“And you?” I ask.
“I’ll be fine.”
“You’re being incredibly evasive here. Did he hurt you?”
Layla sighs. “He hit me and told me I’d get what was coming to me. Then my neighbor busted in, so the guy ran out.”
“Fuck, baby,” I breathe. “He hit you? I’m so sorry. What do you need?”
“I don’t know,” she whispers, tears in her voice. “He broke the door down. It won’t close now. I can’t sleep here, but I can’t leave my girls alone either. I really don’t want to pay for a hotel until the landlord can fix the door, so I don’t know wha —”
“You’re coming home with me,” I say firmly. “Pack up whatever you need. You can stay as long as you want. I have multiple guest bedrooms, and more than enough space for a guinea pig cage.”
Layla is quiet for a moment before she lets out a pained breath. “You know that isn’t a good idea. We won’t be able to explain this away. I’ll lose my job, and then I won’t be able to afford any apartment, not even one like this.”
“We’ll figure it all out,” I promise. “How long do you need to pack? Is there a back alley I can park at for the time being? I’ll come in to help.”
“No, that’s not necessary. I only need a few minutes. If you pull around to the other side of the building, I can bring the cage out. That’s my main concern.”
“Alright. Stay on the phone with me.” We’re both quiet as I carefully drive to the backside of the building. Figuring she won’t feel comfortable with the cage in the trunk of my SUV, I open the door to the middle row, then walk to grab it from her as she opens a secondary entrance door to the building. “Two unlocked entrances to your apartment building?”
“Please don’t say ‘I told you so’ right now, Max,” Layla murmurs. “I don’t think I can handle it.”
As she places the cage in my arms, two little rodents pop out from a wooden hut, both squealing. They’re mostly white, with brown and black patches in different spots. “Huh.”
“What?” she asks.
“They’re actually pretty cute.”
A small smile peeks through the pain etched on her beautiful face. “I’ll be back down with a few bags.”
“Take your time,” I tell her, gingerly placing the cage on my backseat. Peering into the cage, I smile as four brown eyes look back at me. “Ladies. I guess we’re going to be roommates for a little while. I’ll admit, I’ve never had a rodent before, so forgive me if I make any mistakes.”
One squeaks at me, and I take that as a hello. This is going to be interesting.
Fifteen minutes later, Layla walks out with three suitcases. I jump out to help her. “Do you need to go back for more?”
She nods. “One box of things. They’re sentimental to me, so I don’t want to leave them here. I have no idea when the door will be fixed, and the officer said they may not be able to have someone watch the apartment in the meantime.”
Christ. “You’d think your landlord would be a little more proactive about protecting his renters.”
She shrugs. “He doesn’t care. As long as he gets his money.”
Well, that settles that. Layla is never coming back here.
“I’ll go grab the box. Where is it?” I ask, opening the passenger door for her. She slides into the passenger seat, refusing to meet my eyes, but I follow her in. Stooping beside the seat, I grab her seat belt.
“I can do that,” she protests, a little bit of fire heating her words.
“So?”
“I’m not a baby,” she mutters, turning her head as I lean in to buckle the belt.
Staying a little longer than I should in her space, I drag my nose along her cheek until I get to her ear, where I whisper, “What is your apartment number? Just let me take care of — everything.”
I was close to saying I’d take care of her.
“It’s apartment 211,” Layla whispers, leaning her head back against the seat and exhaling a loud breath. Closing the door, I’mtaking the stairs three at a time before I find a police officer stationed in front of a badly splintered door.
