“What do you mean?”
“It will be less painful if you come with me now.” His cold blue eyes turn my way as he waits for me to decide.
“It’s not my debt,” I tell him, shaking my head. I don’t know what else to say. I’m not going to pay for my brother’s bad choices.
“Just remember, it didn’t have to be this way.”
When the door closes, I fall to the ground. I’m going to have to move … again. I really thought this was going to be my forever home. I made it ten years here. It’s the longest I’ve been able to stay anywhere. I thought I’d finally gotten far enough ahead of my family’s drama it would never catch up to me, but I was wrong.
I spend the rest of the evening packing what I can. There’s no time to waste. I’ll say goodbye to Mr. Johnson tomorrow morning, and then I’ll have to find somewhere else to live.
It will be fine. Everything is fine.
This is just a new adventure.
Chapter Two
Serenity
When I get downtown the next morning to say goodbye to Mr. Johnson, I find the street blocked off. The closest parking spot is two blocks away.
Darn it, I wanted to catch him before the store opens so I can explain. Of course, I don’t plan on telling him the truth of why I’m leaving. He’d only worry. I’m going to tell him it’s time for me to get out and explore the world. He won’t argue with that. In fact, he’s been encouraging it for years.
My feet begin to slow when I round the corner. There are several emergency vehicles parked in the middle of the street with their lights on. I push through the crowd, praying with every fiber of my being they aren’t at the oddities shop.
Deb is talking with an officer when she spots me. “Oh, honey, don’t …”
I duck under the yellow tape and hurry into the store, finding Mr. Johnson sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood.
My hands fly to my mouth, desperately trying to hold in the scream that is clawing at my throat.
He’s … he’s …. dead.
Oh my god. No!
An officer pulls me aside, blocking my view of the body. “What happened?” I ask, gripping the sleeve of his jacket to keep myself upright.
He pushes me into a chair in the corner of the room, and instead of answering my question, he begins to ask his own.
When he’s satisfied with my answers, he tells me that someone broke in early this morning and stole money from the safe. They think Mr. Johnson might have caught the suspect in the act. He was beaten and left for dead.
“He didn’t suffer long, if at all,” the officer assures me. He pats my hand. “You don’t have to be afraid. We already have the suspect in custody.”
“You do?” I sniffle back tears.
He helps me to my feet and walks me toward the door. “We do. It’s just a shame, because it didn’t have to be this way.”
His big hand presses between my shoulder blades and he gives me a little shove, making me trip over the threshold. He reaches out and catches me around my bicep, squeezing it painfully.
Just remember, it didn’t have to be this way.
“Hopefully this is where it ends,” he says coldly.
He’s one of them, or at the very least he’s on their side.
As soon as he releases me, I melt into the crowd, letting the world slowly pull me back into obscurity. The noise, the pushing, the shoving, the thoughts spiraling through my mind. I cover my ears, struggling to catch my breath as I stumble to my car.
My hands are shaking as I make my way to the outskirts of town. When I get on the highway, I realize I’m being followed. Slowly, two bikes pull in front of me, leading the way. I glance in the rearview mirror, finding another two Scorpions behind me.