Chapter 43: Nikki

I pulled my key from my pocket and stuck it in the deadbolt. The turn was ominous, and I expected something dramatic on the other side. But when it opened, the place had been picked up and restored to as much normalcy as one could expect after the hurricane that had blown through here two days ago. I had a difficult time wrapping my head around the fact that I'd only been in Ryker's care since Friday.

The door shut behind me with a click, the weight of the metal closing it on its own. "Ma?" I called out, although I could tell she wasn't here. The television wasn't on, the lights were all dark, and the place was still. "Ma?" I tried again as I moved through the living room and then down the hall.

Everything had been put back in its place, which surprised me. Ma wasn't the greatest of housekeepers. That and the cooking always fell to me. She tried, but when she worked more than one job, she was tired when she came home. I didn't mind helping out then. She'd even picked up my room an