She waits a little while before saying, “What happened? If you don’t mind telling me.”
I push the plate away and turn to face her. “Car accident. A woman fell asleep at the wheel and hit them head on.”
Nova’s eyes fill with sorrow. “That’s awful. I’m sorry.”
I swallow over the lump in my throat. “They didn’t suffer, and they were together. I take solace in that. I don’t think either one of them could’ve survived without the other.”
Nova nods, her eyes glistening. “My parents died together, too.” She takes a deep breath. “It was a home invasion.”
My face reveals my shock before I can hide it. “Oh, Nova.” I reach for her hands. “I’m so sorry.”
“Me and my sister weren’t home at the time. My mom sent her out to the store to grab a few things for dinner, and I begged to go with her. She didn’t want to take me, but I threw a fit about it, and she eventually let me come.
“While we were gone, two guys went in looking to steal anything valuable. The house was dark because the kitchen was at the back of the house and my parents didn’t leave the lights on in any room they weren’t in. The door was unlocked, and as they were rummaging through the front room, my mom and dad walked in and caught them. The guys were high, got startled, shot them both, then stole what they could and left.”
“Jesus,” I whisper. “Did you…” I trail off, not wanting to finish my train of thought.
She shakes her head. “Neighbors heard the shots and called the cops. They were there before we got back home. We didn’t see them.”
I find some relief in that. Losing your parents in such a terrible way is one thing, but finding their bodies would be near impossible to recover from.
“If only I had stayed behind.”
I squeeze her hands. “Don’t do that. You’re not to blame. You were just a kid.”
She wipes a rogue tear that slips down her cheek then tries to shove the sadness away. She sits up straighter and forces a grin. “So, that’s my emotional baggage. It’s also why this thing with Mario is so hard for us. We found him trying to break in, and we have no idea what his plan was. I don’t want me or my sister to be victims like our parents.”
As I’m opening my mouth to respond, Nova’s phone goes off. She glances at the screen and furrows her brows. “Probably a scam call,” she says, ignoring it. When it rings again, she hits decline, her face morphing into worry. “Maybe it’s him.”
“How’d he get your new number?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know how he does half the things he’s done.”
When it rings for a third time, she answers.
“Hello?”
I hear a man’s voice on the other end and my body tenses up.
“What?” Nova’s voice is a high shriek. “Wait, what? Are you…yeah. Okay, oh my God.” She starts crying and I get up and place my hand on her shoulder. “Okay. Okay. Thanks.”
When she ends the call she drops her head into her hands and bawls.
“What’s wrong, Nova? What happened?”
She stands up, her eyes wide with worry. “My sister.” Her voice breaks, and I hold onto her arms. “She was hit by a car.”
“Oh my God.”
“It was a hit and run. That was her boyfriend who called me.”
“Is she okay?”
She shakes her head, her eyes already red rimmed. “I’m not sure. She has extensive injuries. Greg said they won’t tell him much more than that because he’s not family. I have to get home.”
“Okay, okay.” I bring her into a hug, wishing I could take this pain from her. “Do you think it was him?” I don’t say his name. She knows who I’m referring to.
“I don’t know,” she replies, shaking her head as tears fall. “Why would he do this? Because of me? Because he couldn’t find me? Oh my God, I should’ve gone home. I should’ve been there.”
“Hey, don’t think like that. This isn’t on you. We don’t know for sure who did this, but let’s hope whoever it was gets caught.” With a sniffle, she nods her head. “Grab your things and I’ll take you by your apartment to pack.”
When she goes upstairs, I pull out my laptop and start searching for flights. It kills me that I can’t go with her, but I can at least do this.
When she comes back down with her bag, I ask, “What airport do you fly into? Tampa International?”
“Elijah, no. I can buy my own ticket.”
“Let me do this, Nova. Please.”
She stares into my eyes for a few seconds, then nods. “That’s the right one.”
Before we leave my house, she has a plane ticket that leaves Ohio tonight at seven o’clock. We’re both quiet on the drive to her apartment. I go inside with her and help her pack.
“I don’t know how much to take. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone,” she says through her tears.
“Take everything you think you need. Whatever will fit in your two suitcases here. If you need anything else, I can send some stuff to you.”
She breaks down again and I rush over and hold her in my arms while she sits on the floor in front of a half-packed suitcase.
“Come on. It’s okay. I got you.”
She cries in my arms for ten minutes before easing away. “Okay. I’m gonna use the bathroom, and then I’ll come finish.”
Once she’s back, we pack up her two suitcases with everything that’ll fit. “If you leave me your key, I’ll come back and throw out all the food and keep an eye on the place while you’re gone.
“Thank you,” she says with a sniffle.
“I’ll drive
