Chapter 3

Mom said: [Jessie's coming home for New Year's. Just tidy up the small room. Don't let her sleep in Kiara's room. Kiara's family needs that space.]

Kiara said: [The bed in the small room's busted.]

Mom said: [She'll just have to make do for one night.]

Parker just sent a smiley emoji.

No one said a word.

I set my phone down.

The screen went dark.

The apartment was dead quiet.

Some music was drifting up from downstairs.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the dark screen.

They'd taken 150 thousand dollars from me.

And they'd…