the door, still dressed in his clothes from before.

“Get to the basement. Now—”

The sound of gunshots interrupted, and Steven waved them on.

“Just go!” he ordered, moving stiffly around the banister of the upper floor. “Quincy! Get up!”

“What’s going on?” Quincy muttered as he emerged from another room looking disoriented, his shirt unbuttoned.

“Get out of there! Don’t stop!” Steven barked as another round of gunfire erupted from outside.