I shake my head and blush. “You’re so bad, Caitlyn. No, he’s not. Not at all.”
“Is he selfish with his money?”
“No.”
“Is he selfish with his time?”
“Not at all. In fact, he likes spending time with me.”
“See, I knew you hadn’t lost your asshole detector. It has a lifetime guarantee. Just follow the signs.”
“Yeah, I know. We’ve only been dating a few weeks.” I try to minimize the situation, but deep down I know the choice is not so easy. I wish I could talk with her more about it, but I promised Kalin I wouldn’t.
Caitlyn and I finish lunch and she gives me her new contact info for when I visit the area in Texas. We agree to see each other again when I see my parents in Dallas.
I hug her and congratulate her. It seems life moves pretty fast sometimes. It makes me think about making up for lost time. My mind wanders on the drive home to how Kalin’s offer will affect me, probably for the better.
As I turn onto the side road to pull into our apartment drive, my thoughts are immediately overridden by a gripping fear that causes my heart to leap and nearly explode in my chest. The pounding reaches my ears and fear and dread tighten my chest. Two police cars and an ambulance are outside of the apartment. I pull the car to the curb, ram the gearshift in park, and run toward the door. I notice that our apartment door has yellow tape across it. “Lia! Lia!”
A police officer blocks me. “Whoa, ma’am, you cannot go in there.”
“That’s my roommate! What’s going on?”
“We don’t know yet, ma’am. It’s under investigation.”
“Lia! Lia!” The officer pushes me back, but I lunge forward past the tape to look inside. Lia’s face is bloodied and she is sitting on the living room floor. Her eyes are moist and red and there are several men in suits standing around her—probably detectives.
The officer grabs my arm, but I wrench it free. “I have to see her!”
“Carson, let her in.” An officer who must be his superior lets me past the tape. “You said you’re her roommate?” he asks me.
“Yes, I just left only about an hour ago.”
“Do you have any idea who would have done this?”
“No! Lia doesn’t have any enemies. She is the sweetest girl in the world.” I walk in the door. “Lia!” I run to her and hug her. She is shivering and cold. “What happened? Who did this?” Tears are streaming down my face. Seeing my best friend in the world hurt like this tears me to shreds, and I feel helpless and angry.
“Two guys were looking for something. Scary looking…professionals or something. They were looking for some kind of paperwork—a contract. I already told the cops everything. I have no idea who these thugs were. Thugs in tailored suits,” she adds with a weak smile. “But greasy lowlifes nonetheless.”
“Lia, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. Are you okay? I mean, nothing broken or anything?”
“No, they just slapped me around a little. I had no idea what they were looking for. I guess they believed me, or they probably would have beaten me senseless until I told them whatever they wanted to know.”
The paramedic dabs a clear cream on the cuts on her face and arm and says, “She’s in a bit of shock, but her vitals are good and there are no major injuries. We’re going to have to take her in for an examination to make sure there’s no internal damage, though.”
“I don’t have any insurance,” Lia interjects.
“Lia, just go. We can afford it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, just make sure you’re okay.”
Lia stands up with the help of the two paramedics. I wrap my arms around her. “I’m so glad you’re okay. We’ll find the scumbags.”
Lia wraps her arm around me, gives me a hug, and then walks weakly to the ambulance outside.
I take a deep breath and breathe out in relief that Lia is not seriously harmed. Thank God she’s okay. But the lingering unease sends a chill over my body. A contract.
“Miss Ried. Miss Ried.” The detective’s voice breaks through my thoughts. I turn to face him. He has sandy brown hair and a buzz cut, and stands at about six-one. He’s lean and athletic, and reminds me of a marine in a suit. He’s probably some kind of ex-military guy or something.
“Miss Ried, I’m Detective O’Donnell. You’re Lia’s roommate?”
“Yes. We’ve lived together for just over a year. We started rooming shortly after I graduated.”
“Has anything like this ever happened before?”
“No. No! No one would want to harm Lia, or me. Lia is the sweetest person in the world. It’s ridiculous. These guys should be hanged.”