The day wore on and I knew he’d be back at some point today. That was what Glen had told me and I hadn’t heard anything differently since then. I could see the change in him the more the time ticked on. He watched me a little harder. Almost like he wanted to look like he was doing his job the best he could. That little shift was enough of a clue to tell me that Ray would be coming soon.
All day I was on edge.
I was also still irritated that I hadn’t found a single worthwhile thing during my search that gave me a clue to who the real Ray was. All that wasted time…
And then I was mad.
The kind of mad that made me feel crazy. I didn’t survive all this time just to go down like this. No, come hell or high water, I was going to fight my way out.
I was going to end him before he had a chance to do so to me.
I’d never killed someone before. I might have been rough around the edges but I didn’t think I was a killer. The thought turned my stomach, but I saw no other way.
“How much longer am I going to be stuck here?” I asked the new bodyguard.
Yes, another one had shown up right around lunchtime today. I didn’t know his name, nor did I care to. I assumed he’d come to relieve Glen since I didn’t see him anywhere in sight.
“I’m going to need some groceries soon.Someoneate the last of my yogurt, by the way.” I eyed him knowing it had to be one of them.
He looked at me like he didn’t give a shit.
“There’s enough food in there. You’ll be fine,” he said moving his eyes away from me as if I annoyed him. His attention went back to his phone and it was clear that I’d been dismissed.
“Can you at least let me call Ray? I’d like to know when he’s going to be back so I can make dinner?” It was a lame attempt and I knew it. I hoped he was dumb enough to fall for it.
It was at this point that Glen came walking into the room from the hall. He casually took a seat on the couch and stared at me for a long moment.
I took in his appearance. He was freshly showered and didn’t look the least bit tired like he had earlier in the day. I could only assume that he’d taken a nap here, and then made himself right at home in the guest bathroom. The thought sent a shiver racing down my spine. It was bad enough that these two men were in the condo with me, but something about him seeming so comfortable and breaching the line to the hallway made me sick. He’d been too close to where I slept. I guess it didn’t really matter, either way, I didn’t feel safe.
“I don’t like you,” Glen said to me with a hateful look in his eyes. “I don’t trust you.”
I stared at him slightly shocked.
“I wonder how Ray would take it if I told him you talked to me like that,” I said in an even tone.
His eyes flashed with anger and I knew he’d slipped up. I suspected that his boss wouldn’t take too kindly to him treating me like he was ready to get rid of me. Which made me think that he hadn’t planned on killing me. Not yet, anyway.
“Tell me when he’ll be back and I will forget the whole thing.” I smiled at him. The kind of smile that was sly and said I’d gotten the upper hand here.
“In a few hours,” he mumbled before shifting his gaze to the other bodyguard.
“Great,” I said cheerfully though his answer wasn’t all that helpful. I guess that was the best I was going to get for now. “Then I’m going to make him a spectacular dinner.”
I didn’t give him a chance to reply as I turned and headed to the kitchen.
I didn’t give a shit about making Ray a nice dinner, I just needed something to do. Fuck him, he could choke on this meal for all I cared. The thing I needed was a distraction right now. And to get away from those assholes in the living room.
A few hours was plenty of time to make something. Maybe a little too much considering I had basic cooking skills. There would be no fancy, takes-all-day-to-make kind of meal coming from me. At most, I needed an hour. But I was going to do my best to drag this whole cooking thing out. You know, take my time and make sure I did it right. I hadn’t been born with any kind of kitchen skills. And of course, I didn’t have the type of parents that taught me things like that. Then being on the streets, well, meals were pretty much anything you could get your hands on.
I paused for a moment, remembering how Ellie tried to teach Reagan and me how to cook. She made the most wonderful food. Reagan was better than I was. Well, that was how I saw it but she’d tell you the opposite.
How much of a mess had my life turned into?
I missed them even more now. I missed the MC. That feeling of being protected every day was something I might have taken for granted. I’d give anything to have that back right now.
Shaking my head, I searched through the kitchen trying to make sense of the random things that were there. I had always been bad at grocery shopping. I wouldn’t sit down and plan meals, then head to the store with a list of all the things I’d need for that. I went in and grabbed whatever caught my eye and hoped I could use it somehow. It was a terrible way to shop and I knew it. But I never wasted anything. I learned a long time ago that I should never take the small things for granted. Like food.
Little did I know that the chicken smothered in a cream sauce and topped with swiss cheese that I’d put together would never be eaten. Shame. I’d never know if it was any good.
