Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Presley
My feet are killing me, my back too. Truthfully my entire body aches and I could really use a glass of wine, or a bottle. A bottle sounds nice, and a long hot soothing bubble bath.
Climbing the steps I turn the corner and find Grant sitting on the floor, leaning his back against my door. My heart feels like it sinks.
“Late night shift?" he says, looking up at me. Showing no signs of moving, he stretches out his legs, offering me an arrogant smirk like he knows me so well. I hate it. I don’t fear him, I despise him. He’s heartless, and though he is cruel with his hands he can be just as cruel with his words. “You were always taking the late shift, it’s part of the reason I had to find other sources of entertainment.”
“What do you want, Grant?” I’m tired and ready to crawl into bed and close my eyes. It’s been a long day and the words and the way things ended with Zac have been playing heavily on my mind. My heart has been aching to the point of barely being able to breathe through it.
“You already know the answer to the question, babe.” My skin feels like it literally crawls when he calls me babe. He only ever did that when he was in his most hateful of moods. “Our conversation from the other night, I think we should finish that.”
“We did, Grant. There isn’t anything else to say.”
He chuckles and something about his laugh is strange. It’s a cold calculated laugh, one that makes my heart race. I look back over my shoulder hoping to see a neighbor from one of the surrounding apartments approaching. This place is always loud and movement is taking place at all hours of the day and night. Yet here I am wishing for any kind of interruption and it is silent.
“No.” He starts to stand and I can’t help myself from stepping backwards, seeking more space. “We aren’t done.”
Gripping my car keys in my hand, the metal bites into my palm.
“You need to leave,” my voice vibrates as my nervous energy threatens to overtake me. I could run, but the chances of getting away were slim. Then there was endangering myself even more than my current situation, and I had to remember I am not only trying to protect myself.
“We should step inside.”
“I’m fine right here,” I say, turning a key around so that if anything I could use it to fight him off. “I can’t help you, Grant. I barely have a hundred dollars to my name. I’m just getting by, why do you think I’m working so many hours. Raising Grayson isn’t cheap, plus rent and bills, I’m struggling.”
“Then maybe we should sell that car of yours.”
“And what, get a few hundred dollars.” It’s a nineteen ninety eight Toyota Corolla. “It has more than one hundred and seventy thousand miles on it. It’s on its last leg.” I wasn’t lying, I get in it every morning and pray that I make it to my destination without getting stranded.
“Invite me in, we can come up with something. I’m sure there’s a way we can get some money.”
It’s the first time I notice how red and bloodshot his eyes are. He’s obviously strung out on something.
“What’s this?” I jump at the sound of a voice behind me. A voice I know and have never in my life been more thankful to hear.
Glancing back over my shoulder I see Jace walking up. He’s wearing his leather jacket, holding a helmet in his hands.
“Jace.” I take another step backwards, feeling him closing in behind me. “This is Grant.”
He may not know every single detail of my past, but he knows enough to understand how I wouldn’t want to be alone with him.
“You seeing this guy?”
“This is Au?—”
“So what if she is,” he interrupts me, placing his hand on my shoulder and offering me a squeeze.
“Presley and I have some things to discuss,” Grant ignores Jace, glaring at me, his nostrils flaring, his jaw ticking. “The two of you can catch up another time.”
“Nah.” Jace steps up to my side, squaring off, so that I’m protected as he positions his body more in front of mine than at the side. “I think I’ll stick around.” Crossing his arms over his chest he has at least six inches on Grant. He’s also broader and in my opinion much more intimidating. And in this very moment I see exactly why my cousin is madly in love with this man. “Why don’t you and I have a little one on one while the lady goes inside?”
“I don’t even know you,” Grant huffs. I can sense his nervousness, as his voice shakes a little more than before.
“Well, we can fix that.” Jace sneers with an arrogant chuckle. “By the time we’re done you’ll know me real well.”
Grant looks at Jace, then at me and then back to Jace again.
“I have the right to discuss my son with his mother.”
“Maybe that would be true if you actually fucking cared about your son. The way I see it Gray is her son.” He points toward me. “You offered one thing in regard to that boy and there’s no use for you now. I think we both know that this little conversation you’re trying to have has nothing to do with him.” Jace waits for Grant to argue, and he only shifts anxiously on his feet. “Like the lady told you earlier, I think it’s time for you to leave.”
Grant steps forward like he’s going to say something more, then abruptly stops. A few seconds pass though they feel more like very long minutes. I swear to it, you could hear a pin drop. The atmosphere was so tense.
“We’ll talk another time,” Grant finally says as he steps around Jace. Jace of course again shifts me behind him protectively.
“That’s not gonna happen,” Jace says and Grant pauses about ten feet away and looks back over his shoulder.
“You won’t be around long, you’ll get tired of her shit too.”
My stomach feels like it sinks to my feet, and suddenly I feel nauseous. When Grant is no longer in sight, Jace turns around and slouches enough to get in my line of sight. “You good?”
I nod.
“He didn’t touch you?”
I shake my head, feeling a little lightheaded.
“Grab your shit.” He releases his hold on me and reaches into his back pocket pulling out his phone.
“Wait, what?” I shake away the fog and finally register his words.
“You’re not staying here.” Jace isn’t even looking at me.
“I’ll be okay Jace, I appreciate your help but?—”
He lifts his gaze and my words pause by the intensity in his eyes. “I said grab your shit!” I know he’s not trying to be harsh but I sense he is barely holding onto his anger. When he hits a button and lifts his phone to his ear, tears fill my eyes.
“Brother, we got a problem.” I know who he’s talking to and I’m not sure yet how I feel about it. “Yeah, your girl.” And then the tears fall. “She’s okay, I got her. Meet me at my place.”
When he ends the call, Jace reaches out and wraps me in his arms, pulling me to his chest. “Come on, let’s get you and Grayson some things.”
He guides me inside and mindlessly I move around, unsure of what to grab. My life is one big mess after another, when will I ever get my head above water and be able to breathe?