Page 22 of Crown of Death
“Good,” he says with a curt nod. He turns to me in the seat. “You have ten minutes to go inside and collect your belongings. Mina will be watching you the entire time, so you may wish to reconsiderrunning.”
With a dark look over her shoulder, Mina climbs out of the vehicle and slips off into the parkinglot.
“Am I coming back to my apartment?” I ask, my voicequivering.
“Not for a while,” Cyrus shakes his head, his eyes rising up to the seedy building. “I don’t stay in places like this. We’ll be going to live somewhere much more…comfortable.”
I swallow. “My friend… She comes over a lot. She’ll wonder what’s going on. What…what am I supposed to tellher?”
Cyrus smiles, something terrifying. “I pray that you’re a quick-thinking liar. You should have thought of this before we made our bargain thismorning.”
Prick.
My hands roll into fists, but I just clench my jaw tight and open the cardoor.
This mad man is taking control of my life. Making me move in withhim?
I pause for just amoment.
I remember the eviction notice taped to my dooryesterday.
I was two weeks away from beinghomeless.
Look on the bright side, Logan, I think to myself. At least now you won’t be living in yourcar.
Oh,hell.
Amelia’s car is there in the parking lot, just to the side of our stairs. Of course she would be here when I’m coming home with dangerous people lurking over myshoulder.
I take the stairs slowly, stalling, while my brain scrambles to come up with a story. Any kind of explanation as to why I’m about to disappear onher.
My hand falls on the knob, and I unlockit.
The living room is quiet when I walk in. The dining room and kitchen are vacant. Silently, I walk back down the hall, and finally, I hear the sound of water running in theshower.
A brief moment of relief gushes through me. At least I can pack before I have to faceher.
In a whirlwind, I throw every bit of clothing I can fit into a duffle bag. My brush. My makeup bag. Everything essential that I will need for at least aweek.
Cyrus is going to have to let me come back at some point and deal with my things. Sometime in the next two weeks before the landlord tosses all my stuff out into the parking lot and changes thelocks.
“What the hell,Lo?”
I whip around at the angryvoice.
Amelia stands there, wrapped in a towel, her hair drippingwet.
“You don’t come home last night, you won’t answer your cell, and now I find you sneaking in and packing a bag?” Her face is turning red, seething with anger. “There was a power issue at our place, so we came back here last night around ten. Where wereyou?”
My mouth opens and closes. I blink once.Twice.
“I’m so sorry,” I croon. “I think I lost my cell phone last night. But I kindof…”
Amelia’s eyes drop, and she takes in what I’m wearing. They rise up to my disheveled hair. “Oh my… You slept with someone last night, didn’tyou?”
Her eyes dance with excitement. Suddenly, her mouth drops open. “Was it Eli? Did you finally banghim?”
I know my eyes bug out. My mouth probably pops open,too.