CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

 

 

When Daisy exited the elevator onto Micah’s floor, her heart leaped into her throat. But she had to do this. She had to tell Micah the truth about why she’d so impulsively slept with him two days ago, and why she’d been so distant after. She owed him the whole story, but not only for him. She owed it to herself.

Part of this new life free of drugs and alcohol was to be brutally honest, no matter how uncomfortable it felt. She hadn’t been honest with him. And it was eating at her, making her crave the escape of a pill or a drink or a line.

But a small, selfish part of her longed for company. Since saying goodbye to Caden two hours ago, her heart had ached. The apartment had once again become a husk of a thing. A place to sleep and eat and watch television, but not a home.

Micah would make her feel better. Take her mind off the loneliness.

And she knew how ironic it was that she was looking to Micah for reassurance. She closed her eyes, drew in a deep breath, and readied herself to approach his front door.

But something strange happened when she opened her eyes.

The door was wide open.

She tiptoed across the carpet and peered inside his door. The coffee table was overturned, shattered glass sprinkled on the carpet like breadcrumbs. His television was sitting on his couch, the LCD screen in pieces.

She clutched the crucifix on her necklace and rubbed her thumb and forefinger across it. Asked Jesus to help her keep calm.

Daisy leaned in, spied the kitchen. The fridge was open and all of his food was strewn about the floor. There were holes in the wall in the small dining room area, and his dining table had been broken in two.

Such chaos, as if a pack of wild horses had trampled through here. Micah had nice stuff. The television alone had to be worth a thousand dollars.

Normally, given the chance, she might feel the desire to snoop and find out what other nice things he had. But not now. All she could think was that Nathan had to have done this, and if that were true, then he knew that Daisy had gone to Micah for help. That meant a death sentence for both her and Micah.

Nathan had warned her to stay away, to keep her head down and not talk to anyone. She still wore the fading remnant of a black eye as a reminder of his demands. And she’d disobeyed him, so he would feel justified in punishing her.

Flee. Get out of here.

She spun and launched toward the elevator, but she stopped short. At the end of the hall near her escape route stood Alec, his brown eyes flared.

“Hi there. You don’t live on this floor.”

She gulped. “No.”

“That’s interesting,” Alec said, putting a hand on his chin and rubbing it in a show of exaggerated confusion. “I wonder what you’re doing up here. Can you explain it to me?”

“Alec, please.”

He bared his teeth and stomped across the carpet toward her. In his rage, he looked exactly like his brother. The same evil written all over his face.

He snatched her by the arm and yanked her toward the elevator. “Please what, Daisy? Do you think, after all the trouble you’ve caused, that you get to make demands of me?”

“I didn’t do anything!”

Alec pointed at Micah’s door. “The guy you’re here to see? Did you know he broke into my hangar? Stole important documents that belong to me and Nathan?”

“I don’t know anything about that,” she said, “and I don’t see what it has to do with me. There’s nothing going on here.”

Alec wasn’t listening. He shoved her into the elevator and stomped inside after her. Jabbed the button for her floor and then faced her, shoulders pumping as he breathed. He looked like the devil, nostrils flared, eyes wide, eyebrows like a V on his forehead.

Daisy knew that at any second, he was going to wrap his hands around her throat and choke her. She wouldn’t be able to stop him. She didn’t have a gun, or pepper spray, or anything else to defend herself. She couldn’t keep him away.

The elevator pinged and the door opened. He stepped out of the way, waved a hand. “Go.”

For a moment, she stood frozen, confused. He wasn’t going to kill her? Alec looked down at her, the V of his eyebrows slowly reverting back to flat as he seemed to calm down.

Something inside her clicked, and she realized she could walk away and he would stay in the elevator. She was safe, in a manner of speaking.

She said nothing, only pulled her purse close to her chest and slipped past him. Turned to face him one last time as the elevator doors whooshed.

“Bye, Daisy.”

The doors shut. An internal debate raged inside her head for a few seconds, but she decided she needed to tell him about this. She whipped out her phone and composed a text.

 

Micah, please hurry back here. Alec was in your apartment. He trashed everything.