11
Tsunami
Amanda
I’m wallowing. I hate it as much as I enjoy it. It’s nice to sit around and do nothing for a little while. It also stresses me out because I need to be earning money. This is not me getting a divorce. I need out of this mental slump. The thought of distracting myself with the Muay Thai class got shot down in flames for obvious reasons.
My eyes go to the kitchen drawer again, and I force them away.
“No mysteries allowed. Get a job and money, then a divorce.”
I wonder what my credit looks like. Can you take out a loan for legal proceedings?
Three heavy knocks hit the door, shaking it in its frame.
I frown at the portal, startled out of my moping. The knock comes again, harder.
It can only be one person.
“Deal with it on your own today, Manny!”
How can he be afraid of that old woman? Yeah, she’s mean, but it’s not like he can’t outrun her. I’ve started keeping a stash of sodas and snacks that he likes because he stays with me so often.
The knock becomes an ominous three slow hits with a fist.
I’m tempted to turn my music on so I don’t have to hear it, but I know he won’t stop. I can just take this mood out on Mrs. Danvers and call it good.
I stomp to the door and fling it open. I like the kid, but enough is enough.
“Damn it, Manny!”
As soon as I take in the fact that whoever was trying to break down my door is not Manny, my mouth firms. I’ve been face-to-chest with this guy before. I recognize him from his soap. That should be gross, but at least he smells good.
My eyes warily trail up to the scruffy guy’s face, and I wince. His cheeks are flushed, and the scowl he’s wearing looks like a permanent fixture. It’s obvious he’s extremely pissed, and I’m the chosen outlet.
“Who is Manny?” He asks in a low, deadly tone. There isn’t a trace of his accent either. Is that bad?
He brushes past me and enters the apartment, making my jaw drop. Mr. Matthias, in all his suited glory, and his giant guard are right behind him. They look just as mad as the scruffy guy.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I demand belatedly. I hurry to slam the door in Mr. Matthias’ face when he takes a step forward. I can’t help the smug smile I get before it closes. His eyes widened when he realized I was shutting him out. It gives me a little jolt of pleasure.
The scruffy guy looks through the apartment thoroughly, not that there’s anything to really look at. I prefer groceries over furniture. I do have a mattress on the floor, and he actually lifts it to check under it, knocking my blanket onto the floor. Where was he when I hauled this in here?
“What are you looking for?” I ask, bewildered at his angry search. He’s acting like a dog looking for a bone.
The door opens again and I curse myself for not locking it.
“No!” I point my finger in Mr. Matthias’ face and try to close the door again. Even though it doesn’t budge because of the slick-toed shoe blocking it, the guard slams a hand on the portal to keep it open. And cracks the panel.
“Are you kidding me?” I glare at him. He has the balls to look completely unrepentant. “Did it feel good to abuse an innocent door? Goodbye, deposit.”
The hissed words make him cringe a little. It’s a little satisfying for a guy that big to show some weakness.
“Who is Manny, darlin’?” Scruffy guy’s voice is still quiet and dangerous as he prowls around, opening the bathroom door and then the kitchen cabinets above the stove.
I step away from the door, letting the other two assholes prowl inside before they walk over me. My confused stare bounces between their angry faces before I snap out of it.
“Why did the three of you just break into my apartment?” I demand, crossing my arms angrily.
“A wellness check. You were supposed to be at work yesterday.” Mr. Matthias slides his hands into the pockets of his slacks. The move is casual, but his hands ball into fists, making it a lie. He takes in my faded, thrift store flannel pajamas with a raised brow that irritates me. It’s not like I invited him in here to judge me.
“Ten o’clock,” Scruffy guy reminds me darkly.
“Could it be because I quit ?” I sweetly remind them with both brows high on my face.
“I didn’t accept it,” Mr. Matthias tells me calmly as if that should mean something to me.
“That’s not how life works, pookie. This is what’s called reality . You should try and get to know it.” I widen my eyes as I speak in the most condescending tone I can.
“Pookie?’ His lip curls with disdain.
The bodyguard coughs into his fist, but I catch his wide grin before he covers it. He’s struggling to maintain his scowl now. It’s nice that my snark is being appreciated, but this guy has pissed me off too.
“You don’t get to laugh until you fix that damn door,” I point at him with a scowl. I take in the scruffy guy’s amused expression next. “And you. Pick up that blanket. This isn’t your house.”
The scruffy guy raises an eyebrow and leans forward with an angry smile. “You didn’t do a damn thin’ I told you to, did you?”
It reminds me of him handing me the money and telling me to have a spa day. He told me to relax and spoil myself. Instead, I hid it to tide me over until I found another job. I haven’t put it in the bank yet because I’ve been moping.
If he’s going to throw a fit about it, I’ll return it. I’ll be fine. I hope he enjoys having it shoved down his throat.
I huff in frustration and stomp to my phone, pulling off the case to reveal the stash. My mouth runs the entire time. “Just a heads up, molesting a woman’s feet in public and handing her money for it is shady as fuck.”
He grabs my wrist when I move to toss the money in his face and yanks me into his chest. The relaxed speed of the move startles me into submission. I don’t think about fighting it as my sock-clad feet slide closer to him.
As soon as his arms wrap around my waist, his smile becomes more relaxed and playful. He has me fully pressed against him, chest to chest. He’s muscular everywhere. Every hard part of him meets up with my softness until we’re practically glued together.
My body starts reminding me how long it’s been since I was physically intimate, and I struggle with wanting to melt and feeling guilty.
Guilty? I have no reason to feel guilty. I have a drawer full of proof of that. I’m starting to tense up when he breaks into my thoughts.
“I meant relaxin’. Do you know what that word is?” He asks in a gentle tease.
My cheeks blush as I gape at him. When Mr. Matthias moves in my peripherals, my snark comes back to save the day.
“That’s when the people who broke in leave , taking their octopus arms and their money with them,” I grit out, and his smile gets wider. I try to brace an arm between our bodies, but he doesn’t budge in his hold.
“What are you savin’ for?”
“None of your business,” I stuff the money into the collar of his shirt with a sneer. His skin is hot and distracting. Shit, I need to get away from him before I succumb to temptation. He’s got his money and no reason to linger. “Now get out of here!”
“I didn’t call you to my office to fire you,” Mr. Matthias coldly interrupts my building tirade as I struggle to get away. Even putting a foot on the guy’s thigh to gain some leverage doesn’t work. It just makes his smile bigger.
“Yeah, you just wanted someone to torture for a few hours. Sorry I clocked out early on that.” I work an elbow up to try and force more space between me and scruffy.
“No. I wanted to find out why you highlighted some of the files.”
My struggle stops in an awkward position as I wince. “I lost control of the mystery-solving urge because I was stressed, ok? I used lighter colors. If you make a copy, it won’t show up, and everything will be fine. I was going to do that before I filed them, but I got distracted.”
“Why those names?” Mr. Matthias’ voice becomes intense, and he rocks on his heels.
I frown at the action. My struggling paused for a moment as I take him in. He came to my apartment to find out about some highlighted names. What the hell is going on? Did I just go into overtime with the mystery I don’t want?
“Why do you care?” I ask him warily.
“You saw a pattern that I overlooked. How? And why bring my attention to it?”
My brow furrows deeper. “What pattern ? They’re random names. Maybe I was planning on bringing phone books back. And excuse me, I didn’t expect any witnesses to my highlighter happy time.”
His eyes narrow on me. He’s studying me as if I’m a windup toy that isn’t doing the tricks that were advertised on TV. Shrewd disappointment and the urge to disassemble.
“You don’t know anything about it?” His mocking tone confuses me more.
So, the names in the letters do mean something—just not to me. I would ask about it, but I’d prefer to have less drama in my life.
“The names mean something to you?” I press with narrowed eyes. “Really?”
His raised brow of insolence confirms it.
My excitement is undeniable. It seems to make him a little scared. His brow has dropped into a frown.
I could hand over the letters to him, minus the photos, and wash my hands of it all. It’s almost too good to be true!
I try to face him but the guy won’t let me go. I end up flapping my hands around earnestly instead. I can’t wait to get rid of this crap.
“I have no idea what they mean. I recognized the names from these weird letters I’ve been getting. There are more of them but those are the names I recognized because they’re so weird. And Loser’s name is all over the paperwork for each of them.”
“You mean Justin Blake?” He raises a mocking eyebrow. “Your husband ?”
The icy death tone brings on a hardening of his eyes, and his lips flatten out. My reaction isn't much better. All my excitement falls apart with a sharp cracking sound in my mind.
“Don’t remind me or I’ll puke on you,” I sneer back, surprising him into relaxing his facial expression again. “You won’t mention that cheating motherfucker again, got it, pookie ? Yeah, I saw his name, but then I saw the name from the first letter right under it, and I thought, what the hell? It was a word search puzzle of fuckery.”
“What letters, darlin’?” The scruffy guy asks softly. He’s perfectly content using me as a teddy bear while he eyes me in concern.
I grit my teeth in frustration. I’m pretty sure they won’t believe me, but I’ll try anyway.
“Somebody keeps putting letters in my mailbox with one typed-up name in each envelope. Seeing the names on the files that got dropped was the first time I had any kind of connection between them.”
“How odd,” Mr. Matthias mocks. I knew they wouldn’t believe me, but the proof in my face pisses me off.
“No, it’s messed up,” I glare at him while I flip him off. “If it means something to you, you can have the damn things. I don’t have time for stupid cryptic messages. If I get any more, I’ll drop them off with Harriette. Problem solved.”
“They’re breaking into your mailbox? Or mailing them?” The giant guard asks as his menacing glare deepens. I blink at the harsh rumble of his voice. He sounds like he calmly sits down to a breakfast of rocks every morning and eats it with a smile. It somehow puts a damper on my building rage. At least he’s willing to pretend I’m not lying. My middle finger drops out of sight quickly.
“Breaking in, I guess. They don’t have postage or a return address. And anybody could open the box with force and a screwdriver. It’s creepy as hell and you can have that bad juju all to yourselves. I’ll put a note up with a forwarding address for you instead. You can start your own mystery team and I can finally open my box like a normal person instead of the bomb squad version.”
Mr. Matthias eyes me with a frown and then demands, “Show me one.”
I don’t like the tone. It makes me want to kick him out, not that any of them would leave. I console myself with the thought that I’ll no longer have to deal with this. He’s rich and has two to four lackeys. He’s got this under control.
I raise a brow and look at the scruffy guy. He hasn’t looked away from my profile the entire time, and his affectionate expression throws me off.
“Uh, you missed your cue. This is when you let me go so I can grab them, and you can all leave like the smug assholes you are.”
His lips quirk up in a grin, and he slowly draws his arms away. I pretend like I don’t miss the feeling of him against me and go to the drawer. A little shuffling leaves the photos and smaller envelopes behind, and I start piling up the names.
The big guy takes a few of them and starts handing them out after he looks. He even picks up the manilla envelopes to verify my story. I cross my arms and watch them go grim over the proof. I don’t know what it means, but I’m hoping now that they have what they want, they’ll leave.
The door flies open, and Manny walks in with a huge grin. He stops when he sees the three men turn to face him. I enjoy watching his face turn a little ashen at the united front of frowning muscle blocking him from me.
“It’s called knocking, fucker,” I remind him dryly. “Have some class.”
Manny’s stance tenses as he takes in each man in front of me. Is he going to protect me? I knew he was sweet in there somewhere.
“Is everything okay, Jeff?” He lowers his voice into a gruff tone that sounds really fake.
“Yeah,” I lean around people to see him better. “You can turn guard mode off.”
“If they didn’t look so fucking rich, I’d think they were robbing you.” I expect him to be laughing when he says it but the teen sounds deadly serious.
I think fast to defuse the situation, unsure why Manny is suddenly so pissed off. Yeah, they look intimidating, but I don’t think they’re here to hurt anyone.
“Language. This is my ex-boss, Mr. Matthias,” I wave to point the man out. He raises an insolent brow back at me and focuses on the page he’s holding. “He’s picking up some paperwork, and then they’re out. Last day mix-up mistake.”
“Right. Can I talk to you in the hall for a sec?” Manny keeps a wary eye on the strangers in our midst. It makes the hair on my arms stand on end. I don’t know him well, but this is way out of anything I could picture him doing.
“Yeah,” I say warily and grab a soda from the fridge for him. I know that’s why he came here in the first place. I’m baffled at his careful step backward into the hall until a thought breaks over me like a bucket of cold water.
“I swear to God, Manny, if you are throwing me out there as bait for Mrs. Danvers to eat up, I’m going to haunt you. Your showers will be freezing cold for the rest of your life.”
He glares at me. “Stop threatening me for one second, and come on.”
He doesn’t wait for me. He spins and hurries out of the apartment like his butt is on fire.
“What dramatic bullshit is starting now,” I stomp to the door. “If one more useless mystery or violent old woman shows up, I’m going to rage quit this town so hard .”
“That’s Manny?” The scruffy guy seems pleased at the news as I pass him.
“No, it’s my fairy godmother,” I snark back, leaving the door open as I walk out. Hopefully, they’ll get the hint and leave .
I can hear him chuckling all the way down the hall, where Manny has stopped. I hand him the drink to start whatever meeting this is. He takes it and peers over my shoulder with narrowed eyes as he whispers.
“Do you know who that is, Jeff?”
I raise a brow at his tense voice. “Yeah. The jackass that refuses to believe I quit his glorious filing job.”
His wide eyes drop to take in my disgruntled expression.
“That is Matthias . Don’t trust those guys.”
“Well, yeah, they’re guys, and I’m thinking about embracing abstinence and twenty cats.”
“Absti-what?” His lip curls up in confusion.
“It means no sex, ever,” I raise both brows pointedly.
“I don’t want to imagine you any crankier than you already are,” he shudders in response.
“Why am I not trusting them again?” I prompt.
He looks helpless for a second like he’s about to drop a bomb and isn’t sure how I’ll react.
“There are rumors about that guy. They’re mafia. Bad fucking news, Jeff.”
I blink in surprise as that filters through my angry shields.
It shouldn’t be the news flash it is.
Wealthy family buying up property all over town. Constant lurking henchmen. Fancy suits and bloated ego. A lot of dots are connecting. It’s bizarre that I don’t feel threatened by them even knowing this.
“Whatever paperwork you have might be dangerous, Jeff. Matthias came to get it personally . What if they’re pissed? Or you know too much?”
Excuse me? How is it my fault that some idiot forced me to take on a mystery via hate mail?
Well, if that’s the way they want to play it, I’m in. I’m innocent, and I’m about to beat that fact into the smug asshole. Then I can kick him out. I’ll never have to deal with him or his flunkies again.
I’m a little sad about that, but this is for the best. The crazier I act, the more likely they’ll be to leave me the fuck alone. It’s not like the cops are going to help me. Mafia guys always have someone on the inside in the movies.
I swing around and stalk back. On my way, I snag a stupid model magazine from in front of my neighbor’s door and start rolling it up into a tight curl. When I’m in the doorway, my heart gives a heavy lurch at the sight that greets me.
One of them opened the drawer back up and handed out the photos. They each have one in their hands, studying them like a Picasso they want to buy.
My fake anger becomes absolute rage in a snap.
They came into my space and exposed my humiliation without a second thought. Mafia or not, they’re not leaving here unscathed.
I cross my arms and clear my throat loudly, tapping the magazine on my bicep.
They were so intent on the pictures that their heads snap to me in surprise.
“Get out. Have the pictures for your spank banks. I don’t care. Just get out.”
The scruffy guy’s face twists into a snarl of disgust. “Fuck that. They’ve been sendin’ you this shit too?”
My eyes narrow, and my voice gets colder. I’m kind of proud of it. I could give Matthias a run for his money on hypothermia.
“Get. Out.”
“This isn’t some random piece of information,” Matthias says, his tone matching mine. The distaste in his expression as he tosses the photo back into the drawer surprises me a little. “This is geared toward hurting you personally. Are you sure you don’t know any of these names?”
“Why are you really here?” My eyes narrow as I glance between them. “Bullshit mystery aside, what use am I to you?”
“Not for whatever you’re thinkin’,” scruffy snaps wrathfully. “We got nothin’ to do with any of this or your ex until I force-feed him a fuckin’ bullet.”
“Ace,” the guard says quietly with a dark look.
“So you guys are really mafia? Are you planning on taking him out?” I raise a brow in disbelief. “What am I? The patsy? You could have just asked me to be the fall guy.”
All three gape at my casual ease with it. Or at being called out as mafia so blatantly. I don’t care which.
“Darlin’-”
I cut that knee-weakening drawl off before it can get started. “Get out of my apartment. Take all the stupid evidence to plant with you. I’ll even give you the damn magazine for fingerprints. Prison sounds fun. I’ll get three free meals, and I can yell at anyone who looks at me wrong.”
I twist to the side and raise a brow at them. The not-so-subtle hint to get the fuck out gets ignored. They look like they’re planting their feet. I need to up my game.
“Or I could go back to the original plan and use this magazine to beat all three of you to prove I have nothing to do with this,” my lips flatten out with determination, and I start to sound like a scary movie villain as I continue. “Make your choice.”
“Your mouth,” Matthias says in a wondering tone. “Have you considered that it’s writing checks that your ass can’t cash?”
Both guards behind him look at him in surprise. His break in his icy-cold persona must be rare.
“Well, let’s make it a full booklet,” I snap back. My arms drop as my shoulders hunch angrily. My hand shakes as I tighten my grip on the magazine. “This is going to be a really slow death for you, but I’m going to enjoy every second of it.”
“We aren’t mafia ,” Matthias spits out. “Put the magazine down. Now.”
Not mafia? Scruffy just admitted he wants to shoot Loser. Then again, so do I and I’m not mafia. I’m too pissed to relent in my stance, even if I’m wrong. They might not be who Manny thinks they are, but they violated the one space I had left to hide from reality.
“The only place this magazine is going is down your throat, asshole.”
He takes two angry steps forward and so do I, both of us too mad to back down.
“I have never met someone so disrespectful in all my life.”
“Oh please,” I scoff in his face. “They just don’t do it to your frozen solid face.”
“For good reason,” he intones back with a sneer that questions my intelligence.
“I’m so scared, mafia don,” I tell him in a mocking whine. “Please forgive me! Whatever shall I do? You’re so angry .”
“Darlin’-” Scruffy tries again, and I lean around Matthias to jab the magazine at him. His brows go up at the violent action.
“You wait your turn. I’m not getting frostbite over here for nothing.”
“Excuse me?” Matthias snarls and takes another step.
I do the same until our noses are practically smashed together.
“Bring it on, pookie . I’ve got at least six years of good behavior to make up for.”
“I doubt that you’ve ever been good , Mana-chan. At anything .”
“Gabe,” the guard barks as my eyes widen with pain.
He sees how hard that hit me and seems to regret it, but it’s too late.
My hand raised the magazine before I could think it through, and I hit him on top of the head with it. Both of us blink in surprise as soon as it lands, but I rally quickly.
“That one hurt asshole! Take it back!”
Not the verbal bash down I was looking for but he leans back with a scowl.
“I didn’t mean it, damn it. I just wanted to win,” he snaps and rubs the top of his head.
“You’re damn right you didn’t mean it, and you can choke on defeat,” I huff and take a big step back. “Now get out! ”
“Jeff!” Manny hisses from the doorway as if he’s been calling me for the longest time.
I spin on my heels and yell, “ What ?” at the same time as Matthias.
How dare he yell at Manny! The glare I give him should make him spontaneously combust.
Manny’s eyes widen, and he whispers, “Loser is here.”
My anger drops so abruptly that I feel dizzy. My violent stance turns around and hides.
I haven’t heard a single word from the man for months and he shows up now ? With fake mafia guys and photos of his indiscretions everywhere? It hasn’t passed my notice that they figured out it was Loser in the pictures, either. I don’t want to know how they figured it out.
This is turning out to be the most ego-flattering day I’ve experienced in a while. The pain that stirred up seeing them holding those pictures has amplified.
“What?” I ask weakly.
Manny gives me a big, helpless shrug. “Do you want me to stop him?”
Do I?
No, Manny’s just a kid. The only way either one of us would get anything accomplished is if we sneak attack him. I don’t want to talk to him ever again. Not after all of the things I’ve learned.
“If I distract him, can you push him down the stairs?” I ask hopefully. I don’t mean it but I do at the same time. “I swear, I’ll say I did it. My utter joy will sell it for you.”
Manny gapes at me, “ Hell no!”
“Damn,” I mutter dismally.
“What are you thinking?” He asks warily and backtracks. “You’ve gone from porcupine to honey badger? I can’t see you backing that shit up.”
“Language, and I just hit him ,” I say with a ridiculous amount of pride as I point at Matthias.
“I told you I don’t give a shit about your language rules. You cuss like a sailor. And,” he looks over my shoulder with a cringe at the men behind me. “I don’t have a suit for your funeral, but I’ll be there. I won’t tell a soul I saw you guys. She means nothing to me.”
“Heh,” I give a short laugh as I think about my dad. I’m just like him, apparently. No cussing and then a vent session full of me learning new eye-opening curse words. The second half of his statement has me excited, though.
“I could lure him in, and they could kill him instead.”
“No,” Manny glares at me. “They will set you up, and no guard in a prison is going to let you take a magazine to bed for self-defense, dumbass.”
“Harsh,” I pout, crossing my arms.
“What are we doing?” Manny insists with a glare.
“Hiding?” I ask hopefully, fresh out of other ideas.
Manny straightens and eyes my huddled form with a scowl.
“ Fuck that. He’s used to the doormat version of you. Give him the real you. You just hit a scary motherfucker with a magazine, Jeff. In front of his henchmen! If that kind of shit doesn’t scare Loser into a divorce, I don’t know what will. You’re seriously psychotic.”
“I guess?” I cringe and shuffle to the door without much hope of coming back unscathed. Manny keeps pace beside me to keep up the pep-talk.
“You can do this without murder, I know it. Just let him have it and kick him in the dick.”
“Why won’t he just divorce me already?” I whine in petulant fury.
“That’s it, Jeff. Get pissed!” Manny encourages with an excited grin. “I can’t wait to see this. Give me the magazine.”
I’m passing it over to him when the scruffy guy speaks.
“I’ll take care of it.”
I look back at him as a deadly serious look takes over his face. His handsome features become blank with resolve. Whatever he’s thinking about isn’t healthy for him, that’s for sure.
“I was kidding about being happy in prison. You know that, right?”
“They’ll never find his body,” he assures me with calm confidence.
“That’s not better,” I tell him with a bewildered frown. “The wife is always the first suspect, and my anger issues won’t help that cause. Not to mention the party I’ll throw afterward. There will be signs.”
That seems to stifle his violent urge quickly and frustrate him. At least his expression has come back.
“Thanks for the offer, though,” I add lamely. “It was really sweet of you.”
His head tilts as a brow rises in disbelief. But his lips curl up in a smirk.
“Uh,” Manny eyes them warily.
“It’s fine, Manny,” I wave him off with a defeated sigh. “I’ll actually talk to the fucker like an adult. You’ll be safer with the mafia guys. Just stay here.”
“ Uh ,” his tone gets shaky as his eyes widen. “I was joking about the funeral thing but not the I never saw you guys.”
“We are not mafia ,” Matthias grits out from clenched teeth. I ignore him as another thought hits me.
“Maybe this will be a good thing? Maybe he’s serving me paperwork!” I gasp in excitement. “He’s the kind of jackass that would want to serve them personally. Should I act sad about it? You know, so he’ll be all smug and leave really fast?”
“Jeff! Get pissed off!” Manny smacks me in the arm with the magazine.
“Ow!” I jerk back and cup my bicep. “That hurt!”
“Good! Channel that and attack!” He spins me to the door and gives me a shove. The door slams shut behind me, but Manny adds one more thing. “Go full rabid honey badger on him!”
“I am not a badger,” I snap back and then stand in the hallway with no idea what I’m doing.
For once, it’s quiet. It has an ominous feel to it that I don’t like at all. That feeling of doom is suddenly back. I want to turn around and bang on my apartment door. Maybe if I whine enough, Manny will let me back in. I changed my mind.
I’ve just finished the thought when I hear the deadbolt slide into place.
“You dick!” I yell in fury.
“Don’t back down!” Manny calls back happily.
I can hear them muttering to each other as I pace away from the door. I feel like a victim in a scary movie, waiting for the ghost to pop out and scare the hell out of me.
Instead, Loser appears from the stairwell. He’s in his typical suit and tie, with his hair done in a carefree way that seems casual but isn’t. It’s like no time has passed at all for him. My heart gives a sharp, painful, stabbing sensation that I hate. This man should have no effect on my mood. He’s nothing .
The thought straightens my spine as my eyes narrow and my arms cross. I feel like a bouncer in the hallway now instead of a weeping damsel. I like it a lot better.
He pauses when he sees me and straightens his jacket. He seems confused that I’m in the middle of the hallway, looking like a frumpy bodyguard.
My brows go down at the thought. Holy shit, is he here to meet up with another damn woman? Half of me hopes that’s true so he can go away. The other half is absolutely enraged. Like he stepped onto my territory without my permission, and now I have to beat him down to get him to leave.
To top it all off, he’s not even out of breath after taking the stairs.
Somehow, that’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back, and I go into rabid honey badger mode.
“Well, well, well,” I start ominously. It sounds stupid, but my mouth has taken over, and I’m not stopping it. Let him get a dose of the real thing instead of the doormat. Sorry Mom, being a lady has taken a vacation, and I didn’t get a return ticket.
“Mandy?” His brows go up in surprise.
“I hate that fucking nickname, and you know it,” I snap. “What are you doing in my building?”
I just claimed ownership of an apartment complex like a villain. Like I want that responsibility.
“I just wanted to talk,” he says, bewildered. “I thought it was time. Can we go inside and sit down?”
With mafia guys, Manny, and no chairs? That sounds so comfortable. If only I had a plastic tarp for him to sit on. Less clean up.
Damn it, no.
“Yeah, it’s past time we talked, and you’re not stepping foot in my sanctuary,” I snark back. Sanctuary. What the hell am I thinking? “You better serve me divorce papers before I really get mad. I’m done with this shit.”
His jaw drops, and he starts shaking his head slowly. “No, sweetheart. I want to talk about us . We can’t end like this.”
I blink, unable to comprehend what he’s talking about.
“I’m sorry. She meant nothing to me, I swear. As soon as you found out, I cut off all contact with her. I’ve missed you so much, sweetheart.”
“Ack! No! ” I shriek and feel bile rise. “You keep your diseases to yourself, fucker! I want a divorce!”
“What?” He has the utter gall to look upset over the news. “But why? We’ve been so good together. I’m here to bring you home. Someplace safe. You don’t have to live like this.”
My eyes bulge in disbelief. I’m stuck on one word and can’t hear anything that came after. “I’m sorry. Did you just ask me why ?”
I hear Manny start chanting my nickname in an upbeat tone like he’s cheering me on.
“Not helping!” I scream, and he goes silent.
“You’re acting a little crazy right now. Let’s go inside,” he says in a calming voice that amps my fury up even more. No man in his right mind would say that to a pissed-off woman.
“I wonder why,” I deadpan back. My arms have tightened down to my body so hard that my sides are starting to ache. How dare he? Like I’m so stupid I’m going to fall for his bullshit lies after all of this.
“I found your ring,” he says in a tone filled with sorrow. He pulls it out of his pocket to show me as I gape.
“I shouldn’t be surprised at your dumpster diving skills,” I sneer. “I knew I should have melted it down.”
“But you didn’t,” his voice gets louder with hope. “I know you still love me.”
I gag loudly. It’s not even fake. I’m trying my best not to puke. All I can think about is all the pictures in that drawer and the fact that I recognize his hand because of the wedding ring. He’s holding out the matching band to me with a quivering smile that disgusts me.
“You do ,” he insists and takes a few steps closer. “We can make it through this sweetheart. I know it.”
“I know I’m going to throw up,” I choke out.
“Come home, please ,” he pleads. “I’ll make it up to you.”
“No,” I scoff in disbelief. “What the fuck is the matter with you? It’s over. Done. Divorce city, here I come.”
He looks at me in surprise. The expression slowly starts to morph into something angry. The hand with the ring drops to his side and clenches into a fist.
That doom feeling presses harder on my chest.
“Is he that good to you?”
I shake my head as that verbal right hook hits me out of nowhere.
“He can’t be if you’re still living here. I would never let you stay here. It’s not safe. He’s using you.”
“Are you high right now?” My disbelief has reached its peak. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
My eyes catch blue hair as the woman comes out of the stairwell with her creepy boyfriend right behind her. They stop behind Loser, both completely expressionless like waiting robots watching the show.
“Who is he?” Loser demands, his tone falling in anger.
“Who is who ?” I flap my hands around in frustration.
“You tell me. Who is the guy that’s calling you his girl?” He takes two slow steps toward me while I try to process this new mystery. I’m bewildered.
“Who the fuck would do that?”
“Don’t lie to me, Mandy,” Loser snaps. “And since when did you fall back on cursing like your father? I thought we went over that.”
The sounds of a struggle in my apartment catch my attention for a second before my gaze returns to Loser with a snap. There’s something about this that’s rubbing me the wrong way. A cold chill is slithering down my spine at his approach.
I’ve seen him mad before, but not like this. He actually looks close to violence. That doom feeling presses harder on my chest.
“What’s his name?” Loser cajoles me with an angry smile that struggles to be benign. “Is he rich? Promising to take care of you? He can’t care about you like I do. I love you.”
“Waaait a second,” I rear back in surprise. “Are you jealous ?”
His feet stop as he glares at me.
I don’t know who he’s talking about, but if I find this guy, I’m going to kiss him senseless for this. Holy shit, this is epic.
“You can’t really be jealous, right? I mean, how fucking hypocritical is that?”
“Just leave him behind and come home. He doesn’t love you.”
“Wow, so tempting,” I mock his solemn tone with a laugh.
“Damn it, Mandy, I’m serious!” He snaps, and my laugh gets louder.
“I don’t know his name, but he’s a keeper. Super rich. Yacht. The whole nine yards. Best sex I’ve ever had.”
Loser’s expression drops with disgust. “That’s a lie.”
“Nah, the bar is set really low on that one. He just had to lift his foot about half an inch to make it over. I think he fell asleep during, but I was having too many orgasms to pay much attention. It was all about me. Such a novel experience.”
It’s like the sarcasm isn’t computing for him. His face has gone red with rage, and I don’t get why. He’s had more women than I’ve had pairs of socks at this point. What does he care if I get my rocks off with some made-up guy?
“You’re going to get caught,” he tells me darkly. “How is it going to feel when I take you to court for infidelity?”
My humor comes to a screeching halt, and my eyes widen. “Are you telling me that if I get caught with another guy, you’ll divorce me?”
“You are mine , Amanda,” he says in a low tone that sounds totally serious.
“Fuck that. I’m screwing every man in this building and taking out an ad in the paper. Social media? There’s so many ways I could do this.”
A sharp grunt comes from my apartment. Then, the thump of something hitting the wall. I’m too dazed with the possibilities stretching out in front of me to care.
“You have lost your mind.”
“Shut up, I’m planning over here,” I mutter, my attention shot. “I could write up a petition and have them sign it after.”
He’s suddenly right in front of me, and I blink in surprise.
“You’re making a mistake,” Loser says flatly. The look in his eyes should scare me, but I’m too high on hope to let it sink in.
“The only mistake I ever made was marrying you .”
His hand rears back to slap me, and I stand still for it, not in surprise but in defiance. Let him smack me. The bruising will be pretty compelling, and the blue-haired chick might be a great witness. If I can get her to testify.
Before he can complete the swing, a hand has gripped his wrist, stopping him easily.
I blink at the blue nails on the feminine hand in amazement. This is a fully grown man, and he had a lot of force going. And she stopped him. Easily. How?
Loser looks at his arm in surprise, struggling a bit. He can’t even move his arm.
She flings the appendage down, and Loser steps back, seeming shocked to see her. Her eyes are locked on his without a sign of expression. I’ll admit it’s creepy, but all I can do is stand in awe of her.
Her toxic personal space bubble has Loser backing away quickly. Her boyfriend is wearing sunglasses inside again, but his lack of reaction seems to frighten Loser even more.
“We’ll talk later,” he calls over his shoulder as he hurries away.
I’m gaping when she turns to me and says in a raspy monotone filled with heavy breaths, “Have you considered being a widow?”
“Of course,” I frown at her. “But the wife is the first suspect. Has no one ever watched a murder doc?”
She blinks slowly as her head tilts. “You watch them too?”
“Who the fuck doesn’t? The utter stupidity is captivating.”
Her eyes widen the smallest amount. “You watch to see how they could be that stupid?”
“Don’t you?” I raise an eyebrow. I know they’re dramatizations, but they always make the cops seem so oblivious. It doesn’t do the police force justice, which is appalling, but I can’t help yelling at the TV about all the clues they missed in the beginning.
“I do,” she admits quietly like it’s a revelation.
“Hold that thought,” I shake a finger around and spin to slap a palm on the door. “Open up, Manny! Petty vengeance will be mine !”
The deadbolt slides back, and the door opens to reveal Manny’s gaunt face.
“It would have been safer out there.”
“Move it,” I pull him out of my way by his arm.
“Never mind,” he squeaks when he comes face to face with the blue haired woman with her boyfriend. “Not safer.”
“Don’t be a wuss, Manny!” I hurry to the fridge, forcing Matthias and co to slide out of my way and grab a soda to start shaking it up. The door groans in protest when I try to close it. I ignore the random mess on the floor and rush to open the window in the bedroom section of the tiny one-room apartment.
“What are you doing?” She follows me, watching as if I’m the most fascinating thing she’s ever seen.
“Just watch,” I grin at her and wait. I can see Loser’s fancy car in the lot. Actually, there’s a lot of them. I bet Matthias’ car is down there. I should have grabbed two cans.
She patiently waits while I shift from foot to foot. After a second, Loser comes stomping out of the building. He’s so pissed, and I’m loving every second of it.
“Bombs away,” I sing out with glee and rear back to throw the can out the window.
“Jeff, no! ” Manny barks out, but it’s too late.
The woman and I hurry to the window to watch it fly in an arc and land on the red Porsche. There’s the satisfying sound of breaking glass. The whoosh of the can as it explodes in a fury of sticky bubbles. Then the shrill car alarm blaring as if it’s screaming for help.
I gasp in delight and rear back before Loser can turn around.
“Score!” I squeal in excitement. “I actually hit what I aimed at!”
When blue hair doesn’t follow, I grab her arm and yank her away from the window. She feels so fragile. How the hell did she stop Loser from hitting me?
“Are you crazy? He’ll see you!”
“He won’t,” she assures me flatly, and my eyes narrow.
“Ok, Captain Invisible. But in reality? He would have said you did it, and I’m not into feeling guilty about anything. Do me a solid and learn how to duck and cover if we hang out in the future.”
“Guilt is a useless emotion.” Her voice is so odd and emotionless. It isn’t just her expression.
“Most of them are,” I shrug and take in the room. My brows go down in a scowl as I notice all the things I ignored during my quest for petty vengeance.
“What the fuck happened in here?”
The mattress looks like it was shoved at some point. It’s crammed halfway into the closet. There are papers with names and pictures all over the floor because someone broke the drawer off its hinges. One of the cabinets has a crack in it, and the fridge is tilted. There’s a dent in the door, too. No wonder it was groaning a second ago.
“Who messed up my fridge?” I glare at the four guys that were left in here unsupervised. Only Manny looks guilty. I know damn well he didn’t do any of this.
“I left you guys alone for five minutes, tops! Clean this up, assholes!”
“I’m out,” Manny throws his hands up in surrender. “He’s calling the cops, and I’m not sticking around for it.”
I nod but don’t take my glare off of the three jackasses left. “Good call. I’ll see you later.”
“The cops won’t do anything,” the blue-haired woman’s voice is still flat as Manny rushes off.
“True. They don’t come out this far very often. But it would be my luck if they showed up and arrested me.” I stomp over to the mattress and try to figure out how I can get the heavy piece unstuck.
“One of you get your ass in here and help me with this.”
Matthias gives me a cold look of indifference. Scruffy’s jaw is clenched as he stares at me intently. The muscled guard is the one that steps forward.
“ Thank you,” I tell him pointedly. “It must be difficult dealing with them all the time. They did this, didn’t they? You’re innocent.”
He gives me a smirk and single-handedly hauls it out to put it back into place. He even straightens the sheet and replaces the blanket.
“I’m calling you if I ever manage to move out of here,” I mutter with wide eyes. “What’s your name?”
Scruffy starts moving the fridge back, and Matthias picks up the pages on the floor. He looks disgusted at every picture he touches. I don’t blame him. The guard doesn’t answer me, so I shrug it off. It’s probably best if I never see him or his buddies again anyway. I don’t know why his dismissal stings as much as it does.
“I thought you moved out,” I turn to the woman and cringe. “I'm sorry. I don’t know your name either.”
“It’s South,” her boyfriend says quickly.
“South,” I nod and offer my hand to her. “I’m Amanda. I’ve missed you, actually. The hallway used to be so peaceful with you around.”
She raises a brow and shakes my hand. Everyone is watching as if it’s a miracle.
“You knew I was here.”
I look at her, confused. “Yeah. We passed each other in the halls sometimes. You were in your underwear once. It kind of left an impression.”
“Who else saw?” Her boyfriend asks darkly.
“Nobody,” I snap back angrily. “It’s her body, and she can do what she wants with it, you neanderthal.”
He slowly lifts his sunglasses to give me a look of frosted death. I sigh in exasperation. “That look may work on her, but I give no fucks.”
South walks to him and strokes a hand over his cheek. His attention snaps to her, and some tension leaks out of him as their eyes meet.
“Your ex is a problem,” she says to me without taking her attention off the guy. The way they look at each other is cute and creepy at the same time.
“Duh,” I mutter as I glance at the window again. The alarm has cut off, leaving everything eerily quiet.
“You could have sex with Jake or Cade. They would make it very obvious.”
My attention snaps to her in disbelief. Everyone else has paused to look at her as if she’s lost her mind.
They might go for it if they were blindfolded. I wince at the thought and shake my head.
“I don’t want anything to do with those two. The only thing they have going for them is looking good. But not good enough to overlook their shitty, judgmental personalities. And they’ve had sex with every one of my so-called friends. The giant schlong stories gave me nightmares. Hard pass.”
Well, let’s just share everything. I sigh and rub a weary hand over my face.
“So-called friends?” South turns to face me and leans back against her boyfriend. He wraps his arms around her and eyes me in confusion. “Why?”
“One of them slept with Loser. Maybe all of them, I don’t know,” I gesture vaguely to the broken drawer and bite my inner cheek to keep myself from getting emotional.
“I find it interesting that Ace mentioned you being his girl to the class and your ex comes for a visit. Don’t you?”
“Ace?” I ask in confusion. “Who’s that?”
The scruffy guy clears his throat with a dark glare. “It’s me. And neither Jake or Cade get to fuckin’ touch you until they apologize and beg for forgiveness.”
I tilt my head to take him in. “Uh, we don’t know each other. At all. The only thing I understand about you is that you have a foot fetish, pay chicks to get pedicures, and have octopus arms. None of these things are in my wheelhouse of comfort.”
He barks a laugh that seems to surprise him and everyone else. “The pedicure was to relax, darlin’. My Mom swore by it. Your feet obviously hurt.”
My brows furrow because that’s actually sweet. His mom loves pedicures, so of course, all women do. The whole thing is still weird, though.
“That’s really sweet, but you can’t just go around claiming people.”
“Why not?” South asks without inflection.
“Because if the person isn’t interested, they might wonder when the white van full of candy and books is going to pick them up,” I deadpan back. “Stranger danger? Hello? I thought you watched murder docs.”
“Ace won’t hurt you,” she says dismissively. “Neither would any of the rest of that group. They aren’t the type.”
My eyes narrow on her, relaxing back on her boyfriend. “Why should I trust you? You’re stranger danger too.”
“How observant you are,” she says, giving me a hair-raising smile that unnerves me. In defense, I get snippy.
“Stop doing that, or I will smack that grin off your face.”
“You won’t,” her boyfriend tells me in his death tone. Without his sunglasses the pure malice comes across beautifully.
“She won’t,” South agrees and leans on him harder. “Your anger is entertaining but unfocused, Amanda. You need an outlet. I understand that. You can be trained to use it appropriately.”
I cross my arms as I stare back. “I’m listening.”
“With defensive posture and an antagonizing tone.”
I tilt my chin stubbornly and refuse to correct any of those things.
“I could teach you a lot,” she offers and gains everyone’s attention. It’s a mixture of dread and fear across the board that makes me frown. “You would be able to kill him yourself and get away with it.”
“That sounds like a lot of work and danger. No, thanks. I’d rather lawyer up and use whoever it is as a go-between so I don’t have to deal with Loser, and I can live without thinking about him again.”
“Lazy,” her eyes narrow in disapproval.
“Peaceful and no drama,” I smirk back. “I don’t want a montage to become a badass. I want a divorce and some of my self-confidence back. Somebody else can have the badass job. I’m busy.”
“Your instincts are good but skewed,” she mutters thoughtfully.
“Yes, how horrible that I don’t want to be a ninja assassin,” I roll my eyes. “I cut myself with a butter knife once. Do you know how dumb that is? Now, picture me with a real weapon. I’d somehow kill myself first. Have I mentioned how accident-prone I am? No. It’s my final answer.”
“Really lazy,” she tilts her head to take me in.
“Yeah,” I scoff. “I don’t want to waste my time when there are logical paths to take.”
“My path is logical,” her voice gets gritty, which makes me frown in surprise. That can’t be good for her throat.
“Logical for you . Not everyone can fill those shoes or even want to. It’s not a big deal. Get over it.”
She blinks at me for a moment as if she’s not sure how to take that. Her breathing calms after a second of thought. “You have a unique outlook.”
“So do you, but I’m not calling you lazy or being an ass because your outlook is different from mine. You’re homicidal, and I’m going through a selfish, destructive phase. We can coexist.”
Her head tilts creepily as she watches me.
“You’ll come to class on Saturday, and we’ll begin.”
“No,” I scoff.
“Yes.”
“I am never going back to that place. I’m not dealing with more egotistical assholes that think everybody wants to fuck them or the women that are proving them right. They give us all a bad rep, and it makes me want to puke now. Supportive friendship is now on permanent vacation.”
“That’s where it has to be. I’ll train you to attack them, and no one will bother you. I need Shade to be there so he can see my interest in you isn’t sexual.”
I frown in confusion and glance at her boyfriend, whose expression drops into a scowl. He looks like he’s struggling with the urge to yell at her.
“It’s cool. She has zero tact but I didn’t hear anything. On a completely unrelated note, that ship would never sail,” I assure him with a wince.
He glances at me and his expression blanks out. I give him a wary look in return. “I want everyone to leave now. Party over.”
“Just a moment,” Matthias says in his frosty tone. I glance between the boyfriend and him for a second.
“Are you two related?” I point between them.
South gives me a grin that’s nothing short of psychotic. “Very observant.”
“No, it’s obvious,” I tell her in exasperation. “They both sound like they walked out of a meat locker, and I can see the steam from their lips when they talk. They have the same cheekbones, too. And jawline. The shape of the eyes.”
“None of us knew,” Ace says with a grin.
I give him a blank look of disbelief. “How?”
“Why have you not filed for divorce yourself?” Matthias interrupts through gritted teeth. “You claim to want it badly but have nothing to show for it.”
I raise a brow and gesture around at the barren apartment. “Do you know how expensive a lawyer is? If he files it’s minimum fees on my side. If I file, I need two extra kidneys to sell. I don’t want any of his shit, and I’ll sign whatever. It should not be that hard. I don’t understand why he’s dragging his feet. And now this ? What the hell is he thinking?”
Matthias looks around in speculation and then gets a devious smile I don’t like.
“Your paperwork for quitting hasn’t gone through. How do you feel about a raise?”
“Does it include a magazine subscription, pookie?” I ask sweetly and narrow my eyes. His brother double-takes and frowns at me.
The evil smile drops as Matthias glares, “No. Call around and get prices for a lawyer. I’ll cover the fees, and you’ll receive a regular paycheck on top of that.”
“Why?” I ask warily. “You can’t claim me as a donation for a tax write-off.”
His lip curls up in a snarl. “You will take the files and highlight all of the names from this stack.”
He drops the pages on top of my counter dramatically.
Nooooo. I slump dejectedly. I don’t want anything to do with those pages. I am not a part of a mystery team!
But he’s offering me perfection in trade.
“Are you a demon?” I ask helplessly. “I don’t want to read the tiny writing on whatever paperwork you’re going to have me sign and see your immortal soul in trade on it.”
Ace grins at me and covers it up with a hand.
“There won’t be any violence or talking back,” Matthias raises a brow, and I scoff.
“There will be both as I find necessary. Get some body armor, dickweed.”
He looks enraged as he grits out, “Stop calling me a dickweed.”
I shrug with a sweet smile. “Pookie it is then.”
South looks up at her boyfriend with her psycho grin. “Do you see now?”
He looks horrified as he mutters back, “Uh huh.”
“And I’m going into the office in my pajamas,” I cross my arms haughtily as I make my demands. “All my highlighters are coming from Sarah’s desk one at a time, and I’ll put them back when they’re dry. Because fuck her, and you won’t ask any questions about it.”
His face has dropped into a vicious snarl but he hasn’t said anything.
“What else, darlin’?” Ace asks in a strangled tone. The other guy is staring at the door as if he wishes he could leave.
“I don’t know,” I scowl at him. “I’m making it up as I go.”
“No. Pajamas ,” Matthias grits out. His teeth are grinding in rage. I can see it.
“Your dentist must be rich,” I snark. “And you’re a killjoy on top of it. Casual clothes, then. Ace gets away with it.”
“Fine,” he sounds like the simple compromise is gutting him. Ace gloats quietly behind him.
“Fine,” I smirk to rub it in.
“I will get you new highlighters.”
“No way. Petty vengeance is all mine, and you can’t stop me.”
“I am not listening to that banshee screaming in my office again,” he snaps. “I already have one to deal with. I don’t need two.”
“If the raise is big enough, I’ll buy you some noise-canceling headphones. Or not. You’re an expert at ignoring people because you’re a jackass.”
“I am going to strangle you,” his tone has gone dark enough that I almost believe him.
“Gabe,” the guard says in warning.
“You can pencil a dirt nap into the paperwork,” I sigh in exasperation. “I might actually get some real sleep that way. I want a DNR, though.”
“Do not help him,” the guard turns on me with a scowl.
I glare back, but I don’t open my mouth. The guy could snap me in half like a twig with two fingers, and he’s getting cranky. At least I still have some self-preservation left.
“A little revenge might go a long way to soothin’ that temper you got,” Ace says with a raised brow. “Blake won’t know what hit him.”
“Oh God, this stuff really goes back to Loser? I don’t wanna,” I whine. “No mystery team for me. You’re on your own. Have fun.”
“Stop whining,” Matthias snaps. “You will call lawyers tomorrow and be at work on Monday at eight am sharp . Preferably with a gag.”
I flip him off, which he ignores as he straightens his jacket and walks out as if he has dignity left. It must be nice.
“What a dick,” I huff as his guard follows with a censuring look. Ace is next, but his grin is delighted.
“Monday, darlin’. Don’t make me come get you.”
“Don’t make me come get you,” I copy him childishly with a scowl.
“Or I can stay here and help motivate you with callin’ lawyers.”
I’m not sure if he means that in a sexual way or a breaking your fingers until you give in way. I decide to err on the side of caution and say, “No, thanks.”
“Ace!” Matthias barks from further down the hall.
He shrugs as his grin widens and walks out. South and her boyfriend follow as if this is the end of a party.
It feels like they took all of the energy out of the room as they leave. By the time I’m closing the door on them I sag back against the door weakly.
“This is going to be horrible.” My eyes catch on the papers he left on the counter, and I glare at the inanimate objects. “It’s all your fault.”