Nowhere to Hide

Chapter Three

Robert slowly pulled into his apartment building on the upper west side suburbia. It was a quiet and safe hideout, no one he knew would ever think to find him here. 

Honestly, he himself hadn’t liked it at first. There was nothing to comfort him, to remind him of home, but he’d grown to like it, the peaceful ambience, the sound of the beach waves lapping onto the shore in the distance, the authentic Italian sherbet truck that came around on Saturday afternoons. 

Robert took a second to painstakingly survey his surroundings, left, right and far down the cul-de-sac before he stepped out, satisfied no one was lurking. All senses on alert, he palmed his pocket knife in his pants as he walked up the gravel and pebbled walkway. Dimmed yellow lights from inside illuminated the building and behind him, the sun dipped down in the horizon, the sky a glorious purple-pink colour. It was too nice a day for his life to end. 

Robert slung his messenger bag over his shoulder and entered the building, his back pressed to the wall as he made his way to the elevator. The foyer was too quiet. Scenes like these were the ones he most enjoyed to carry out his orders. 

Robert jumped when the elevator dinged before he remembered he’d been the one to push the button. He would have laughed were he not too hyper to and he got in. 

On his floor, he half expected the elevator doors to open and he would find a gun to his face but it was Thierry he found, with his buzzed shaven head and light ‘stache. On some it looked douchey but Thierry, he managed to make it look tasteful, like he belonged in an old telenovela. 

“Man, this girl won’t leave. And she’s hiding what she has like it’s some secret,” Thierry began talking as soon as the elevator doors slid open. The white apron tied at his waist stained with grease and other things, and the lights glinting on his brown skin as he grinned too wide made him look comical. 

Robert was still on edge and half wanted to push off the arm Thierry had thrown over his shoulder. 

“So, where is she?”

“Sadie let her in, they’ve been talking.”

Robert frowned, and stopped in his tracks. “How can she just let a stranger in her house?”

“You know girls, they become friends over eyelashes or sumn’. Sadie!” Thierry called out as they came to her door. “Rob—“

Robert jumped to shush him. “Just let the girl come out,” he whispered. 

Robert realised if they had found him he’d be gone by now, but he could never be too sure. Being safe was how you stayed alive. 

The door swung open and Robert‘s guard went up again. Only for him to see it was some girl he had met at a hotel restaurant last Friday. 

Her name was a Cindy or Carrie or... whichever she was, she was looking at him with a huge dopey smile. “Babe, it’s me. I brought you your wallet.”

Robert almost laughed at how terrified he had been, and over Cindy/Carrie. They had gone home together and they just cuddled. Honestly, he had been lonely for some time. He just missed the touch of a woman but he couldn’t bring himself to sleep with her when he knew he’d disappear in the morning. Yet here she was at his door. Life was funny that way. 

“Thanks a lot.” He’d beat himself up for being so careless and had been searching since Saturday morning. It must have fallen out while at her place. He just thought it got lost in a cab and was gearing up to call the company. 

Cindy/Carrie was looking at him with her big, brown eyes like she expected an outpouring of gratitude. He was grateful but too exhausted to deliver. 

Robert wondered why she looked so dressed up for a Monday evening anyway, in a tight pink latex mini dress and her pink tresses pulled into a half up kind of hairstyle. 

“Why don’t we give the two lovebirds some privacy?” 

Of course, Thierry. Sadie, full bodied brunette and his next door neighbour, smiled conspiratorially, the apples of her cheeks rosy.  She went back into her place, with Thierry following closely behind. 

Robert’s stomach growled and he decided to end this fast, mostly so he could finally eat dinner. “Hey, thanks a lot for going through the trouble. So... do you need me to call you a cab?”

Cindy/Carrie walked up to him, smiling innocently. “Can I come in for a bit?” 

Robert sighed and her smile fell. “I’m sorry but I’m really tired.”

Her hopeful smile returned. “So we could see each other... maybe tomorrow?”

Why was she making this tougher?

“I don’t think so. Look, to be honest with you, I’m not looking for anything right now.”

She looked down at the ground and Robert hoped he wouldn’t have another girl crying because of him today. 

“Okay,” she said quietly. 

Whew. “So can I call you a cab?” 

“Never mind. I drove.”

Robert said goodbye but she was already rounding the corner with her high heels clacking on the tiled floor. He heaved a sigh, glad this day was coming to an end and knocked on Sadie’s door. The three sat down to eat and laughed, reminiscing on their days, and an absent minded Robert forgot to check that nothing was missing from his wallet.

The next day Julie was back in Robert’s office, and she felt a sense of déjà vu when she sat before him at his desk. 

Today he was wearing a crisp white shirt and Julie had to remind herself he was her professor and she couldn’t afford to find his eyes so starkly attractive, or his fresh mint scent so intoxicating. 

“So Ms. Wright, do you want to tell me what you would actually like to do?” 

His full attention was on her. Julie shifted in her seat. “Honestly, Culinary school but I need to finish my degree first. My parents have invested so much in me, I think I owe them this much.” 

“Alright. How are you finding your other classes?”

Julie chuckled. “A bit better than English to be honest.”

She saw the ghost of a smile on his face and Julie suddenly wanted him to really smile for her. 

“You don’t want to have to retake this class, nothing to delay you from getting to where you really want to be.” 

Julie smiled toothily. He got it. “Definitely, sir.” 

“How about I help you?”

Julie’s eyes widened. “Really? But you said I’m so unserious.”

That little smile appeared again. Julie bit back a smile. “Not in those exact words. Maybe your weeping touched me.”

Julie flushed. She still couldn’t believe she’d cried like that in front of him. She usually saved her tears for late at night in her room. 

“Wow. I’m really so grateful, sir.”

“We start tomorrow.” And Julie thought she saw a twinkle in his eyes for the briefest moment.