AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, it’s super close,” I lie through my teeth, hating every minute of this because my best friend deserves better, but she can’t know the truth.
The one where I decided to work as a private investigator instead for the time being, hiding it even from my godfather under some bullshit pretense that I wanted to get to know Chicago better before working on the police force there.
Not sure he even bought it. However, the man clearly has been fed up with all my shit, so he just agreed to it, although not without adding that I’m making a huge mistake, and no one waits for me with open arms anywhere.
Ouch.
“We’ve been friends for almost ten years,” Giselle says, and my brow furrows while I drive by a larger area with a kids’ playground containing broken swings, slides, and a sandbox filled with more trash than sand. In the middle of all this, kids run around, giggling loudly, and still find joy.
So, all in all, the ad didn’t lie. It is a family neighborhood, after all.
My heart pangs painfully, and the air sticks in my lungs when I see parents walking with their children, hugging them close and kissing them on the cheek, reminding me that nothing matters but the people who love you.
If you have them around you…you’ll be happy even in a ditch, but if you don’t…all palaces in the world won’t fill the void in your heart that nothing heals.
Although having money sure makes life easier.
“Isla.” I almost jump at her calling my name sternly. “You cannot lie to me. What are you doing in Chicago?”
I sit up straighter, pressing on the gas pedal harder and heading to the massive gray five-story building with even more cracks than the previous ones. It has a large entrance where a group of people hang around, playing cards and drinking. A woman wearing revealing clothes leans next to them, powdering her face.
A car honks in the distance, and she glances at it, sweeps her gaze up and down, and then waves at the guys before running in her heels toward it and jumping inside.
I have a suspicion about her profession, but hey, no judgment from me. I’ve got my own problems to focus on.
Finding a parking space with so many big rocks, it’s a wonder the cars don’t break here. I find an empty spot closer to the building and turn off the car, exhaling heavily and resting my back against the driver’s seat.
Placing my palm on my nape and kneading the sore muscles from all the driving, I finally reply to my friend, who patiently waits on the line for me. Sometimes I don’t know how she survives this friendship of ours. I zone out during most of our conversations, and my hectic schedule and obsessive tendencies regarding my past don’t help my situation either.
That’s Giselle, though, the best human on this earth to ever walk, and no one can convince me otherwise. “Okay, you want me to be honest?”
She replies without hesitation, “Yes.”
“I need to do something but can’t tell you about it.” I wait a bit to gauge her reaction, but she stays silent, so I continue. “I promise you I’m not in danger. You need to trust me and be on my side on this. I don’t need lectures or anything else.”
A longer beat passes before she speaks up, her voice soft yet holding traces of sadness. “I understand, Isla. I won’t push, but promise to contact me if you need help or are in trouble.” Her tone leaves no room for argument or anything else.
Not that I expected it. If she and I have one thing in common, it’s being fiercely protective of those we love.
“I promise.”
“I love you, Isla.”
Warmth travels through me, and I smile, wishing she was here right now so I could hug her. “I love you too. Bring me presents from Paris!”
“I will. Call me once you settle in.”
“Okay.”
She hangs up, and I grab my phone from the front seat, putting it inside my pocket before getting out of the car and covering my nose from hideous smells wafting in the air.
Everything about this place speaks of complete hopelessness bordering hell on earth and the inability to push past the shitty hand fate has dealt you. Instead of trying to break the cycle, you’re stuck in this dump with no hope in sight.
It’s quite fitting for my situation, so I better get down from my high horse. Otherwise, this whole idea of mine would crash and burn before it could begin. Not to mention the lack of funds in my bank account, since I wasted all my money on the latest equipment and laptop, urge me to appreciate that the lease has been paid for three months.
“Hey, pretty girl!” one of the drunks from the stairs shouts, pausing his game while the other three men look in my direction. He lifts his beer can at me, and they follow suit. “You’re new!”
Shutting the door, I walk around the car and open my trunk, getting out my suitcase along with my shoulder bag. Having very little belongings has finally paid off.
