That's What You Get

Chapter Twenty-One: The Line Between

It started with something small. A text from Dani that never came. A missed call that never showed up in the logs. Mikey told himself it was nothing, maybe she was busy, maybe Patrick had taken her somewhere. But then the quiet stretched into something heavier. She hadn't answered in two days.

And Dani didn't just go quiet.

Mikey tried not to show his unease, but Pete noticed. He always did.

"You okay?" Pete asked from the kitchen, rinsing out a mug.

Mikey nodded, too quickly. "Yeah. Just... haven't heard from Dani."

Pete paused, mug halfway to the drying rack. "That's not like her."

"No," Mikey said quietly. "It's not."

They stood there for a second, the sound of the rain tapping against the windows filling the silence. Pete set the mug down.

"Let's go check," he said.

Mikey looked at him. "You sure?"

Pete was already grabbing his jacket. "I've got a bad feeling too."

They didn't say much on the drive. Pete kept the music low, letting the tension breathe between them. Mikey stared out the passenger window, replaying old conversations in his head, words Dani had said that didn't make sense at the time. Things she'd brushed off. Laughter that sounded too forced.

When they pulled up to the house, Mikey's chest tightened. The porch light was off. No car in the driveway. Curtains drawn.

Pete parked but didn't turn off the engine. "You want me to come in?"

"Yeah," Mikey said. "I don't want to go in alone."

The front door was unlocked. Mikey stepped inside first, calling out softly. "Dani?"

No response.

Pete closed the door behind them. The house felt too still. Lived-in, but abandoned. A half-full glass sat on the coffee table. The TV remote had fallen to the floor. Something was off.

A sound came from down the hall. Not loud, just a creak. Mikey moved toward it, Pete at his back.

He stopped outside Dani's bedroom.

The door was open a crack. He pushed it gently.

She was there, curled up on the bed, facing the wall. Her shoes were still on. One arm tucked beneath her head, the other wrapped tightly around her ribs. The bruises weren't new, but they were darker.

"Dani," Mikey said, stepping in.

She stirred slightly but didn't sit up. "Hey."

It came out flat. Small.

Pete stayed near the door, frozen.

Mikey knelt beside the bed. "I was worried."

"I'm okay," she whispered, though nothing about her looked okay.

"You haven't answered me. Dani..."

She finally looked at him. Her lip was split. Her eye swollen. Her voice caught in her throat before she spoke again. "I didn't want to bother you."

Mikey's jaw tensed. "This isn't bothering me. This is you needing help."

Pete shifted his weight, finally stepping forward. "Do you want to come with us? Just for the night."

Dani didn't answer right away. Her gaze flicked to Pete, then back to Mikey.

"I can't stay here tonight," she said. "That's all I know."