in her lap like a life raft while the city lurched past outside the scratched window. Her fingers drummed over the flap again and

nd dragged her closer to the apartment she might not have tomorrow, and closer to the tiny bed w

ecause she'd been too deep in her head. The sky spit cold drizzle that seeped through her jacket in seconds and she hunched her shoulders and walked fast, her eyes darting to shadows she didn't trust anymore. The envelope felt heavier with each step, she climbed the narrow stairs to her floor,then the same smell, mildew, someone's stale cooking and the faint tang of cigarettes she coul

d wrong,she should check on Lila first, but Instead she slid into the wobbly kitchen chair and forced her fingers to rip the flap open. Inside t

ten, someone is making you their scapegoat,

She was at the teller window, her purse open, her expression tight and tired but It was from two weeks ago, when she'd gone to beg for a loan she hadn't gotten. Behind her in the photo was a man in a black hoodie, his f

as darker, night-time, maybe from an alarm camera. The same man in the hoodie was there again, only this time he was stuffing something into a black duffel bag"Cash"

FRAMIN

en at that bank to beg for help, not to plan a robbery,she barely had five bucks to her name, now she was somehow connected to this?.Then her phone buzzed,S

s Ju

little one for you, she's sleeping

fighting for calm. "No, I'm

a's eyes flicked to the photos spread on the table, her fingers brushing the corner of the envelope

ne. Tha

eplayed that day at the bank, the line that never moved and the bored teller who barely looked at her applica

a felt her pulse spike,what if the cops came to her door tomorrow? What if they alre

it deep into the junk drawer by the sink, she'd figure it out later. She had to, but right now her daughter needed her, she slipped into Lila's room and tiny bed was a nest of

so small that it nearly sn

e whispered. "

u work

y. But I'm

y, her eyelids flu

idn't feel. "Okay. Let's

dn't even know what scared her more, that he was right, or that she'd waited too long to stop it. She set the bowl by Lila's bed, coaxed her to sip it slowly then whispered promises she wasn't sure she could keep. When Lila drifted back

lights on past tomorrow. Her eyes drifted shut for a moment, too tired to fight the fear anymore. In the qu

the junk drawer, the blurry bank photo, the hooded stranger and also Ethan's scribbled warning. Outside the cracked window, the streetlight flickered on and off like a heartbeat, somewhere down the hall, someone's TV blared an old sitcom laugh track that made her skin crawl. It all felt wrong

eart jackknifed in her chest,that slipped out of bed without waking Lila and padded barefoot to the door

apologize, he just stood there in that same dark coat with the collar turned up against the

t the envelop

would stop him from stepping inside her life any

flicker of frustration under th

ud. She winced, glancing back at the bedroom where Lila

es raw. "But they don't care. They needed someone no one would

s hollow. "So

reined it back in. "You're just easy to blame. A broke single mom with bad luck, and overdue bills". He

in the hallway silence. "Because you don't deserve what's

he nausea twisting her stomach into knots. "You want me to belie

eat," he said.

r his eyes and the weariness in his shoulders. Whatev

u can fix thi

tightened.

many people have promised to help me? To fix everything? And you know what happened? Nothing worse

h him. But behind her, Lila coughed, a small, ragged sound that dragged the fight right out of her bo

room and the peeling linoleum, the scattered toys with the stack of unopened bills on the

she?" he as

enched at her

er. I'm here for you." She crossed he

and he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "You were at that ban

I was... I was begging for a lo

e and distracted and even the security cameras have you and him in the same

vering. "Because they needed a name and yours was easy to stick it to. You have no alibi, no lawyer, no money to fight it when it comes d

ed sideways, "You what?" Ave was surprised. Ethan's mouth pulled into a tight line, "Not the bank job, the people be

. "So you're a...

aid. "I'm trying to stop wha

lready ruined life. But she couldn't, because in the pit of her gut, she knew

ant from me?"

"I want you to trust me l

in her body drawn toward her daughter's voice like a magnet sh

ble, a phone number, nothing else. "When you're ready to

l alone but her throat refused to form the words and Ethan's eyes sof

adow. Ava stood frozen until she heard his footsteps fade down the stairs,then she locked the door and turn