Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
I spoke too soon.
Red-and-blue lights wake me up at four the following morning.
Confused and groggy, I drag myself out of bed with a blanket around my shoulders and peek outside my window. The sight of two police officers sobers me up like a bucket of ice-cold water.
Maybe it makes me the nosiest neighbor in my building, but not knowing what’s going on will eat at me later. Especially after what happened to my car’s window last night.
What if both are related?
A prickle of anxiety travels the length of my spine when I open the front door and see the old lady who lives in the apartment next to mine.
“They didn’t take anything?” one of the police officers is asking her.
She shakes her head, adjusting her glasses. “I was woken up by a loud sound inside the apartment. I yelled at them, and they ran away. When I checked, they had tripped over one of the chairs in the kitchen.”
Someone had broken into her apartment?
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot other neighbors watching the scene unfold from their doors.
“How many of them were there?” asks the other officer, a woman with a ponytail.
“I don’t know.” My neighbor shakes her head. “Two, I think? Maybe three. What I could tell is that they were men.”
“All right. We’ll open a case file and let you know if there are any advances,” the officer says.
“I just don’t understand,” the lady keeps going. “Why break in if they didn’t steal anything?”
“Maybe you scared them away before they could take anything,” the male officer suggests. “By the sound of it, they don’t seem to be experienced burglars. We’ll keep an eye out, don’t worry.”
She harrumphs, “Not sure about all that.”
I shut the door, having heard enough.
Someone broke into the apartment next to mine just hours after I found my car window rolled down. The two might not be connected at all, but my growing anxiety is telling me to run in the opposite direction of this town.
Not safe. Not safe. Not safe.
But I don’t want to leave Bannport. I don’t want to let fear take control of me now that I’m finally free.
I let out a frustrated groan and rub my eyes with the heels of my palms. I couldn’t possibly go back to sleep now—I’m too paranoid.
Maybe this is the sign to get myself that additional lock I’ve been meaning to install for ages now. Or I could move out.
Where to, though, I have no clue. I think about the last time I browsed for rentals in Bannport—too expensive, vacation homes, farms. I wouldn’t mind the extra land, but it’s outside my budget.
Deciding I’m in no mental state to make decisions right now, I lock the front door and head for the shower, all while telling myself that these recent events have nothing to do with me.
“You look like shit.”
Don’t I know that.
“Thanks, Charlie.”
“Rough night?” he asks as he passes me by to grab some peanuts for one of his tables.
It’s four in the afternoon, and our shift is nowhere near close to ending, but luckily only five tables are occupied. Sundays are a slow day, and we get to go home earlier, which is the only thing keeping me on my feet right now. I’m too tired to exist.
“Something like that,” I mutter.
If the past six years have taught me anything—my whole existence, really—it’s that waiting until my problems become big and ugly to solve them isn’t smart. I should tackle them while they aren’t making too much noise.
“Hey, Char.”
“What’s up?”
“Do you know of any rentals in the area?” I ask him, hopeful. “They don’t have to be super close to the bar or anything.”
He purses his lips as he thinks about it. “What’s your budget?” I tell him. “I might know someone, but I’ll have to check with him.”
My chest lightens up at that. “You do?”
“Yeah, I’ll text him later. It’s one of the guys from the gym. He mentioned something about moving into a bigger apartment next month, and maybe his landlord hasn’t rented his old one to anyone yet. I’ll tell him you’re interested.”
“Oh, Charlie.” I struggle to wrap my arms around him from the other side of the bar, but I manage to squeeze him. “You’re a lifesaver. Thank you so much.”
I feel his laugh in my ear as he hugs me back. “No problemo, Allie Cat. I can’t promise a happy ending, though.”
The playful tone of his voice isn’t lost on me.
“You’re out of control.”
“Speaking of?—”
“Get back to work.”
I let go of Charlie and turn to bear-man only a few feet away, glaring at me—at me —with eyes so scorching, they would be burning a hole in my skin if they could.
“Sorry, boss,” Charlie apologizes, never losing that lopsided smirk. “Was just giving Allie some good news.”
“Save it for after your shift,” he barks a little louder than normal, the harshness of his voice surprising me—and not in a good way.
Travis never raises his voice, so what the hell is his problem?
The Lair is pretty much deserted, I was just giving Charlie a quick hug, and—most importantly—our patrons don’t care. They all know us by name, joke with us, and even invite us for drinks sometimes. They sure don’t care about the staff hugging each other for two seconds during a slow shift.
Bannport is a laid-back small town, but it’s clear that some of its residents aren’t.
“What happened to you?” Travis asks when he turns to me, a disapproving notch between his brows. “You don’t look well.”
I remind myself he isn’t worried about me. He doesn’t give a crap and is only asking because my lackluster performance might be affecting his business. I don’t think I’ve been sloppy today, but what do I know? He always has a reason to be grouchy, so maybe I’m breathing the wrong way and it’s bothering him.
“I didn’t have the best night’s sleep is all.”
It isn’t enough for him. “What happened?”
Too tired to dilute the truth, I tell him, “Someone broke into the apartment next door, and it freaked me out, so I slept very little.”
The notch between his eyebrows shifts from annoyed to something else. “Come again?”
“There was a break-in?—”
“Are you hurt?”
“What? No.” Why would he even think that? And why does the butterfly in my stomach open a curious eye at his concern? Go back to sleep. Or better yet—die . “It had nothing to do with me.”
“Where do you live?”
When I rattle off my address, something in him shifts. My throat feels like someone has stuck cotton balls inside it as I watch the tension in his wide shoulders rise, those green eyes darkening as if bathed in shadows.
“Travis,” I start, my heart hammering in an uncomfortable way, “what the hell is going on?”
Slowly, he lowers his head and uses that intense stare to pierce into mine. And then he says the last thing I expect him to.
“You’re moving the fuck out of that shithole.”
What. Is. Going. On?
“Excuse me?” I must have misheard him. There’s no way he’s ordering me to move out.
“You’re moving out,” he repeats.
An unpleasant feeling of disbelief clings to my chest. “Says who?”
“Says anyone with the slightest damn bit of common sense.”
Oh, he’s serious about this.
Despite the pool of anger bubbling in the pit of my stomach, I keep it together long enough to ask him, “Can we talk in the changing room?”
Travis must sense the edge in my voice because he agrees. A moment later, he closes the door to the changing room and turns to me with the same stoic expression I suspect he’s had his whole life. But imagining a grumpy baby Travis doesn’t bring me the slightest amount of amusement today.
“What the hell are you doing?” I hiss.
The deep breath he takes next personally offends me. “Allie.”
“Travis.”
“You live in a dangerous part of town.”
I frown. “What?”
“You live on King’s Avenue?” When I nod, he continues, “There’s a known point for drug dealing nearby. Some fucked-up shit.”
I’m not imagining the frustration in his voice as he runs a hand down his face and mutters, “Goddammit, Allie.”
I let my arms rise and fall to my sides. “What now? Why do you even care so much in the first place? Why are you angry with me and behaving like a total ass?”
The words have barely left my mouth and I already regret them.
This isn’t me. I don’t know when I turned into this defensive, ready-to-pounce woman, and I don’t like her. This isn’t the person Jada and Paul fought so hard for, the girl they raised because her own parents refused to live in the real world.
“I care , Allie, because I lost both of my parents to the same kind of shit they do in that area.”
My heart plummets to my feet.
I open my mouth once, twice, to say something, but only his name comes out. And it’s so faint, I don’t even think he’s heard it.
He’s not looking at me. Those eyes that have captured my attention far too many times are now glued somewhere behind me. The space between us seems to stretch with every passing second.
He ends up breaking the silence. “I didn’t mean to raise my voice at you or be an ass. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I concede.
“No, it’s not. I shouldn’t have treated you like that.”
“We’re both agitated. Let’s… let’s just forget it.”
He doesn’t say anything to that. Instead, he asks, his voice gentler, “Why are you living there?”
“Well, first of all, I didn’t know it was a sketchy area. I never saw or heard anything. Not even on the news.” It’s the truth. There’s a weird atmosphere to my building’s surroundings, sure, since it’s pretty much deserted with no local shops or tourist attractions, but I’ve never felt in danger until last night. “And there are barely any apartments for rent here, but Charlie is going to ask someone he knows. I may be able to move out soon.”
He gives me a slow nod. “Okay. I’ll ask around too.”
Once the tension of our fight leaves me, I ask him something I maybe shouldn’t. But it’s been eating at me since it happened, and I can’t take it anymore. Plus, there’s something about Travis that makes me feel safe and listened to. If I asked him for help, I know he’d say yes.
“Do you think it’s possible for someone to open a car window from the outside without breaking the glass or damaging the rest of the car?”
He blinks. Then blinks again.
“Why do you want to know?” he asks, slowly.
I try not to wince. “Last night, I found one of my car windows open. But nothing was stolen or vandalized, so maybe I accidentally left it like that. I don’t know.”
“Someone broke into your car.”
It’s not a question.
“Maybe not.”
But I’m not sure.
“You should’ve called me right away,” he grunts. “Allie, this is some serious shit.”
“No, it’s… it’s just in my head. I must have left it down and don’t remember. I promise I’m fine. I don’t feel in danger.”
Most of the time. The possibility of my apartment being broken into haunts me. Not because I have anything of value they could steal, but because I was finally starting to feel safe in my environment. If someone ruins that…
They won’t. I’m safe. I’m fine.
“Not feeling in danger and not being in danger are two very different things,” Travis says, that worried notch between his brows still in place.
He has no idea how well I know that.
“I’m walking you to your car every night from now on. Not up for discussion,” he declares, and I find myself not wanting to fight him on it.
After a few moments of silence, I know the conversation is over. I also know I have to move out, and I will. But for now, the only thing I can do is go back to the front and earn the paycheck that will allow me to find somewhere else to live.
Maneuvering around his huge body, I reach the door of the changing room. Before I leave, I glance at my boss over my shoulder. “I’m really sorry about your parents, Travis.”
I wasn’t expecting a response, and I don’t get one. He gets nothing else from me, either, before I go back to work.