7. Maggie #3
“Now what's got you callin’ in the middle of the day to check on me?”
I hesitate just long enough to regret it. “Nothin’. Just wanted to hear your voice.”
Her sigh comes through the line. “Maggie Mae.”
“Mama.”
“You call if you need me.”
Those words have been comforting me my whole life. “I will.”
“I mean it.”
We talk for another minute before hanging up. The apartment is still waiting for me when the call ends, along with every question spinning through my head, but hearing Mama's voice and knowing she's safe makes it a little easier to breathe.
I slide the phone into my pocket.
“Is Miss Teresa alright?” Jules asks.
“Yeah.”
He nods once. “Good.”
Luka appears in the doorway. His eyes go from Jules to me and back again. “What happened?”
“Apartment,” Jules says.
Luka straightens and steps fully into the office. “Explain.”
I repeat the conversation with Mr. Harrison while Luka listens without interrupting. His face reveals almost nothing, but by the time I finish, he's already reaching for his phone.
“You told Alexei?”
“Yes. He's on his way.”
The next thirty minutes crawl. I answer emails, reread the same paragraph three times, then realize I haven't absorbed a single word.
I attempt to organize paperwork and spend five minutes staring at the same stack of forms without touching them.
Every possibility grows larger the longer I sit with it.
Maybe somebody wanted valuables. Maybe somebody wanted information. Maybe somebody was looking for me.
That final possibility refuses to leave. The more I think about it, the harder it becomes to believe any of this is a coincidence. Not after the shelter. Not after the market. Not after the threats and the shooting. The apartment feels connected to all of it somehow. I just don't know how yet.
The front doors open shortly after one o'clock. My body knows who entered before my mind catches up. By the time I look up, Alexei is walking through the entrance with Viktor beside him.
His eyes meet mine across the lobby, then move quickly over me, checking for injuries he knows aren't there. Satisfied, he closes the remaining distance.
“Are you ready?”
The question turns my stomach. Not because I don't want answers, but because I'm afraid of what might be waiting for us behind that door.
I glance toward Jules.
He shakes his head. “Nope.”
“What?”
“Absolutely not.” He plants both hands on his hips.
“Jules.”
“You’re not leavin’ me here to deal with Otis if there’s been a crime.”
I stare at him.
He stares right back.
“Your priorities are concernin’.”
“Thank you.”
I can't help laughing. Then reality pushes its way back in. “You have to take care of everythin’ around here. Please.”
Jules reaches over and squeezes my shoulder. “The shelter will still be here when you get back. Go figure out what happened.”
I give him a quick side hug.
Alexei places his hand against the middle of my back. The contact lasts only a second, but heat spreads through me anyway.
“We'll figure out what happened,” he says.
I nod.
Ten minutes later, we're pulling into the parking lot outside my apartment building.
The building looks the same as it always does, and that's the first thing that feels wrong.
Nothing appears damaged. Nothing looks disturbed.
The flower pots near the entrance remain in their usual places, somebody's wind chimes sway gently from a second-floor balcony, and Mr. Harrison's old pickup truck occupies its regular parking spot near the maintenance shed.
I climb out of the SUV and stare at the rough brick exterior.
Luka climbs out from behind the wheel while Viktor steps onto the pavement from the passenger side.
Alexei follows me from the backseat and comes to stand beside me.
All three men begin studying the area around us, their focus moving across parked cars, balconies, windows, and walkways.
Watching them should make me feel safer.
Instead, it makes the situation feel more real.
“You alright?” Alexei asks.
I drag my attention away from the building and look up at him. “No.”
The honesty earns a small nod. “Fair enough.”
Mr. Harrison steps out of the maintenance office before we reach the entrance. His silver hair sticks out in three different directions, and he removes his reading glasses when he sees me.
“Oh good. There you are.”
He looks relieved to see me. Then he notices Alexei, Luka, and Viktor. The longer he looks at them, the higher his eyebrows climb.
“Well.”
I close the distance and wrap my arms around him before he can decide whether he should be alarmed. “Thank you for calling me.”
He visibly relaxes. “Of course, Miss Maggie.”
When I step back, he lowers his voice. “I didn't like it.”
That makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. “You didn't go inside?”
“No ma'am.” He shakes his head firmly. “Just closed the door. Thought maybe you forgot.”
“I didn't.”
Mr. Harrison gives a small grunt. “That's what I figured.”
Alexei steps forward. “Did you notice anyone around the building?”
Mr. Harrison looks him over before answering. “No. Doesn't mean nobody was here. Just means I didn't see them.”
Alexei nods once. “Thank you.”
The older man glances between all of us before returning his attention to me. “You call me if you need anything. Alright?”
The concern in his voice leaves a lump in my throat. “I will.”
He pats my shoulder. “Good.”
A few minutes later, we're standing outside my apartment door. The hallway feels strangely quiet. My keys tremble in my hand, and I hate that Alexei notices. I hate even more that he gently removes the keyring from my fingers.
“I'll open it,” he says.
“I can open my own door.”
“You can.”
He says it so simply that any argument dies before it reaches my mouth.
“Wait.” Viktor steps forward.