Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
“About time you got back,” Brian says the moment I walk into the apartment. A sneer creeps on his face as he takes in my appearance.
“You look like shit. What happened to you?” he asks, and I place my bag on my granite countertop before quickly closing the door.
Shutting the door, I hear Brian move behind me before hearing him rummaging through my bag.
Turning around, he has his hands in my handbag, taking my wallet out.
I take in his appearance; he is wearing jeans and a tank top.
He looks bigger than when he went to prison last, his hair cropped really short, and he has more prison tattoos covering his arms and neck.
He also hasn’t shaved in a long time, his stubble thick and turning into a beard.
“I know you have more than this?” he says, taking the money out of my wallet and waving the bills in the air.
“You need to leave. I have a friend coming over,” I tell him, though I would hardly call him a friend. Still, I hoped that my lie would be enough to make him leave.
“Who? That girl? What’s her name? That bimbo you were a secretary with?”
“Just a friend, Brian. You need to leave before they get here.”
Brian’s lips tug up cruelly, a look I have seen a million times on his face when he doesn’t like how I speak to him, but I am almost frantic. If Xavier comes in while Brian is still here, it will be a problem .
“It’s a man, isn’t it? You think some man can protect you from me?” He chuckles darkly, and my stomach drops. That is far from what I am worried about. More worried about getting Xavier killed for merely bringing me home.
“Is it a boyfriend?” Brian says, taking a menacing step forward, and I step back as I watch his hands clench into fists at his sides.
I shake my head. “No, just someone from work.”
“A man?” he asks, and I don’t answer. He sighs, running his hand down his face.
“I want your car keys then,” he says, digging through my bag, though I am a little shocked that he is actually leaving.
The last time he saw me with a man, he beat the poor bloke bloody, and he was only a handyman who just happened to be fixing the air conditioning in my apartment at the wrong time.
Brian was charged, and luckily, the landlord knows what my brother is like, having dealt with him many times trying to break into my apartment over the years.
“Hurry up if you want me to go, or I will gladly meet your new boy toy,” he spits at me.
“Such a fucking whore, damn embarrassing the way you throw yourself at any man,” he spits, rummaging through my bag.
I fight the urge to tell him to fuck off, knowing he would see that as a challenge, and the last thing I want is for him to break my arm again.
“What’s the pin number?” he asks, grabbing my card out.
“I am not telling you my pin number,” I tell him, knowing he would clear out my bank accounts, like he did a few years back.
He stalks over to me, gripping my hair. “Don’t forget our arrangements, sis.”
My hair rips painfully from my scalp, and I cry out at the sudden pain.
“Pin number. Now,” he demands, and I rattle off the four-digit pin before he shoves me away.
“Keys, and I will be back later on to return your card,” he says, when I realize I still don’t have my keys and that Xavier still has them.
“Keys, Bella,” he says impatiently, and I shake my head.
“I don’t have them. My friend does. He is downstairs. I will go get them. Meet me at my car,” I tell him while turning on my heel to head for the door.
“Good, I will come with you,” he says, grabbing my shoulder painfully and jamming his fingers into the pressure point, making me hiss.
I shove him off as I jerk away from him.
I mentally curse myself, realizing my mistake as he hits the counter in the kitchen.
His hand moves so quickly, and I blink before feeling his palm hit me in the side of the face.
My ear is ringing, having copped most of the blow, the slap making my skin burn.
“Ever try that again, and I will put you six feet under alongside Dad,” he says through gritted teeth while I rub my ear. “Understood, Bella?”
I nod.
“See the things you do? Why do you make me hurt you? You know I have a temper,” he says, pulling me to him.
He smells faintly of whiskey. I can smell it on his shirt, like he spilled it on himself.
“I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to,” I tell him as he pulls me to him.
“There, there, sis. You know I love you,” he says, pressing his filthy lips to my head.
I fight the urge to cringe away, knowing it will anger him more.
“I will meet you at your car. Go grab your keys,” he says, turning me toward the door.
I fight back the tears, taking deep breaths as I walk out of my apartment. Brian, on my heels, following me down the steps, and I walk to the small building off the side of the apartment block. Brian wanders off to my car, knowing my landlord doesn’t like him here.
Walking over to the small gray brick building, I open the blue door, pushing inside to see Xavier talking to Jack, the owner of the apartment block. Jack looks over at me and smiles before his smile falters when he peers behind me, looking into the parking lot.
“Bella, what did I say about him being here?” Jack says.
Jack is in his forties and a great landlord and probably the only person other than Taylor and Addie I consider a friend.
“Sorry, Jack. I'm just getting rid of him. I just need my keys,” I tell him before grabbing them off Xavier, who is looking at me, but I refuse to meet his eyes or Jack's.
“Bella, do you need me to call the police?” Jack says.
I shake my head, my cheeks flaming with embarrassment. This can't be happening.
“No, he is leaving now, Jack. Sorry about this,” I tell him, turning to walk out.
“You know this man?” Jack asks.
I wasn’t lying when I said he doesn’t like male tenants, especially young ones. Not that he is young. Xavier looks to be in his thirties, but that definitely isn’t old, either.
“Yes, from work,” I answer, still not looking at Xavier, but I can feel his eyes boring into me.
“Would you vouch for him and his two friends? Are they good people and won’t destroy the place?”
I swallow. I barely know him, but they don’t look like troublemakers. Do I really want them living in the same apartment block as me, and why would they? It isn't exactly a resort over here; the place isn’t bad, but I just can't picture Latham wanting to live in an apartment like mine.