Seven looks shook.
“Dad’s here?”
“Yep.”
“Damn!”
“Let’s go, lover boys.”
As we’re walking to the exit, Bronx keeps talking.
“Yo, Knox, you’re not going to believe this shit. The girl that was sucking me off had a beautiful mouth that was the exact shape of Gigi’s and when she started playing with my nuts–"
All I heard was the words: mouth, Gigi, and nuts and I snapped. I turn around and punch my little brother square in the jaw so fast he didn't see it coming.
“Asshole!” They both yell at me in unison as Bronx stands bent over holding his mouth.
“That’ll remind you to keep Gigi’s name out of your mouth when you’re doing dirty shit,” I tell him.
Then I storm out of the restaurant and into the car. When my father sees the expression on my face and Bronx’s bruised mouth of course he asks about it.
“What happened?”
Bronx is still pissed and doesn’t say anything, but Seven speaks for him as usual.
“Bronx said something to piss off Gigi’s bodyguard or should I say boyfriend now?”
I narrow my eyes and look in the rearview mirror at the little smart ass and put my middle finger up. Then I take another hopeful look at my cell phone but once again see nothing.
Reality is starting to settle in.
I’m not Gigi’s bodyguard or her boyfriend.
I am nothing to her.
And it was foolish of me to ever think that I actually could be.
Twenty-Five
Gigi
One Week Later
* * *
I’m on the train headed to Temple’s medical school to tie up some loose ends with the human services office and pick up my last paycheck. Money will be tight once I start my new job at the regional theatre, but I simply can’t keep my job with the standardized patient program. There are too many bad memories I have that are associated with it. It’s time for a fresh start.
Both Casper and Bernadette are working today and I wave to them from the back of the training room. My supervisor wants to chat before I sign my exit paperwork, which I agree to, seeing that she’s always seemed to have my best welfare at heart.
“You are one of the best patient actors we’ve ever had, Gigi. Are you sure that you still want to quit?”
“Yes, I think it would be best.”
“The higher ups in Human Resources have been looking into your situation since it happened. There’s no way a felon should have been approved into our program. Someone dropped the ball somewhere.”
I nod in understanding. “I hope they figure out where the weak link is.”
“They better or a lot of people in management are going to lose their jobs.”
“Well, I better head on in now. I’ve got some paperwork to fill out before I’m completely finished.”
“Oh, sure, go ahead. I’ll tell Casper and Bernadette where you are when they go on break.”
“Thanks.”
Before I enter the HR office, Janet asks one more question.
“Are you okay, Gigi?”
“Huh?”
“You don’t seem like yourself.”
She’s right. I’m not myself at all. I’m like a walking zombie. I’m the sort of girl who needs her eight hours of sleep but since Knox moved out, I haven’t been able to sleep through the night. A couple of times a night, I wake up, go pee, scroll through my Twitter feed, do random internet searches for dogs for adoption and then fall back asleep. After doing this a few nights in a row, by the time the sun rose today, I was exhausted.
“It’s been a long couple of weeks.”
“I can’t imagine what it was like to interact with a real-life stalker.”
This entire time I never thought of Ben (I mean Jake) as an actual stalker, but if this was anyone else, that’s probably what I would have called him too. My dad’s connection to this has probably clouded my judgment.
I stuff my check into my crossbody bag and head to the bank. I could do a virtual deposit from home, but it’s a nice day, so I might as well deposit the check in person since I’m out. Maybe I can clear some of the cobwebs out of my head as I walk.
I’m looking at my cell phone to check the time when a rather rotund woman stops in front of me and I accidentally bump into her.
“Excuse me,” I apologize, but as I look up, I realize that it isn’t a woman at all. It’s Jake dressed in women’s clothing. He’s carrying some sort of soft tote bag, but lifts his arm and points the bag to my stomach.
“I’ve got a gun. Keep walking.”
My heart is beating jackrabbit fast.
“You don’t have to do this, Jake.”
“You're calling me Jake now, huh? I guess it's a good thing you know who I am.”
“To me, you’re always going to be the soft-spoken, new guy, Ben. I don’t know who you are right now.”
I keep walking and try to remain calm but I can feel the beads of nervous sweat form underneath my clothing.
“Where are we going?” I ask him.
“I saw you with your envelope from the job. We’re going to go to the bank and you’re going to give me all your money out of your account.”
“There’s not much more in there.”
“Bullshit, you're a King. Your father is loaded.”
“I don’t take money from my parents, Jake. I never have.”
“Doesn’t matter. I know that you’re that douchebag’s only daughter and he’ll pay money to protect his little princess. If you don’t have any money, he can give me all the cash I need.”
“Why do you need it?” I say, trying to keep our conversation going and remind him that I’m a friend and not a foe.
“Turn here,” he orders.
“But the bank is the other way,” I tell him.
“Just keep walking.”
A random tear falls quickly down my face. If Jake isn’t taking me to the bank, then where are we going?
My parents practically raised me in a protective bubble my entire life and most of the self-defense strategies I’ve ever seen were only scenes in Netflix dramas and Twitter videos. But it’s clear that Jake has had some sort of break with reality and there aren’t many people on the streets, so at this point I’ve got to figure out a way to distract him and then run.
“I talked to my dad about your brother,” I tell him.
“Yeah, so?”
“He said he’s sorry about what happened to him and that it wasn’t part of the plan.”
“He ain’t sorry yet, but he’s going to be.”
I turn around and look Jake straight on. I didn’t notice before but his voice sounds super strange and his eyes are glassy. I think he may be on something and immediately I know that whatever I’m going to do, I’m going to have to do it quickly.
I don't say another word but instead turn the opposite direction back toward Temple and I take off running. If I can just make it to one of the campus buildings, I can call for help.
So, I haul ass.
While I think Jake is having some trouble running in his shabby thrift store disguise, I can feel him gaining speed on me, so I dig deep and run harder.