“Levi,” I rush out, my voice shaky as I drop to my knees beside him. “Are you okay?”
He’s laying on his back, one hand on his abdomen and the other at his side. There’s a cut in his eyebrow and his jaw looks like it took a pretty nasty hit, but other than that, he looks relatively unscathed.
“I thought I told you not to come down here,” he pants, his eyes tilting up to mine.
“He left,” I state, running my hand through his hair. “The cops should be here any minute.”
Levi lifts a hand and cups my face, and it’s only then I’m made aware that I’m crying. “It’s okay, baby. I’m okay.”
Commotion in the hallway suddenly draws our attention away, and a second later, multiple police officers come storming into the apartment. Spotting us on the floor, one of them comes over and rests a hand on my back while the rest fan out and check the rest of the apartment.
Twenty minutes later, Levi and I are in the back of a police car on our way to the station to give our statements. Our hands lay intertwined in my lap, my head resting on his shoulder. His thumb absentmindedly rubs against the back of my hand as he stares straight out the windshield, watching the city go by.
Once we arrive, one of the male officers takes Levi into his office while one of the female officers leads me into a separate room. She gestures for me to sit down, offering me a water which I gratefully accept.
“Okay,” she says, pulling a pen out from behind her ear as she straightens her notepad in front of her. “Your name is Marlowe Reyes, correct?” I nod. “And you’re Levi’s girlfriend?” Another nod. “Okay. Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
“All right.” I rub my sweatpants covered thighs, taking a deep breath. “Well, I heard a noise coming from downstairs and woke Levi, and he went to go check it out. I called you guys and stayed upstairs in the bedroom. I saw them fighting, and then the guy took off. That’s when I went down there to make sure Levi was okay.”
She nods, making a few notes before looking up at me again. “Do you have any idea who could’ve done this? Does he have any enemies, or are there any business dealings you’ve heard of that may have gone south?”
“No.” I shake my head, staring at my lap. My eyes widen slightly, and I slowly lift my head back up to look her in the eye. “My ex has been showing up a lot recently, though.”
“Tell me more about that.”
“Well, I filed a restraining order and am trying to get full custody. He’s shown up twice since he was served.”
She hums, making another note. “And when was the last time you saw him?”
“Less than twenty-four hours ago, actually.” Her eyebrows raise. “He was asking me for money, and then asked if Levi couldhelp him out. I guess he owes somebody, and he was fearful for his life.”
“Did he give any indication that he’d take matters into his own hands? Could he have hired someone?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. He asked if I was going to be home tonight, but I didn’t answer him.”
“Anything else regarding your ex that you think may be pertinent information?”
“He has a terrible drug and alcohol addiction. I assume his money issues stem from that.”
She closes her notebook and gives me a small smile. “Thank you, Marlowe. If we have any other questions, we’ll be in touch.”
I nod, standing from the chair to exit the room. As I make my way back into the lobby, I hear someone crying. Stopping in my tracks, I see a woman leaning against one of the officer’s desks; her face buried in her hands as a young man hugs her around her shoulders, trying to comfort her. When she lifts her head, I recognize her as the mother of one of those injured in the accident—one of the four who was in critical condition, and the only one who didn’t make it.
Looking for Levi, I see him with his head bowed, whispering heatedly to the chief of police. My brow raises as I watch them, and when Levi looks away from the man in front of him, they immediately fall on the woman. He turns back and shakes his head, his mouth moving as he says something else before he turns away.
Spotting me, he comes over, trying to wipe the frustration off his expression. He wraps his arms around me once he’s within reach, tucking me against his chest with his head on top of mine. My arms loop around his waist on instinct, and I nuzzle into him before resting my chin on his chest to look up at him.
“Are you okay?”
He nods. “I’ll be fine. We have to stay at your place for the rest of the night. I can’t get back into my place until they’re done processing. I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course.” My attention turns back to the woman, who now has her head buried in the young man’s shoulder. “Do you know them?”
“No.” He doesn’t bother to look in their direction. “Let’s get home.”
An officer drives us to my place since Levi informed him he didn’t need anything from his. He stared out the window the entire drive, his hands folded in his lap as his teeth ground together. I had tried getting his attention, resting a hand on his thigh and giving it a squeeze, but he refused to look at me. Once we got back to my apartment, he still held the doors open for me to walk through, but he never rested a hand on my back like normally does.
My apartment is quiet, not even the hum of the refrigerator to provide any solace. Levi kicks off his shoes and heads straight for the bathroom, closing the door behind him. I wrap my arms around myself, my face contorted in confusion as I head into the bedroom. I curl up in bed and wait for him, and when he enters, he walks to his side, sliding underneath the comforter.
