“You really think I’m stupid enough to believe you?” I shake my head, turning my back on him and rushing out the doorway before I can act out on my need to hurt him. Or worse, trust him.
He calls out my name a few times, but I don’t look back. I jog down the stairs, ready to get the hell out of here. I just want to run away. From everything. And what did he even mean about my past? What does he know that I don’t? I pause at the bottom of the stairway. Should I go back and press him for more?
No, you can’t trust him.
I can’t trust myself.
I step out of the stairway and into the bar. It’s not peaking hour so it’s only about half full, a few guys getting lap dances, soft music playing from the stereo. There’s a waitress at the counter. I’m not even sure what her name is, but it hurts me to see someone else there besides Bella. She’s counting out some one dollar bills, stacking them on the counter and glances up at me, giving me a dirty look. “Why are you here?”
“I’m not sure,” I say, checking the stairway to make sure River hasn’t escaped yet.
She gives me another nasty look. “You know, River may think it’s okay for you to be here, but no one else wants you around.” She puts the stack of ones in the register and shuts it. “Hopefully Leon will fire you soon.”
“Leon fire me?” I question. “He can’t do that. Only Glen can.”
“Yeah, he can. He’s in charge of the bar now,” she says haughtily. “Has been for the last couple of weeks while Glen’s been gone on vacation.”
I glance around the bar, looking for him. Maybe seeing his face will spark a memory. “Is he here now?”
“Nope.” She pauses, collecting the one dollar bills from off the counter. “And aren’t you supposed to be sick or something? That’s why you haven’t been to work right? Or are you hiding from what you did to Sydney?”
So word has gotten around. Vomit burns at the back of my throat but I force myself to remain strong. “Yeah, I was just stopping by to pick up my paycheck.”
“Sure you were,” she says snidely as she drops the bills into the register.
There’s a bang from the stairway and when I turn around I expect to see River there. But instead there’s a guy with dark hair that matches his eyes wearing a black shirt and stone washed jeans, his arms covered in tattoos. One is of a dragon breathing flames across his flesh that I’m pretty sure I’ve seen before… I think I’ve seen more of him before.
His gaze is on the dance floor, but it shifts to me and a small smile touches his face. “Maddie.”
I’m speechless and thankfully the waitress speaks first. “Hey Leon,” she says, reaching for a cup. “We’re running low on chicken wings.”
Leon. That’s Leon. And I’ve met him before… more than once, but where?
His gaze remains on me and I can’t help but think how Bella told me about how he used to be into drug trafficking. “I’ll get some more ordered,” he says, still staring at me. I tell myself that it’s because he’s going to fire me, right here, right now, but when he gives me a friendly nod and then heads off for the stage area, I’m left scratching my head.
I decide it’s time to bail and hurry out from behind the counter, bursting out the front door outside and into the rain. I start across the parking lot, wrapping my jacket tighter around me as rain soaks through my clothes. I have my head tucked down, determined to get the hell out of there without being seen by anyone else, when I hear my name being called out.
“Maddie.”
“God, what now?” I keep walking away, puddles splashing all over my legs, hair soaked. Maybe if I move quickly enough, I can outrun him.
“Lily.”
I stop dead in my tracks. Fuck.
Grinding my teeth, I turn around. Detective Bennerly is standing near a black car, smoking a cigarette and holding an umbrella. He has a long trench coat on, the collar pulled up, like he’s desperately trying to play the part of detective. I’m hesitant to go over to him, but at the same time it’ll probably look bad if I don’t, so I amble over to his car, stopping just short of him.
“It’s Maddie,” I remind him. “I don’t go by Lily anymore.”
He takes a long drag of his cigarette and he ashes it, eyes fixated on me. “Sorry, but you weren’t answering to Maddie, so I thought I’d give it a try.”
“I didn’t hear you the first time,” I say as he stands up straight and steps toward me, moving the umbrella with him and positioning it over both of our heads. I wipe the water from my forehead and cheeks, chattering from the cold. “Did you need something?”
It takes him a second to answer and the whole time his eyes are on me. “Do you want a ride?” he asks, throwing me off guard.
I quickly shake my head and begin to step back. “No thanks. I can take the bus.”
“Let me give you a ride,” he insists. It’s not a request but an order.
I reluctantly nod and he gestures for me to get in. I climb into the passenger seat while he gets into the driver’s, putting away his umbrella before he closes the door. He starts up the engine and then cranks up the heat. “Where are you headed?” he asks, ruffling his hand through his hair in an attempt to dry it.
I was planning on going to see Ryland, get a break from this, and maybe hide out for a while, but now I have no choice but to go to one place. “Home.”
He nods and then backs out of the parking space. “You know the police were called out to your place today,” he says as he cranes the wheel and turns onto the road with the windshield wipers on high as the rain pours down from the cloudy sky.
I buckle my seatbelt. “Huh? Why?”
He glances at me. “You don’t know?” he asks and I shake my head. “Oh, your mother said it was because of you... that you set the alarm off.” He slows to stop at a stoplight. “She seemed a little upset about it.”
“That’s just how she is,” I explain, getting the feeling that this is more than just a ride home. “She worries about me all the time.”
“I wonder why that is?” he asks, pressing on the gas when the light turns green.
I shrug. “I don’t know. Probably because I got hit by a car and lost my memory,” I suggest. “That can make a person worry.”
“How old are you, though?” he asks, but I can tell he already knows. He just wants to hear me say it.