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“It’s the largest floorplan in the building,” Chase said, going over to the minibar.
“Not quite what I meant,” I said, picking Katie up onto my lap. “Oh, yeah, the renovations. I own the place.” “I thought it was rental building,” I said. “Mostly. There are a few units that have gone condo. The fanciest, of course. An upside is there is no condo board to deal with. Just the nasty gnome of a landlord who’s power does not extend to me. Basically, I’ve bought him out.” “Must be nice,” I said, almost whimsically. “It certainly has its advantages,” Chase said, taking a shot of Wild Turkey. “I guess I haven’t really had time to talk to the neighbors. I’m always either at work or looking for work.” I shrugged even though he wasn’t looking my way.
Now that I was here and we were alone, the situation felt awkward. I didn’t know how to handle the strange man. He was my hero, yes, but after my ex, no man felt safe. Especially not one as big and tall as Chase.
“So, I heard,” Chase said, taking another shot. “Drink?” “No thanks,” I said, more on reflex than anything. I had quit while I was pregnant and never really saw the point even when I was able to partake again. “There’s a spare room at the back,” Chase said, pouring himself another shot and pointing with the glass. “You can put the baby back there to sleep.”
Without a word, I picked up Katie and took her down the hall, stopping at the bathroom for a change before continuing on to the bedroom. The spare bedroom was huge and delightfully air-conditioned. The walls were decorated with beautiful art, some of which looked original.
Getting Katie settled down and setting pillows around her, I went back out to the living room, reclaiming my position on the couch. Chase was sitting in the armchair across from me, his shot glass replaced by a tumbler, also full of Wild Turkey. I tried to get some idea of what was going on, but his scarred face was unreadable. He would have cleaned up at poker.
“My sister and her best friend are coming into town tomorrow, that’s why I did up both rooms. I’ll tell them to get a hotel.” “You don’t have to do that,” I said, shocked. He shrugged. “Trust me, it’s safer this way.” “Safer?” I asked, getting scared. Maybe he was a crooked lawyer. “No one will think to look for you here.” “Who would look for us here?” “The cops for a start. It’s obvious that you don’t have a lease, or the landlord wouldn’t have been able to give such an arbitrary deadline or put your stuff out on the curb. Which also suggests that you rented your apartment under a false name.” My heart sank. Chase was right about everything. I had more than eviction to worry about. Not only could I go to jail, but I would also lose Katie and be in an even worse situation than I already was. I decided not to say anymore not wanting to get in trouble with the law. “The only other person who knows that you’re here is the landlord,” Chase said, seeming to sense my distress. “He won’t say anything. Not only is he shit scared of me, but he would also be as liable as you are. You gave a fake name, but he accepted it and charged well over the legal rate for rent to keep it quiet. That’s not only fraud but extortion. Did you see the look on his face when he found out I’m a real estate lawyer at Howell and Howell no less? I can help you, but I need to know a few things.”
“Like what?” I asked defensively. “Like who you really are and why you’re really here.” “My name is Ashlyn Tate; I told the landlord Ashlyn Brown. I came here about six months ago to get away from my abusive ex. Katie’s dad. I don’t know for sure, but I think he is still looking for us. He is not the sort to give up or take insults.” “Sounds charming,” Chase said, swirling the liquor in his glass. I sighed. “He was, at the beginning. Then I found out he was a hotshot gangster, with ties to some serious villains. He also had a coke addiction that made him really unpredictable.” We sat in silence as I remembered some bad things, and Chase stared at me.
“You’re just what I need,” he said suddenly.
“For what?” I asked, shaken out of my misery. “My sister’s best friend is also my ex. She is going to try and get back with me because I am about to inherit half of my grandpa’s substantial estate. I want to put my ex off but don’t want to hurt my sister. A friend at work suggested I try a fake fiancée to throw her off the scent. It worked for my friend and apparently several other people at work. All of whom are married now. I wasn’t sure it would work, but this is just perfect. Not only would I have a fake fiancée but a fake family. Did you notice how Katie and I have the same hair color?”
