“Where’s Ray?”
“Did Miller send you?”
My stomach dropped at the thought. The night we spent together went a long way to ease my fear of Miller. He was dangerous, even deadly, but the way he’d caressed my body, the way he held me when we were both too exhausted to move, told me there was a different man under all the layers of danger.
Maybe I’d been wrong. The men standing around me in my own apartment screamed that my character judgment really needed some work. I’d trusted Miller. And now I was going to pay for that mistake.
“Hawes?” the guy holding me asked.
“Yes,” I squeaked out.
“Fuck that. The Hawes family has been stealing our boss’s business for too damn long.”
“Who is your boss?” The last word felt weird rolling off my tongue. That wasn’t how I picture a boss to be. They sat behind a desk waiting for your reports, or followed you around giving you more work than you could possibly handle. Not a man who sent people to beat the crap out of others.
“Nathan Marcello. And Ray happens to owe him a lot of money. Now no more stalling. Where the fuck is Wasden?”
My mouth felt like it was full of sand, and my voice came out croaky and weak as I explained, “He’s gone.”
The hand connected with my cheek before I realized he’d even lifted it into the air. My head snapped sideways as pain radiated across my face, bringing tears to my eyes.
“Don’t fucking lie to me.”
“I’m not. I threw him out a week ago.” My body tightened, bracing for another hit.
“Why?” demanded the guy in front of me.
My eyes focused on him. I needed to see if he was listening to anything I said. “He bet a night with me in a poker game. I’m not an object he can do whatever he pleases with.”
“Where did he go?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I told him to have all of his stuff out by the time I got home today.”
He looked over my shoulder at the guy behind me. Some kind of silent communication happened between the two. Heads nodded up and down, gesturing towards me and each other. The arms around my waist disappeared, and a card was thrust into my hand.
“If he comes back you better call us. I better not have to come here and deal with you again. You won’t like the consequences.”
“I will. I swear.”
The men nodded and walked out the door. I raced behind them and locked it. Not that it kept them out last time, except this time I threw the deadbolt. Shaking, I turned and leaned against the door, sliding down to the floor. With my knees curled up to my chest, I let the fear of the last twenty minutes truly take over. The sobbing started and I couldn’t get it under control.
What was I doing? I was stronger than this. Yes, what happened was scary, but that didn’t mean I needed to turn into a blubbering mess.
Taking deep, calming breaths, I forced myself to get it together. There were so many things I needed to figure out now. I couldn’t stay in this apartment anymore, that was for certain. They knew where I lived and I had a feeling they wouldn’t stop visiting until they got their money. They also probably wouldn’t be above using me as bait to lure Ray went from wherever the hell he went. He’d better hope they found him first because if I got my hands on him, the bastard was dead.
Twice.
Twice now, the little fucker had left me high and dry with his debts. There was no way in hell I was paying them. It looked like the weather had turned and my rainy day money would be needed to cover some of my bills until I could find a job with more money. It wasn’t like I’d get my security deposit back if I broke the lease early. I just had to hope that any place I could find had a low enough security deposit and first month’s rent that the money in my bank account would cover it.
Eventually, I picked myself up off of the floor and went to the bathroom. The woman staring back at me looked terrible. Her eyes were red and puffy, the outline of the guy’s handprint still covered her cheek. My jaw ached. Eventually I’d have to get ice to put on it to keep it from swelling. I hoped it didn’t bruise, not wanting to have to explain myself to anyone.
Needing to get the feel of them off me, I stripped and climbed in the shower. If I ever saw the little jerk that put me in this situation, I was going to kick him in the balls again. I thought Ray was different from the rest of the guys in my life. Man, I couldn’t have been more wrong if I tried.
First, the bastard bet me in a freaking poker game and now it wasn’t safe for me to come home. He’d let his gambling get out of control and I kept having to pay the price. I’d have to call out of work to find a new apartment.