LOUISE
There were two of them and the first thing I realized was, they weren’t surprised to see me. They grinned when they saw my face. They weren’t expecting the house to be empty and they weren’t expecting Sean.
“Who—” I started.
One of them stepped forward and shoved me hard in the stomach. I folded at the waist and staggered back, winded, catching myself against one of the tables. My eyes were on the floor as I tried to heave in air, but I heard the two of them stroll in and shut the door behind them.
“Jesus,” said one of them. A heavy accent I didn’t recognize, vaguely European. When I managed to look up, they were looking around at the plants in wonder. “So that’s what he’s doing.”
I had no idea what was going on. When they’d pushed their way in, I’d thought they were there to rob us, but they sounded surprised. If they hadn’t known this was a grow house, why were they here?
I finally managed to straighten up and get a better look at them. Two men, bulky with muscle, both with shaved heads. One of them pulled out a knife—a huge, ugly thing with a blade as long as my hand. Oh Jesus! “Who are you?” I croaked.
“We know your boyfriend,” said the other man. “He paid us a visit. So now we’re paying you a visit.”
I swallowed. “He’ll be back. He just stepped out.”
One of them shook his head. “He hasn’t been here all night. We’ve been watching this place. Would have been in here an hour ago, if the fucking cops hadn’t showed up.”
Oh Jesus. I’d had the police there. I’d had the police right there at my door and I’d wished for them to leave. My stomach turned. This was the world I’d chosen. I was a criminal, now, and the police don’t protect us.
Sean’s words came back to me: what would you do, if someone broke in?
My plan seemed so stupid, now. The knives and the baseball bat were in the far corner of the room, where I’d thrown them.
Idiot! And the men were looking at me in a way that made my skin crawl.
When I’d bedded down, I’d kept my top and bra on, but it had been too hot for jeans so I was standing there bare-legged in my panties.
I swallowed and looked around at the plants. “Take them,” I said. “Take everything.”
They laughed. And that’s when I realized they weren’t interested in the weed.
They were there for me.