I motion to the bathroom to Evan and he tilts his chin in acknowledgment.
When I’m enclosed within a stall, I text a certain number knowing full well if this blows up, the evidence will be damning. It’s the only number I have of his, though. And I’m unwilling to not reach out and tell him I know what he did and that he crossed a line.
You went to her? He sees the message almost immediately but doesn’t answer and it pisses me off. Someone enters the restroom as another person leaves. I need to wrap this up. You weren’t supposed to go near her.
The responding text is immediate: Neither were you.
The sounds of a faucet being turned on, a distant cough and footsteps in the men’s restroom turn to white noise as Marcus continues in a series of messages that drain the blood from my face, even as it heats to an unbearable degree.
Where are you now, when she needs you?
Don’t answer that.
It doesn’t matter.
I’ll take it from here.
Delilah
Still staring outside the window, I end the call with Cody. The phone is heavy in my hand and I find myself gripping it tighter than I should. With my left hand holding open the curtains, I let my eyes adjust to the dark night and take count of the men outside.
I invited them in, but that’s against protocol. Fine. They can stay out there all night. I don’t care what anyone else does at this point. I just want to be able to sleep.
Exhaustion and disbelief weigh me down as I pull my robe tighter around me. A hot shower didn’t do a damn thing to calm my nerves. I’m so tired, I feel as if I could lie down and fall asleep in only seconds. But I know better. With the way my mind is reeling, I’ll be lucky if I can keep my eyes closed when my head finally lands against the pillow.
Reluctantly, I grab an overnight bag and begin packing. I only take enough for one night. Cody said he’d be back tomorrow and that’ll give him hours to install a security system up here. It’s plenty of time and I’m not staying at his place for more than just tonight. Especially when it’s only so that one of the two of us can have less to worry about.
We’re… we’re not boyfriend and girlfriend. We aren’t anything but friends who wind up in bed together. I barely even know a personal thing about the man. Much less the state of his place. I don’t even know if it’s an apartment or a ranch house or… whatever it is. Hope is nonexistent but I’m praying for it. The truth? The real truth? Even with the men outside, I’m so fucking scared. I’ve never been this terrified in my entire life.
It comes with the territory. The nature of my business is to be met with threats and stare them down while demanding justice. But from what I know, Marcus has his own version of justice and I don’t know where I fall in his eyes.
My breathing hitches remembering his steely gaze, but I keep moving, grabbing my earplugs, sleep bonnet, and lip moisturizer from the nightstand and tossing them into the small travel bag then zipping it up.
I pretend I’m not falling apart with every step. I keep moving, grabbing a sweater aimlessly and then two blouses for underneath. It’s when I’m folding them, the note coming back into my mind and the knock at the door of my office playing back in my head, that I nearly lose all control. Marcus is one beast and the threat is another.
The half-full bag sags on my bed as I cover my face with my hands and just breathe. I finally get dressed, and just breathe. Just breathe. It’s only once I calm myself down that I realize my hands are shaking.
Hugging myself, I sit on the edge of the bed, rocking slowly and pulling myself together. I let myself slip off the side, falling to the floor and leaning my head back against the mattress.
I could call my sister, but it would frighten her more than anything. What good would that do? I could call my father and he would overreact. He would make demands and attempt to take over… not unlike the man I just ended my last call with, but at least I can go along with Cody’s decisions.
I wish he were here. I need him and I don’t want to need him like I do, but my God I do.
Is it so wrong to want to be held and protected? It goes against everything in my nature, everything I’ve worked for, but right now I desperately need it. A little human contact that reminds me I’m safe and okay and nothing bad is going to happen.