Page 57 of Stanton Unconditional

He storms past me and into my unit. Hmm…asshole.

The other guard shuffles on his feet uncomfortably and gives me a stifled smile. I push past him and walk into my apartment. My eyes shoot around the room, everything seems in order. Television, DVD player, laptop on my coffee table. I wring my hands in front of me as I am wracked with nerves. Someone has been in my apartment…looking through my things, probably a drugged person…maybe a murderer. My eyes widen in fear as the thought crosses my mind. Stop it.

“Go and check out the other apartments and see if anything else is amiss,” Max asserts to the other guards. They all nod and file out of the room. I slowly start to walk through the apartment. Kitchen, my eyes look around, seems fine. Hallway, I wring my hands in front of me as I walk down it, seems fine. My bedroom, I stand still at the door, someone has been in here I can feel it. My bed has a mark where someone has sat on the bed… or maybe that was me before I left last week. Oh jeez, I don’t know, I can’t remember.

Max walks in behind me. “Don’t touch anything.”

I nod as I bite my lip. “I think someone has been in here,” I whisper.

“Me too,” he answers as he looks around.

Max’s phone beeps a message and he looks at it and passes me the phone. It’s from Joshua.

Is Natasha ok?

I immediately text back.

Yes, she’s fine.

A text comes back.

Do not scare her, keep her calm.

Don’t tell her anything

Always lying. I throw the phone at Max and storm into the bathroom as the tears of fury start again. I stand with my hands on the bathroom sink as I look at myself in the mirror. I can hear my heartbeat in my ears as anger seeps into my bone marrow. Don’t tell her anything. Is that what he told all of his staff about him sleeping with Amelie? Don’t tell Natasha anything…he must have. Nobody said a fucking word…except Amelie of course. He probably said the same thing to her. I bet he did, the asshole. I shake my head in disbelief at myself in the mirror.

Every time I think I might be making the wrong decision he proves me right again, every damn time. He is making me look like a total idiot in front of all these people. It’s not even between me and him anymore. There are about ten people who know more about our relationship than I do. This has got to stop.

“Where is Natasha?” I hear Ben’s South African accent snap through my apartment.

“She’s in the bathroom,” I hear Max reply flatly.

“Is she ok?” Ben asks.

“Yes, shaken up, but ok.”

I put my ear to the door to hear what they are saying. “Joshua doesn’t want her frightened,” Ben replies.

I can’t hear Max’s reply.

“No, don’t call the police until we know what we are up against.” What? They are not calling the police? This is ridiculous. I will not be controlled by these men for one minute longer. I open the door and storm down the hall.

“Get out!” I snap at Ben as I point to the door.

“Hello Natasha,” he replies calmly.

Embarrassment heats my cheeks. “Hello. I do not want you here so you can go and tell your boss the sooner he returns to America, the fucking better.”

“Natasha,” Max whispers as he grabs my arm and tries to calm me down.

I rip my arm from his grip as my furious eyes flick to him. “You can leave too, Max. I will not be deceived by all of you for one minute longer. Nobody is here. I am safe and I am calling the police now. So get out!” I scream. I’m totally losing it.

The guard comes back through the door.

“Looks like the unit above and below on this side have been robbed too.”

Max puts his hand around the back of his neck.