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An hour later, I was still chasing her. Luckily she seemed to stop. Since it was the poor part of town, there was no way of knowing where she actually was. I kept going, even though sharp pains shot up my leg.
The street had abandoned house after abandoned house. Grass was overgrown, and trees found life in the sidewalks. It looked like something out of an apocalypse movie. People strolled up and down the streets as if this was normal. A woman stopped and asked me if I wanted to buy her. I handed her a hundred and kept walking.
According to the phone, she was halfway down the street. I leaned against a house that may not have been able to take my weight. The siding was long gone, and vines crawled in and out of the windows. Ava was close, and I didn’t want to be out of breath when I arrived.
“I never thought you would be on this side of town,” Judith said. She came out of the alley next to the house and leaned beside me. Her red hair fell down her shoulders instead of the standard tight bun she wore.
“I’m as shocked as you,” I replied.
“So, what are you doing here?” She looked up and down the street as if she was embarrassed to be seen with me.
“Trust me when I say you don’t want to know.” I rechecked my phone, Ava hadn’t moved.
“Probably not. Well, I’ll let you get to it.” Judith crossed her arms and scuffled her feet. “Hey, uh, you haven’t seen Brad, have you? I mean, it’s not a big deal. I hadn’t seen him today, so just wondering if you had.”
“Nope. Since we are kinda on the subject, it’s best if you and him leave me alone.” I didn’t want her to think we were friends.
“Yeah. Right, of course. When I see Brad, I’ll let him know.” She picked at her nails. “Look, I meant what I said about Ava. Be careful, she is nothing but trouble.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but Judith turned and went back into the alley she came from.
What a strange interaction. I shrugged. At least now, she would probably leave me alone. I didn’t need her showing up at my door in the middle of the night again. Especially when she realized Brad was never coming home.
I found Ava sitting outside the entrance to a fight club. A sign that looked like someone scribbled said Underground. She had her head down and didn’t realize I had approached her, or she didn’t care.
“When I first met Brian, he was living with his mom. She collects books, so I was delivering some to her.” I sat down beside Ava. “Brian just met me and hugged me. That day I hired him as my assistant. His mother was skeptical. She was afraid I would allow something bad to happen to him.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Ava asked without lifting her head.
“If I don’t hold up my end of the contract, he will also suffer the consequences since he bought you for me. I tried to get out of the contract, but it seems like all my attempts have failed. So to protect Brian, I will do what has to be done,” I explained.
“Again, what's your point?” she asked.
“That means you will hold up your end.” I rolled my eyes. How did she not understand that?
“Is that why you tracked me down? I had a bad day, I don’t feel like talking to you.” Ava lifted her head. Her makeup was smeared across her face, and her skin was blotchy.
“Yes. You are going to stop wallowing in self-pity and come back with me.” I stood.
“Fuck off,” she whispered. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“I will toss you over my shoulder and drag you there. We are getting married tomorrow. Stop being a brat because no one actually wants to marry you. You entered this for the money. Everyone else had their personal reasons. Get over yourself.” I couldn’t believe how insufferable she was being.
“I will rip your nuts off. I’ll be there tomorrow, okay, with a fucking smile on my face. I just need tonight, okay. Tonight, I am gonna be the homeless girl one last time and walk the streets. Then I will pretend to be the happy bride.” She pulled a tissue from her purse and blotted the tears.
“Fine, I’ll stay with you out on the streets then. But if we are gonna walk, I need breaks.” I stretched my leg.
“No. I don’t want to talk to you.” She pulled out her makeup and began applying it.
“Deal, no talking. I don’t have anything to say to you anyway.” I sat beside her, waiting for her to be ready.
CHAPTER38
Ava (Day 7)
I should have slept.That would have been the smart thing to do, I really should have slept. Instead, I spent the entire night walking around New Boston. None of it felt real. It was like I was watching the city from above it.
Adam stayed with me, and as promised, he didn’t say a single word. I had nothing to say to him, so the silence was comforting. Roughly every hour, I would stop and allow him to rest his leg. He never said thank you, but he would smile every time we sat down.
