Epilogue
It had been three months since the day I officially gave up my old life. The old me was dead and gone, a forgotten memory.
Life with Niko had been damn near perfect.
He waited on me hand and foot, despite my constant protests. The room that was once my prison was now just a storage room for the things I’d kept from my apartment.
The day we met with Casey after my ‘disappearance’, we went by my apartment to end my lease. Niko had pulled out a wad of cash bigger than anything I’d ever seen and paid my landlord to let me out of it. He took the money without a word and stumbled off to the liquor store around the corner.
Cleaning out my apartment only took two days since I’d decided to trash most of my stuff. The one good thing about having parents who didn’t give a shit about me? Nothing sentimental to take. Made moving to Niko’s much easier.
Things with Casey were still strained. She refused to be around Niko, even going so far as to ban him from her apartment. It was hard having the two most important people in my life fight and hate each other. I still hoped somehow, someway, they’d come together, but I wasn’t banking on it.
I sat back against the couch, letting myself sink into the warmth of the fuzzy blanket Niko had bought me for Christmas. I wrapped myself up, nuzzling into its softness, and grabbed my book off the coffee table. I opened it up, finding the handwritten note from Niko I’d been using as a bookmark.
To Lila: May your reality always be better than your books ;)
I laughed as I read it, running my fingers along the edges of the words. Little did he know, my reality was better than my books.
A few pages in, someone knocked at the door. I jumped, the book flying from my hands, and it dropped with a loud thud behind me. I looked at my phone to see if Niko had texted me, wondering if he had forgotten his keys again. The screen was empty, except for a few social media notifications.
I stood from the couch and shuffled toward the window, seeing a dark colored vehicle sitting out front. The driver was at the door with his back turned toward me so I couldn’t see his face. Quietly, I made my way toward the door and peered out the peephole.
It was an older man, with what little black hair he had slicked back. He had a gray mustache that reminded me of the men in those old cop shows. The ends were twirled up, and I bit back a laugh.
“Who is it?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral.
He turned toward the door, his dark brown eyes looking straight at the peephole.
“I’m a friend of Niko’s. He said he had something for me?”
My brows furrowed in confusion as I tried to remember if Niko had mentioned anything about someone stopping by.
“Oh. Well, he’s not here right now.”
“He said I could just come by and pick it up. Said it was no big deal.”
I glanced at my phone and then back at the door, questioning if I should call and ask him. The man on the other side let out a huff.
“Let me just call him real quick,” I said, turning to head back into the living room.
“I ain’t got time for all that,” he shouted, “I’m on a time crunch. That’s why he said to just stop by. He knew this couldn’t wait.”
I paused, glancing between my phone and the door before reaching down to unlock it.
He stood a few inches away, his arms crossed over his chest as if I were inconveniencing him.
I opened the door all the way, allowing him to step through.
The cold air made me shiver, even beneath the three layers of clothes I wore.
“Do you, uh, want some water or something?” I asked, heading toward the kitchen.
“Yeah, sure, whatever.”
I stepped into the kitchen, his heavy footsteps following closely behind me. Unease crept its way into my stomach as I grabbed a glass from the cabinet. I filled the glass with water and turned, finding him only a few inches away. He stepped forward pressing into me, and bile rose in my throat.
“Do you know what it is that Niko sent you over here for?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.
“Funny thing,” he said, his lips pressing against my ear. “Niko didn’t actually send me.”
Before I could react, he pushed me against the counter and slid a damp rag over my mouth.
I held my breath for as long as I could until my vision blurred.
I sucked in a deep breath, the smell of something sweet and minty filling my nostrils.
My vision began to fade, and my body went limp as I sank to the floor.
The man leaned down, his lips pressed into a malicious smile, and whispered.
“I guess he’s decided he doesn’t want to pay up,” the man said, “but he knows I don’t do favors for free. So, I guess I’ll take you instead.”