Where Loyalties Lie

13

I smirked. “Grace, I’ve only got a few minutes before I have to be somewhere. I just wanted to check on you while I was home.” “Always so busy! I remember those days. No need to worry about me, honey.” “Are you sure you don’t need anything? I can swing by the grocery store on my way home later.” “Thank you, dear, but I think I’m fine for now. Oh! I almost forgot. I got a glimpse of that visitor you had over earlier. He’s quite the looker!” She grinned devilishly and patted her perfectly set silver hair. “I just happened to be coming back from checking the mail when he was leaving and couldn’t help but notice.” My stomach dipped and rose, churning its contents. Someone had been at my apartment? A man? Could he still be in there? No, she said she saw him leaving. But what if he came back? I struggled to swallow, my throat suddenly tight and dry. “Um, did you see him come from inside my place? Or just walking down the hall?” Grace’s eyes narrowed as she began to detect my discomfort. “Is something wrong, dear? I didn’t see him come from inside, but he definitely came from our end of the hallway. I assumed he was there for you because I certainly didn’t know him. Should I have called the police?” “No, not at all. It just surprised me, that’s all,” I assured her. “I appreciate you letting me know, but I better change clothes and get going.” More wrinkles gathered over her pursed brow. “Okay, if you say so. I’ll keep an eye out and let you know if he comes back.” I forced a semi-genuine smile. “There’s really no need, but I appreciate you looking out for me. Have a good rest of your day.” The last thing I wanted was to make Grace worry about my safety or her own. “You too, honey.” I stepped out of her doorway and pulled her door shut behind me, then turned to my own door. Nothing looked any different. There were no signs of forced entry, and the door was locked when I tested it with my key. It was entirely possible a visitor had gone to the wrong floor or the man had been a solicitor even though they were not allowed inside the building. Sometimes a magazine salesman, or the like, found their way past the front entry. I squashed the overwhelming sense of paranoia that had been ghosting me for days and made my way inside. My eyes carefully scanned the kitchen and into the living area, searching the contents for signs of tampering. Not one thing looked out of place. It was official. I was losing my mind. I rolled my eyes and hurried to my bedroom to change. Once I was ready, I grabbed my gym bag, which doubled as my purse on class days, and hurried out, making sure to lock my door before I left. I arrived just minutes before the start of class and avoided eye contact with Tamir throughout the hour-long session, as was my new routine. I should have continued with that strategy and hightailed it out of there the second class was over, but of course, that’s not what happened. Those good old social norms kicked in when I noticed the cluster of pads, punching mitts, and shin guards spread across the back of the room and the mass of students rushing for the exit without helping to clean up. Dios mío. My God. What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I just walk out with the rest of them and let Tamir clean up after us? He was getting paid, after all. I could almost feel my tita pinching the sensitive skin on the underside of my arm. The woman had trained me too well. Not smiling at strangers on a city street was a far cry from making someone else pick up a mess all by themselves. I couldn’t do it. I had to stay and help. I hurried over to the pile farthest from Tamir and gathered items, then lugged them over to the storage bins. When I went back for a second load, he was leaning against the wall, eyes glued to me. “You’re not running off today?” he asked with a hint of amusement. “I don’t know what you mean.” I filled my arms again, keeping my eyes on my task. He didn’t move to help me. Instead, he crossed his arms and waited for me to return. “Right … and the fact that you can hardly make eye contact with me is all in my imagination.” Properly goaded, I lifted my gaze to his. “There, feel better?” He didn’t even try to tame his serpentine grin. “Not by a long shot, but I will.” He bent over and picked up two of the large torso pads. “You have plans tonight?” “I do, actually, which is why I have to get going.” I needed to get out of there before my heart pounded its way out of my chest. Why was Tamir putting me on the spot? Any other man would have accepted my avoidance and left me alone, but not him. He wasn’t giving me an inch of wiggle room. “That’s what I figured,” he murmured as he walked toward the bins. I didn’t respond. Grabbing my gym bag, I left the warmth of the studio for the crisp night air. Our awkward conversation left me swimming in questions. Why did it feel like he was trying to provoke me? Why couldn’t I have left right after class like everyone else? Were classes always going to feel that awkward in the future? Did I need to consider switching gyms? The maelstrom of questions and internal debates occupied my complete focus, which was why I didn’t notice the hooded figure leaning against the wall at the entrance of an alley. A hand shot out and clasped my arm, yanking me to the side. When I looked up in surprise, I caught a brief glimpse of the man’s profile against the city streetlight. It was angular and harsh—the sharp features of pure ruthlessness. “What the—” I didn’t get another word out. His warm, calloused hand clamped over my mouth from behind as he dragged me deeper into the shadows of the alley. I squirmed and thrashed, but between my shock and being unsteady as he tugged me along, I couldn’t come up with a single move to free myself. “Peekaboo, I found you,” the man cooed near my ear just as he slowed enough for me to get my bearings. His words sent unadulterated terror surging through my veins. I’d been found. It only took three months. I didn’t recognize the man, but he clearly knew who I was and knew I was on the run. Was he there to take me back? Or was he just going to kill me there in the alley? My mind tried to launch into a chaotic panic, but I shoved it all into a back room in my brain, turned off the light and slammed the door shut. This was no time to fall apart. I had a matter of seconds before this man either killed me or captured me. I couldn’t let either of those happen. Time stretched and yawned, dragging out each moment in clarifying detail, when in reality, our encounter only consumed a handful of seconds. In that oddity of time distortion, I flipped through my mental playbook of options and committed to my next move.