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“Thanks, Ivey, I should be good. I’m probably just gonna crash.”
Ivey gave me a warm smile.
“Understandable. It’s been a long night for you. Me and Sol will be downstairs waiting for the boss to get here. If you need us, call out. If you get hungry or thirsty, think of this house as yours. Come down and get whatever you need. In the morning, if there’s anything specific you drink or eat, let the boss man know, he’ll send someone out on a run for you.”
“Okay, I will. Thanks again.” He gave me a nod and was about to leave when I asked, “Are you sure the owner of this house won’t mind me being here? I mean you said we were going to a safe house. Is this really a “safe” house?”
Ivey’s smile turned brighter than the sun. He stepped past the doorway into the hall before addressing me.
“Miss Gates, this house is the safest place you could ever be. Trust me. Try not to worry. We will not let anything happen to you. You’re totally safe.”
I nodded my thanks and he sent a nod of acknowledgement back to me, then closed the door behind him. I stood there for a second or two before I stepped to the door and locked it. I turned around and placed my back against the door, surveying my new digs for the unforeseeable future.
“Well, Phoebe, things could be worse,” I whispered into the room.
The thought of being at Reed and Garrett’s cold despondent warehouse gave me the chills. Don’t get me wrong, the place was nice, the architectural structure was genius. It was specifically made for Reed and Garrett. It worked for them. I preferred something cozier and warmer. Sort of like this place, although I could feel a bit of coldness in this house too. I knew this place belonged to someone, it looked and smelled lived in, but I didn’t believe life lived here, if you know what I’m saying.
There was a very old song that my great-grandmother, on my father’s side, used to play all the time. I couldn’t remember the name of it, but a line from the song came to mind. It’s the only way I could describe the feeling I got from this place.Just a vacancy,love don’t live here anymore.
That song came to mind when I stepped fully into the living room and looked around. I sensed this house used to be filled with love, joy and life. Now it’s just an empty shell, waiting for someone to spark life back into its bones. Whoever lived here had as bad a time with life as I had.
I took a long hot shower instead of a bath, until I felt the water getting cold. I hoped Sol or Ivey weren’t planning on taking a shower tonight. I wonder if one or both were staying here or if someone else was going to camp out until the morning. That would suck for Noelle, having her man here instead of by her side, consoling her, but I wondered if she was used to this. Used to the life of a cop’s girlfriend. I wondered what it would be like if me and Lock were together. Would I be understanding of the many late nights he’d have to work, not being able to see him as much as I wanted, the endless ways his life could be put in danger?
When you look at it like that, being with a cop would suck, but I couldn’t imagine living a different life. A life without Lock. I’d take whatever I could get from him as long as Ihadhim. I didn’t care how that sounded. It was the truth.
Once I was out of the shower, dried off, greased up and smelling presentable, I threw on an over-sized men’s Nike t-shirt that I purchased from Target, over my naked body. I needed to wash my new underwear and bras before I put them on, and I refused to go commando in my new pair of shorts. You just never know. I did purchase a robe, so if I wanted to leave the room, I could cover myself.
Exhaustion hit me like a freight train once I was dressed. I decided to wait and unpack and assess my purchases tomorrow and crawled into bed. Maybe Lock would allow Noelle and Ayana to accompany me to the mall or something in the next day or so. I needed to get just about everything, a whole new wardrobe, which was insane.
The reason why I had all of my clothes at the hotel was because I had planned to go through everything, purge things I didn’t wear and couldn’t fit anymore so I could give it to one of the women’s shelters. I did this every season, but I hadn’t done it yet this summer and I needed to. Now, I had nothing left. I had to shop for everything and I would need some serious help to accomplish that. I grinned slightly in anticipation of shopping with my friends, but it slowly fell from my lips when I thought about Ansley.
She would never get to do things like hang out with her girlfriends, see her family again, breathe again. She had just started living her life, a second chance, and now she wasn’t living at all.
I shut off all the lights and crawled into the bed, covering myself with a plush blanket. I tried not to get depressed and sad, but it was hard. I cried for Ansley, cried for the life she lost, the lifewelost. I cried for the many women that ended up like her and their families. I cried for myself, the crazy shit I had to endure. I was still enduring it. I don’t know when I drifted off to sleep, but I jolted awake, bolted upright and looked around a dark room. It took a second to recognize where I was, my heart beating wildly, eyes surveying the room, looking for…
I sighed once I realized I was alone and flopped back down on the damp pillow beneath me. I closed my eyes and tried to take deep, calming breaths.
My nightmare was your typical nightmare: being chased down a never-ending dark alley. I tried to run as fast as I could, but it felt like I was barely moving. Who was chasing me? Oh, the list was endless. I had zombies, werewolves, vicious dogs, Jason fromFriday the 13th, Michael Myers, a guy with a chainsaw, and of course, Byron was leading the pact right along with this faceless guy who I assumed was this Miguel person.
Ugh, story of my life…
Needing something to wet my dry whistle, I threw off the covers, grabbed my soft robe and adorned my body with it as I made my way quietly down the steps. The house was dimly lit with the living room lamp still on and a soft hue from the kitchen. I didn’t see anyone or hear anyone walking around. I wondered if Ivey or Sol were still here. Were they sleeping somewhere else in the house? Were they outside casing the place? I was just about to call out when someone stepped out of the kitchen into sight.
I gasped, but it wasn’t from surprise. Well, I mean it was, but I wasn’t startled. Let me explain…
Lock was standing in front of me, shirtless, his jeans falling along his waist, and he was barefoot. I also noticed his hair was wet, slicked back and away from the handsomest face I had ever laid eyes on.
I swallowed hard as my eyes lazily perused his muscled arms, his defined chest, that V shaped muscle that pointed to…
“Couldn’t sleep?”
I jolted slightly from the deep baritone of his voice. I blinked a few times to get myself together, but it didn’t work. I was so gone for this man that nothing would get me to breathe right unless he left the room. No, I’d probably panic if he left my sight.
What a mess, right?
I cleared my throat and tried to smile past the embarrassment of ogling one hell of a body. “Oh, um, yes.”
“Are you hungry? Thirsty?” he asked, placing a plate of something I couldn’t see down on the dining room table.
