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As Margo exited the elevator at the ground level, she had a sudden flare of panic. What if the dastardly boyfriend had shown up while she had been gone and dragged Jasmine away from the bar to deliver her to a buyer?
Shaking her head, Margo chided herself for possibly getting carried away again.
Was she making a logical leap with this situation or was she creating a storm in a teacup by weaving yet another conspiracy theory?
Both scenarios seemed plausible.
She was the first one to admit that she had a penchant for defaulting to the worst possible outcome for any given situation. The thing was, being paranoid didn't mean that she was wrong. The world was decidedly a more nefarious and hostile place than most people believed, and safety was an illusion.
Margo was always prepared for the worst to happen. Well, prepared was an exaggeration. She was mentally ready, but she still didn't own a gun or even have a security alarm in her apartment. If she could, she would rent a place in a secure building with a guard in the lobby, so at least she would be somewhat protected, but she couldn't afford the rent in a place like that.
When she got back, the first thing she would do was contact one of those alarm companies, and the second thing was to apply for a gun permit.
The problem was that not all life’s calamities could be blamed on murderers, rapists, terrorists, traffickers, and drug dealers. More people died prematurely from diseases, hereditary defects, and natural disasters than from wars and murders.
Perhaps it had been Mia's heart failure that had turned Margo into such a pessimist.
Mia's mother had died from the same heart defect that had almost killed her daughter years later, but everyone had seemed to think that it wouldn't happen to Mia, including Mia herself.
Then it had, and Mia had almost died, and her legs had been amputated.
It had been like a punch to the gut, a rude wake-up call, making it glaringly apparent to Margo that bad things happened to good people for no good reason. Since then, she had never taken anything for granted again. Not her health, not her safety, and not her happily ever after, which was the biggest lie of all.
Most people didn't get to live a happy life, so why would she be so lucky?
Well, miracles happened; Margo was willing to admit that, and that realization too, was because of Mia, or rather thanks to her. Her bestie had met Tom, a multi-billionaire who had taken her to Switzerland and gotten her the best medical help in the world. The details were a big secret because the procedure had not yet been approved, but Mia was regrowing her legs.
Still, stories like Mia's were so rare that it was safe to assume they didn't happen for the vast majority of people, including Margo.
"Ain't I the cheerful sort." Margo chuckled as she walked through the sliding doors out onto the pool area.
The bar was packed, the music was loud, and people were laughing. Life seemed good for this single moment in time.
Seeing Jasmine sitting at the bar with a drink in her hand, Margo let out a relieved breath. Two guys seemed to be vying for her attention, but given her easy smile, she was doing fine.
Heading toward her new friend, Margo took another glance at her phone, but there was still no message from Mia.
She was almost at the bar when her phone finally rang.
Taking a slight detour, she sat on one of the chairs and answered the call.
"I've got the Airbnb," Mia said. "It's fifteen minutes on foot from the hotel. A nice two-bedroom condo in a secure building. I'll text you the codes for the building's front door and the condo. If you want, you can go there right now. I rented it for five days, starting tonight. In case the boss says no, your friend will have a place to stay until she figures something out."
"Thanks. So, I guess you don't have an answer from the boss yet."
"Regretfully, no. Everyone is busy getting ready for the wedding, so I might not have an answer for you until tomorrow."
"Is there a chance you or Tom could talk to the boss during the wedding?"
"We might, but these parties usually end really late. It might be after three in the morning when Tom can catch a word with him."
"That's fine. Call me or text me the moment you have an answer."
"Will do. Are you going to move with your friend tonight?"
"If Jasmine wants to go, I'll escort her there and come back. Lynda and her friends are leaving tomorrow morning, and I'll never hear the end of it if I don't say goodbye to them."
"Yeah, I hear you. Things got better between you two during this week, right?"
