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Aaron’s guys have called me about a billion times since I gave them the slip – I’ve ignored all of their calls, of course. I’m assuming that since Aaron himself hasn’t reached out that they haven’t told him they lost me yet. They’re probably hoping to find me before they have to call him to avoid incurring his wrath. Which means they’re probably out looking for me.
Yeah, there’s no shortage of people trying to track me down these days. Honestly, I could really do without the sudden spike in my popularity.
I can’t go back to Aaron’s condo. Or rather, I won’t go back there. As well-appointed and luxurious as it is, it remains nothing more than a comfortable prison cell. But where am I going to go? To Olivia’s? If I do that, I run the risk of inconveniencing her – and embarrassing myself – should Aaron and his men find me there. That pretty much leaves taking a room somewhere.
Of all of my options, it’s probably the best one. Nobody will know exactly where I am – it will be more or less anonymous. I can rest easy in a hotel, as secure as I can be. More importantly, I’ll be out of sight and out from under everybody’s thumb, until I can figure out what my next move is going to be.
Given that things between Aaron and I seem to be going nowhere and our relationship is deteriorating pretty quickly, I will need another move, and soon. It’s becoming increasingly clear that staying at Frontline and working with Aaron is a situation that’s untenable. I just don’t think I can do it.
Seeing Aaron every single day will only be like pouring salt in the wound. It would be a constant reminder to me of that which I cannot have – of that which he doesn’t want. It would be a perpetual reminder that Aaron is too scared to open his heart to me and all we’ve lost because of it.
No, I can’t continue doing that to myself. I deserve better. I demand better.
I guess that leaves but one avenue open for me – sell my condo and take Olivia up on the offer to live in her guest house. It’s far from ideal, and not something I really want to do, but I feel pretty boxed in. There just aren’t a lot of avenues for me right now. At least, if I sell the condo, I’ll have the money to get through school and actually have a career I can be proud of.
At least I’ll be able to be a good example for my child. I can be somebody they can look up to, rather than somebody who teaches them to settle for less than they want. Maybe I can be somebody who teaches them that sometimes you have to sacrifice in the short term to make your life better in the long term.
No, it’s not ideal. But it might just be the best solution to an impossible situation.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Emily
By the time I get back to my own condo, I've come to the decision to stay in a hotel for the next few days. Just enough time to get my mind right and plot out where I'm going to go from here. I think dropping off the grid entirely, just to sort everything out, is a necessity. And thankfully, I won't have some massive goon of a man lurking outside the front door, clouding my head with my anger about the situation to distract me.
I get out of the Uber and as I make my way to the front door of my building, an ominous feeling washes over me. My heart thundering in my chest, I look around, searching for Robert's face in the crowd of people moving along the sidewalk. But I don't see him. I silently scold myself for being so jumpy. Robert is a lot of things, but subtle isn't one of them.
If he was here, he'd make sure I saw him.
Gritting my teeth, I steel myself and march to the front door of the building. As I walk through the lobby, I stop by the security desk. As I step to the desk, I'm greeted by an older black man with a shock of white hair and kind eyes, who flashes me a warm, wide smile. He's been on the security desk for years now and is one of the nicest men I've ever met.
“Hey Charles,” I offer.
“Ms. Hall, it's been a minute,” he replies. “How are you? Where have you been?”
“Oh, I was just away for a little bit,” I tell him. “But I'm good, thanks. How are you?”
“Doing swell, thanks.”
I smile. “Good to hear, Charles,” I respond and lean over his desk a bit, whispering conspiratorially. “Listen, has anybody been by my place that you know of? Anything weird happen?”
He screws his face up, a light of suspicion flaring in his eyes. “Were you expecting somebody? Or for something to happen?”
I shake my head. “No, not really. I just – I've had some issues with an ex who's been stalking me. He's made it into the building once, so I just wanted to be sure –”
“Hold up just a second, Ms. Hall.”
Charles starts scanning the security log in the computer for me. He'll be able to find out whether or not there were any incidents or visitors when he wasn't on shift. I don't like dragging other people into my drama – it's embarrassing, really. But I think it's probably wise to make sure building security is aware of any potential problems.
“Well, it says here that about two hours or so ago, a couple of men stopped by to see if you were here,” Charles reads. “Gave their names as Stanley and Ryan.”
“Yeah, I figured they'd stop by,” I offer without explaining. “Listen, if they stop by again, just tell them I'm not here.”
“Trouble, Ms. Hall?”
I shake my head. I don't want to get Stanley and Ryan – who I assume is probably his boss – into any trouble. None of this is their fault. They're only doing their jobs. God knows, they're going to have enough trouble from Aaron when he finds out they lost me. Or rather, when he finds out I managed to ditch them.
“No trouble at all. And they probably won't be back,” I respond. “But I would rather they not know I'm here if they do.”
