“I am safe, Dad. Dean wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Do you know him well enough to believe that?”
I stalled. Not exactly. “Yes.”
Liar. But what did it matter if I didn’t know him well enough? We weren’t even dating—
I forced a smile to my face when he studied me too long. He was using his detective eye to pick apart the way I reacted to his question. I fought the urge to fidget under his gaze as I looked down at my burger. The little appetite I had earlier vanished, surprisingly.
“Do you mind if we raincheck lunch?” I said a little sheepishly.
The words struck deeper than I intended them to. Disappointment flashed across Dad's face before he smiled quickly, the corners of his upturned mouth wavering. “Of course, sweetie.”
My mind was spinning. From my father’s far-fetched attempt to get me to stay away from Dean to the fact he was investigating Antonio.
How much did he know? Or more importantly, what would be his plan of action when he did find out about his little business below The Den?
The what-ifs and questions swooped through my head like birds. Picking apart and spreading my anxiety and doubts. There was so much at stake already; people’s lives were at stake. Not only from the threat of my father’s investigations leading to arrests but also from Antonio. What if he retaliated? What if he thought I was behind it all?
I had already seen too much.
“Ma’am?”
I blinked at the woman standing behind the cash register, her expression concerned as she waited for me to pay for the groceries she had scanned through.
“Sorry,” I stammered as I scanned my card.
“Would you like your receipt?” she asked, still watching me as if she expected me to have a nervous breakdown.
It wasn’t exactly off the table...
“No, thank you.” I gathered the two bags from the counter, offering her a quick smile as I did, and hastily exited the store through the automated doors.
The second I stepped into the open, sunny outdoors, an unsettling sensation settled over my skin. I was exposed now, out in the open of the parking lot, and suddenly aware of everyone I passed. Meanwhile, my thoughts skipped straight back to what Antonio said while giving me that nickname.
“How does Wallflower sound? Quiet. Delicate but capable... Completely unassuming.”
It was the way he said it that put me on edge. As if he knew something I didn’t.
I picked up my pace, aiming for the bus stop across the street as I kept an eye on my surroundings. My ears pricked at any noises behind or beside me, and I moved a little faster. The bus had pulled in, so I needed to hurry.
When there was a gap in the traffic, I stepped off the curb. So blinded by my anxiety, as I waved down the bus driver, that I didn’t notice the black car speeding towards me. My life didn't flash before my eyes like I expected it to. Instead, my head went blank as I froze in the middle of the street, squeezing my eyes closed and waiting for the inevitable.
The tires protested loudly as the car came to a screeching halt before the driver blasted their horn from behind their tinted windows.
People were watching.
I forced my legs to move as I mouthed an apology to them, and everyone else I caused concern for — some of those onlookers rolled their eyes at my stupidity while others yelled things I chose to ignore.
Heart still pounding loudly in my ears, I climbed aboard the bus and sank into one of the seats further up the back.
Chapter 40
Lily
I remained on edge but emotionally drained for the rest of the day, leaving me feeling vague as I did my usual tasks at The Den. Gathering glasses and dodging drunken advances from patrons had become a sort of ritual as I got lost in my overthinking. What if, what if, what if, was my new mantra, permanently branded to the walls of my mind. It left me distant and out of touch with anything else going on. I even almost missed when Xavier brought up his housewarming party. Somehow the mention of it was enough to drag me back to the present as he and Jen chatted behind the bar.
“I didn’t know you moved,” I said, looking at Jen as she nodded her confirmation.
