Rich pulls to a stop about a block away from his apartment. I can see it dwarfing the smaller buildings in the distance. I can also see the rickety fire ladder we’d used to make our escape. It looks even more frail and fragile in the sun. If it hadn’t been dark last night, I don’t think I would have ever trusted it with my weight.
The drive from the diner had been quiet. It probably took my brain too long to understand the danger associated with the men who came after Rich, but as his car neared his apartment, the realization started to sink in.
Thugs. Money men. Loan sharks.
I shiver. I’d never had personal experience with that side of the world, but I’d met kids drifting through the orphanage who had. Only the most desperate got involved with those types of lenders.
I sneak a peek at Rich out of the corner of my eye. What had pushed him to seek them out? What did he have in his past that forced him to go to them? My instincts tell me it’s better not to delve too deep. However, my recent experience with Abby taught me how important knowing a person’s past can be.
The most unnerving thing about the drive back had been how calm Rich appeared the entire time. After that short burst of anger, he’d reined in and become stoic. Unaffected. Even… calculating.
Money laundering. Mobs. Organized Crime.
I can’t stop the associations from forming in my head when I look at him. Just who did I get myself involved with?
I have to be cautious. Right now, getting my stuff out of Rich’s apartment and getting away from him seems like a very good idea.
***
“All right,” he says finally. “You wait here. I’ll go inside, and—”
“Hell no!” I protest. “I’m going with you.”
He blinks at me in surprise. “Are you sure?”
I answer by taking off my seatbelt, opening the door, and getting out. I turn to face the car and tap my bare foot on the ground. “Well? Are you coming?”
Rich scrambles out and takes me by the shoulders. “Just because I think they’re gone, Penny,” he says as he pulls me into an alley, “doesn’t mean we can afford to take stupid risks. Simple precautions go a long way.”
He shoves me between the two buildings, then pokes his head out of the alleyway. He looks both ways, waits for a long time, then signals me to follow. “The coast is clear.”
I sniff. “I could have told you that.” As I try to walk past, he grabs my arm and holds me back.
“Really?” he asks, his tone mocking. “Could you also have told me about the man standing in the balcony of the six-story apartment building, smoking a cigarette?” He points up and across the street. “Or how about the jogger about to turn the corner… now?” I see a man in Spandex appear out of the blue. “Or the couple having an argument in the window just above us?” I turn and look up to find a blonde woman screaming at a man who looks close to tears. The window is closed. Not a sound filters out. “Things are not always as easy as they seem, Penny,” Rich notes.
“I guess,” I mutter, thrown sufficiently off-balance by his powers of observation and my lack thereof. “How did you see all that?”
“Two eyes and two ears, Penny.” He tugs at my earlobe in a way that, in any other circumstance, would be seen as flirtatious. “You were given them for a reason. Better start using them.”
“I’ll try,” I grumble, and follow Rich out onto the street.
We weave and duck our way over to his building, but when we get to the courtyard, he surprises me by turning to the side.
“Where are you going?” I ask. “The entrance is over there!”
He looks at me, shakes his head, and rolls his eyes. “Don’t you think that’s a little bit obvious?”
“Well, yeah, but how else…” I trail off as I catch on. “The fire ladder.”
“Bingo.”
“You want to climb up the fire ladder?”
“Of course. It’s the only safe path in.”
“Safe,” I repeat, dubious. The ladder looks to be in even worse repair from up close than it had from Rich’s car. Every joint is stained with rust. “How is that ladder, in any sense of the word, safe?”
“Well, for one, you can see all the way up.” Rich shields his eyes as he tilts his head to the sky. “That way, you know there aren’t going to be any nasty surprises waiting for you. And, two—wait.” He gives me a puzzled look. “You’re not afraid, are you?”
I scoff. “No!” Inside, I’m trembling.
My performance doesn’t fool Rich. “We climbed down this ladder last night,” he points out slowly. “And now you’re having reservations about going back up?”
“That was different!” I protest. “There was nowhere else for us to go. I was running on adrenaline!” And I didn’t realize just how decrepit the thing looked.
Rich shrugs. “Suit yourself.” He jumps up, grabs a hold of the upper rung, and pulls himself up. “You’re welcome to stay down here and keep watch.” He chuckles. “If you see anything, just yell. Or, don’t. We wouldn’t want you attracting any extra attention.” He puts a foot on the next rung, and his grey-blue eyes glimmer. “I just didn’t take you as the type to back down in a tight spot, that’s all.”
And without another word, he turns away and starts to climb. The ladder creaks against the side of the building every time he shifts his weight. It seems as if the decrepit ladder is going to peel away from the mortar at any moment.
I stand there, watching him climb. My anxiety about being left alone grows stronger every second. Suddenly, I realize that being by myself on enemy territory is highly discomforting.
I shake my head and mutter an oath. “Rich! Wait!”
He pauses, then looks down. A knowing smile plays on his lips. “Yesss?” he drags out, casually, as if he has all the time in the world.
I look left, then right, then close my eyes and take a deep breath. “Help me up.”
***
“Wow,” I exhale. “They really did a number on this place, didn’t they?”
We’d climbed all the way up without the ladder toppling over. Now, I’m looking into Rich’s apartment through the window. Even though there’d never been much there, what little remains is almost beyond the point of recognition. The blankets have been thrown off the bed and torn to pieces. The pillows look like a pack of rabid dogs has been at them. The little corner TV is nothing more than shattered glass and broken pieces of electronics.
Rich grunts in reply. He hooks his fingers under the window frame, preparing to pry it open. I see his forearm muscles strain. He heaves, pulls up—and the window slides as smoothly as if it were greased with oil.
“Funny,” he remarks, “they didn’t lock it.”
He pulls himself inside and gives me a hand to follow. My eyes dart over the floor, seeking my purse.
I don’t see it.
A hollow feeling hits me in the gut. My knees almost buckle under me. My purse… everything in there could be replaced, everything could be substituted somehow… except for one thing.
The sides of my vision begin to darken. I feel alone, lost. The walls start to close in on me.
Rich must have noticed. He puts his hand on my shoulder gently. “Look around,” he suggests, his voice soft and warm. “Maybe it’s hidden under something.”
His touch brings me back to myself. The anguish flickers away. “Of course,” I mumble, feeling like an idiot. I pull myself together, and start upturning the ripped up remains of Rich’s bed. Rich moves away.
“Clever,” he says from the front door, a few moments later.
“What?”
“They put a garbage bag over the hole and police tape on the outside.” He opens the door to show me the yellow tape. “So that it doesn’t look suspicious.”
“Huh.” I glance from my search—and freeze. A shiver runs down my spine. “Um, Rich, did you see that?”
He turns his attention to what I’m looking at. A scowl passes across his face. “No,” he says. “I’ve glanced over that wall so many
times I’ve lived here, I didn’t even notice… No.”
There are words carved into the plaster of one wall. The letters are crude and chipped:
THIS IS A WARNING.
I walk up beside Rich, and trace my fingers over the wall. The harsh edges of the letters make the message even more ominous.
“They did that with a knife?” I ask, stunned.
“Or an axe,” Rich comments beside me.
I give him a hard look. “Don’t scare me.”
“I’m serious. You said you wanted to know what was going on.”
Something occurs to me, and I walk to the corridor in Rich’s apartment. “Huh. They didn’t touch your boxes.”
“I know.” Rich comes up to me. “Any luck with your purse?”
“Not yet, but—”
“Wait, isn’t that it over there?” Rich points to the corner of the room, where the remains of the TV lie scattered. I hadn’t looked there yet because I didn’t want to pick my way through the broken glass barefoot. Sure enough, peeking out from beneath the rubble is the familiar skinny black strap of my bag.
Throwing caution to the wind, I rush toward it. Rich catches my arm. When I try to tug free, he doesn’t let go.
“Let me,” he says. “I have shoes.”
I nod, but am dying with impatience. Rich crosses the room, squats down by the TV, and lifts my purse up by the strap. “This it?” he asks, smiling.
I run to meet him in the center of the room. I snatch the purse from his grip and rip it open, then rifle through it with a ravenous hunger. When my fingers close around the familiar shape of my locket, I let out a magnificent sigh of relief. Like the sound of a hundred waterfalls breaking from the winter frost all at once.
Never, never, never! I promise myself. Never will I let it leave my side again. I clutch the locket to my chest and let the purse drop to the floor. After a long moment, I hang it around my neck. I should have never taken it off.
An annoyed grunt from Rich brings me back to the present. I open my eyes, and see him kneeling on the floor over my bag. “Penny,” he says gravely, “your wallet is not in here.”
Chapter Four
“So what the hell do we do now, Rich?” I’m freaking out. We’re back in his car, after he’d packed a small duffel bag of his stuff. Nothing else from his apartment was missing. His wallet was still there, along with all his money and documents. I’d found my shoes and sweater in the mess, and am now holding the wooly fabric close to my skin. “Huh? Tell me what. What the fuck do we do now?”
“I’m thinking, Penny!” he exclaims. His booming voice ricochets around the cabin like a thunderclap.
“Thinking isn’t going to get my wallet back,” I snap. “Thinking isn’t going to change the fact that the men who are after you know about me, too. We need to do something!”
“What do you think I’m thinking about?” Rich demands.
We stare at each other. I notice his nostrils flare as he breathes in and out. My breaths are coming hard, too. So they should be! The tension between us is so thick it fills the car, seething in the corners like billowing smoke. Rich’s eyes burn as he looks at me. I’m not about to back down.
He breaks eye contact first. “Look,” he exhales, staring straight ahead, “there’s no point in us being angry with each other.” His tone softens. I can tell he’s trying to be conciliatory. But his words come out stiff. “I’ve been quiet because I’m considering our options. We can’t rush into things without having a clear mind. That would be the worst thing to do.”
“I agree,” I admit reluctantly. I swallow my pride. “I shouldn’t have gotten mad, I know. But hell, Rich, this is a lot to take in.”
He looks at me and offers a smile. “I know. We’ll get through this. I’ll get you out of it. I promise.”
I give him a weak smile back. “I think I believe you.”
He nods and starts the engine. “Good. We should stick together until we have a better idea of what we’re going to do next. But for now, you—” he glances over, “—need a change of clothes. Where do you live?”
“Oh.” I blink. “Uh, actually, I don’t think that’s going to work.”
Rich gives me an odd look. “What do you mean?”
I hesitate, not wanting him to pity me, nor wanting to look like the “poor girl” in his eyes. But, he’d given me the truth about his situation—and I don’t think telling lies at this point is a good idea. “I got evicted last night,” I mumble, “thanks to my roommate.” I give a bitter laugh. “They changed the locks so the keys to my door don’t even work.”
I hold my breath, waiting for Rich to laugh or say something scathing. He surprises me by reaching over and taking my hand. “That’s what you were upset about last night?”
I give a sullen nod.
“And now you have to deal with all my shit. Jesus, Penny, I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
He tightens his grip on my hand. Against all odds, I find comfort in that hold. “Okay, here’s what I think we should do next…”
“The cops!” I exclaim suddenly. “Why don’t we go to them?”
Rich shakes his head and releases my hand to start driving. I feel a sting at the loss of his warmth. “No, the cops aren’t going to do anything. The guys who came after me aren’t your ordinary, run-of-the-mill money lenders. They’re well connected. They have moles in high places. The moment either of us walk into a police station, we’ll be on their radar. Speaking of which—do you have you cell phone?”
“Yeah, it’s right here.” I reach into my purse. “Why?”
“Take the battery out.”
I narrow my eyes at him, not following. “What?”
“Take the battery out and give it to me.” He holds out his hand. I sigh, and do as I’m asked.
In one smooth motion he opens his window and throws the battery onto the street.
“Hey!” I gasp. I spin around in my seat. The battery is already lost in the traffic behind us. “What the hell was that, Rich?”
“A cell phone is one of the easiest things to track,” he explains patiently. “Even if it’s off, as long as there’s a battery inside, it will still send out a weak signal.” He surprises me by reaching into his pocket and tossing his own phone onto my lap. “See? Mine’s the same. No battery.”
“You could have just told me,” I grumble. “I wouldn’t have put the battery back in if you said so.”
“I didn’t want you to be tempted. I know how girls are.” I frown pointedly at him, and he laughs. “I’m kidding! Sort of. Anyway, I’ll buy you another battery once things cool down.”
“I appreciate your charity,” I deadpan.
“No problem,” Rich says, ignoring my sarcasm. “Anyway, as I was saying, even if you go to the cops, they won’t be able to protect you forever. And you can’t hide forever, either.”
“Not forever,” I point out. “Just long enough for you to settle your debt.”
“I told you, I did settle it,” Rich stresses.
“That’s not what they think,” I note.
“No, but they are wrong. Will you let me finish? We can’t go to the cops because of what I said. Our only option right now is to lay low until the heat blows over.”
“And how long is that going to take? A day?” I pause. “Two days?”
“A week,” Rich says seriously. “At least.”
“A week!” I exclaim, aghast. “Rich, I can’t just drop everything and hide for a week! I have my own life out there, things I have to deal with! I have class, and work, and my roommate, my apartment…” I trail off as I feel hot tears building behind my eyes. I’m determined not to show him my weakness. I look out the window, and take a few deep breaths to compose myself.
“Hey,” he says gently, “I know it’s a lot to take in.” He puts a hand on my shoulder, but I twist away.
“No shit!” I snarl. “It IS a lot to take in! You can’t just uproot me from my life like that!”
“Take me to the cops,” I demand.
Rich stops, frowns. “What?”
“Take me to the police station, Richard,” I repeat slowly. “Right now!”
“I’ve told you—”
“No. It doesn’t matter. You said it yourself: None of this is supposed to concern me.” I take a deep breath. “So, what does it matter to you what I do? I’d rather take my chances with the cops than run away and hide for a week with you. No offense. At least I’ll know they have my best interests at heart.”
“Oh, and I DON’T?” Rich roars. His eyes darken again, his brows furrow, and he scowls at me like some angry demigod. I can see the passion in his eyes.
An instant later his expression softens, and the anger fades. “Penny, listen. I’m just trying to keep you safe. I told you what will happen if you go to the police. You’ll be caught. I know it shouldn’t matter to me…” he runs a hand through his hair, “…but it does. It does! Okay? I know we barely know each other, but I care about what happens to you. Really, I do.”
He gives a strained chuckle. “You don’t share what we had last night and pretend it doesn’t matter. I can’t just forget about you like that. If you really want to go to the cops… I’ll bring you. I won’t force you to stay with me. But it’s not a smart move. And if anything happens to you because of it, I’ll never be able to forgive myself.”
His confession is so heartfelt it moves me. I didn’t know I mattered to him so much
“So?” Rich asks, looking at me. “What’ll it be, Penny? You want me to drop you off at the station?”
“I…” I draw a deep breath. “I trust you, Rich. But… a week? Really?” My shoulders slump despondently. “I just can’t disappear for that long.”
“A day, then,” he suggests. “You said you’d be fine with that at the start. Remember?” He rolls over my weak attempt at a protest. “A day somewhere safe where we can both get some rest and think things through. Maybe it doesn’t have to take a week. Maybe I’ll find a way to sort things out earlier. But give me a day, at least, before you go to the cops. That way, I’ll know I’ve done all I can to protect you.”
Change of Heart Page 5
