My Tinder Date Said She Had A Surprise In Her Closet — I Never Expected To See My Own Family Tied Up
Part 1
The porch light flickered above me as I checked the address.
Everything matched her Tinder profile perfectly.
Brenda had suggested we skip the bars and meet at her place for wine.
I knocked on the heavy wooden door.
It swung open almost immediately.
Brenda stood there in a crimson dress.
She ushered me inside with a quick wave.
The deadbolt clicked into place behind me.
Her living room was immaculate.
White carpets stretched across the floor.
She gestured toward a leather sofa.
I sank into the cushions while she poured two glasses of red wine.
She handed me a crystal glass.
Her eyes locked onto mine.
She didn’t sit down on the couch next to me.
Instead, she pulled up a hard-backed chair directly in front of my knees.
The silence stretched on for an uncomfortable amount of time.
She swirled the dark liquid in her glass.
“If you knew who was in my closet, you would be as excited as I am.”
I let out a nervous chuckle.
I assumed it was some kind of dark humor.
“Who’s in your closet?”
She stopped swirling her wine.
Her expression went completely flat.
“First, let’s get one thing straight.”
Her voice dropped an octave.
“You don’t get to question me unless I want you to know.”
The air in the room suddenly felt suffocating.
“Got it?”
This was absolutely crazy.
She had seemed completely normal over text.
Now she was staring at me like a predator.
I cleared my throat.
“Is there really a person in your closet?”
She glared at me.
“Yes.”
A cold sweat broke out across my forehead.
“But you’ll be given the appropriate information when the time is right.”
That made my stomach drop.
The intense focus in her eyes made it feel incredibly personal.
I gripped my wine glass tighter.
“Okay, can you at least tell me why I would be excited if I knew who was in your closet?”
She snapped her fingers in my face.
“You don’t get to tell me what’s weird and what’s not.”
She leaned forward.
“You’re not in charge.”
She tapped her own chest.
“I am.”
I swallowed hard.
“In charge of what?”
A cruel grin spread across her face.
“Of your life.”
I tried to stand up.
She shoved me back into the cushions with surprising strength.
“Everything you say from this moment on will directly affect the rest of your life.”
My mind raced toward the front door.
She continued before I could make a move.
“I want you to tell me a little story about the time you got a DUI.”
A freezing chill rushed up my spine.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She threw her head back and laughed.
“Let me recount it for you.”
She began pacing back and forth.
“You were going about ninety down a residential street.”
My breathing grew shallow.
“You were hammered from being at your best friend Tyler’s birthday party.”
I cut her off.
“How did you know that?”
She ignored my question.
“You spun out, lost control, and slammed into a pedestrian.”
She stopped pacing and stared directly into my soul.
“Does any of that ring a bell?”
My defensive instincts kicked in.
“Who are you?”
She leaned in until her lips brushed my ear.
“I’m your worst effing nightmare that’s already come true.”
It was true that I got a DUI seven years ago.
But the police report said I hit someone who survived with minor injuries.
She reached behind the couch.
She pulled out a crumpled photograph of a teenage girl.
“Recognize her?”
I shook my head.
“That’s the person that was killed that night.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“She was my daughter.”
The walls of the room started spinning.
I told her the cops confirmed the victim was fine.
She hurled her wine glass against the wall.
The crystal shattered into a thousand pieces.
“Bullshit.”
She screamed the word.
“She was killed instantly by your drunkenness.”
I threw my hands up in defense.
“Why would they lie to me about that?”
She looked at me as if I were stupid.
“Your dad is a lawyer.”
She spat the words out.
“And Greg paid the cops off to stay quiet.”
My jaw dropped.
“I know because my dad was one of those cops that took one of his bribes.”
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes.
“I swear, if I would have known, I would have done the time myself.”
My voice cracked.
“I would have come clean and been honest.”
I buried my face in my hands.
“I am so sorry.”
She stepped closer.
“You aren’t even close to being sorry.”
I looked up through my fingers.
“What does that mean?”
She snickered.
“You’ll be sorry when you see who I have in the closet.”
She pointed a manicured finger at the hallway door.
“Let’s see if you can take a guess.”
