"He told Levi he would."
"To make him feel special. He did that stuff to people all the time, including me. He'd tell me he was going to take me on a weekend trip, or to dinner at a place I really wanted to go, then when it was time to actually follow through, he'd say he got called away on business or make up some other excuse. He'll do the same to Levi. He won't show up."
"Even if that's true, I want you to be careful. Don't leave here unless I'm with you."
"Miles, I'm not going to sit here all day doing nothing. I won't go out at night but I'm still going to go out during the day. I applied for two jobs today and then I stopped by the place I applied at yesterday and they set up an interview."
"That's great, but Raine, I really don't think you should go anywhere until I do more research on Rob and figure out what he's up to."
"Research?" She rips her hand from mine. "Have you been trying to find stuff out about Rob without telling me? Even after I told you to leave it alone?"
"Yes, but it was hardly anything. I did a quick online search. That's it."
"Dammit, Miles, I told you to stay out of it. Rob is the past. I don't want you going after him and bringing him back into my life."
"It's already happened. Levi is working for him, and you're friends with Levi."
"I'm not friends with him. And even if I found out he was selling pills, I wouldn't go asking him about his dealer. Now, because of you, he knows we're connected to Rob. What if he tells him?"
"He won't. I didn't tell him you knew Rob, or that I did. I just said I'd heard rumors about him selling pills on the street that weren't legit."
"And you don't think he's going to tell Rob that?"
"Why would he? He's not going to confront his boss."
She lets out an exasperated breath. "Miles, you may be smart about law but you know nothing about how guys like Levi work. If he thinks he's being screwed, he's going to get to the bottom of it. I bet he's already talked to Rob. And he probably told him you're the one who told him the pills were bad."
"Shit," I say, realizing I may have just put Raine in even more danger. "But wait, he won't connect us. Rob doesn't know we're together."
"Levi does."
"Yeah, but why would he tell Rob that?"
"I don't know but let's hope he doesn't." She walks to the window, gazing down at the street. "I'm not going to do this."
"Do what?"
"I'm not going to live in fear and hide in this apartment because of Rob. I'm not letting him ruin my life again."
"Raine, if he comes to town and sees you or tries to find you—"
"I'll kill him," she says, her voice strong and determined.
I come up beside her. "I'm serious. You need to be careful. If you go somewhere, make sure you're surrounded by people and bring your pepper spray. And I'm getting you a phone."
She doesn't argue about it, but just nods.
"I'm sorry, Raine." I put my arm around her. "I shouldn't have brought up Rob to Levi. I was trying to protect you but I might've just made it worse."
She turns and hugs me. "I know you were just trying to help. You're always trying to help. It's just who you are. It's why I love you."
"I love you too." I keep hold of her, not wanting to let go.
I was trying to help her but I fucked up, and now I'm even more worried about her than I was before.
26
Raine
My interview at the gas station is today. I didn’t tell Miles about it because I didn't want him trying to stop me from going. He doesn't want me leaving the apartment until we're sure Rob isn't coming back, but I'm not going to live my life that way. I'm done letting Rob control me.
Miles was up all night, tossing and turning. He's worried about me and keeps telling me how sorry he is for bringing Rob back into my life. But now that I've had time to think about it, I'm not that worried. For one, Rob doesn't know about my connection to Miles and Levi doesn't have any reason to tell him. And two, I can't imagine Rob coming here just to talk to Levi. He values his time too much to waste it meeting with some homeless guy.
Just before noon I walk to the gas station, which is only a couple blocks away. I arrive a few minutes early but the manager is waiting for me when I walk in. We go back to his office and he asks me a few questions about my work experience, then asks how I would handle different situations with customers. The whole time I'm nervous but I answer the questions better than I thought I would. When the interview ends, he hires me on the spot.
I'm so excited I decide to go tell Miles. It's noon, which is when he usually eats lunch. He said he'd probably eat at his desk today so he could catch up on work. His office is one street over so I cross the street, then cut through a parking lot, seeing his building just ahead.
"Raine," a guy says. I turn and see Levi in the alley. He's on the ground, holding his stomach. "Raine, I need help."
Levi's a hypochondriac so I'm not sure if he's really hurt or just being overdramatic.
I sigh and go over to him. "What's wrong?"
"Some asshole came up and knifed me." Levi rolls onto his back, clutching his side. He moves his hand and I see blood soaking through his shirt.
"Holy shit," I say, kneeling down to him. "What happened?"
"He came up to me, shoved a knife in me, and ran off. I didn't even know the guy."
"Levi, you need an ambulance. Where's your phone?"
One of Levi's nightly customers bought him a phone so he could reach him whenever he needed 'attention' his wife wasn't giving him. The guy is loaded and is always buying Levi stuff. I can't believe his wife doesn't have a clue this is going on.
"He took it," Levi says. "The guy ran off with it." He rolls on his side. "Fuck, it hurts."
"I'm going to get you help, okay? Just stay here." I stand up, then jerk back as someone grabs my hair.
"You call and you'll end up just like him," a man's voice says.
I turn my head to look at the guy but can't. He's gripping my hair so tight I can't move my head.
"Okay, I won't. I won't call. Just leave me alone."
He yanks on my hair as he backs us up next to the dumpster so people from the street can't see us. He lets go of my hair and turns me around, shoving me against the brick wall.
"No fucking way," he says when he sees me.
My heart pounds, fear and shock hitting me all at once.
It's him. It's Rob.
My mind races as I try to figure out what to do. Physical strength won't get me out of this. I have to get in his head. Play to his ego. And never show fear.
I hate this man, but I know him. I know how he thinks. And I can use that as a weapon against him.
Rob doesn't like to be surprised. He likes to know what's going to happen so he can react accordingly and keep control. Right now, he's expecting me to scream, cry, and try to fight him—all things I want to do but can't. I have to remain calm and keep him guessing if I want to survive this.