“His grandparents believe it’s a relatively new thing. It sounds like it started about six months ago when Zach tried his grandpa’s pain pills after hurting his back. By the time they kicked him out, his grandmother had seen him with a needle in his arm. She doesn’t know what type of drugs he’s using, but it doesn’t take long to get hooked on some of the stuff that’s on the streets nowadays. We confirmed with his employer that the drug use was why he was fired. Everything seems to have careened downhill from there. Once he lost his job, he couldn’t pay his rent, which caused the eviction. Presumably, he sold his car because he needed the money.”
“Wow. That’s insane. He was totally fine six months ago. That’s a long way to fall in such a short time.”
“Yeah. Drugs aren’t something to mess around with.”
“Well, that pretty much confirms this is all about the money then, right? Before we broke up, all of our arguments were about my trust fund money. He wanted me to get into it, and I was totally against it. From what you’ve said, it seems like he’s desperate and thinks there’s some way he can get to the money now.”
“Looks like it, yes. We sent Zach’s picture to the attorney, who confirmed he was the man asking about trust funds. The nurse at the hospital also identified him as the man claiming to be your husband. And the security footage from your apartment building shows that he entered the building not too long after you were hit. He must have exited through a door with no camera, though, because there’s no footage of him leaving. Which reminds me, did he take anything?”
“My laptop. Also, there was a small safe in the closet, right where Jake thought it would be, but there’s nothing important in it. I bought it to start saving cash but realized I could earn interest with a bank account and moved it all out. There’s maybe five hundred dollars in cash, some school work, and a few family photos in it.”
“Good to know. That will add burglary charges once we catch him. The least of his worries, but he’ll account for it.”
“Okay. Also, something I didn’t mention before was the look in his eyes right before he pushed me. This dead, hollow stare…no emotion at all. It was really kind of creepy. It never crossed my mind that it might be the effects of drugs, but could he have been high when he pushed me?”
“Anything’s possible. We’ll find out once we arrest him. We’re looking at it from every angle, but the drug habit definitely adds another dimension. We asked the grandparents to call us if he turned up there again, and we’ll keep you posted. I heard you left Jake’s and are back at work, so I wanted to warn you to be careful. Who knows if he still intends you harm.”
“I will. Thank you for the information.” She hung up with a sick feeling in her stomach. What if leaving Jake’s had been a big mistake? She dug the pepper spray out of her purse, put it in her pocket, and held it tight. Then picked up the pace to get home, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds, always expecting to see Zach. When she arrived at her apartment in one piece, she locked the door and then berated herself for being paranoid.
By now, Zach had no doubt figured out his plan was futile and had given up. She couldn’t imagine him trying to come after heragain. Although, to be fair, she still couldn’t believe he’d attacked her at all, so perhaps her instincts weren’t all that trustworthy.
And if her instincts were all mucked up, that made it even more difficult to make a decision about Jake. She’d spent all week thinking about him. Every time she got close to forgiving his lover-boy reputation, the slutty vampire from the ladies’ room popped into her head. Who knew how many others there were? How many women around town had he “consoled”? And how many would corner her in bathrooms to tell her how great he was?
The problem was, shitty instincts or not, she’d fallen in love with him. Yes, it was before she knew he’d lied about his past, but it was hard to simply fall out of love because she had new information. When you loved someone, you were supposed to love all of them, right? Flaws and all. Well, easier said than done.
Truth be told, she was also a little worried about his newfound monogamous tendencies. What if that was just temporary? What if, once the newness of their relationship wore off, he reverted to his old ways? Or wanted to, but was now trapped with her? What if they got married and had kids, and ten years from now, he decided he’d been right all along and commitment really wasn’t for him?
Of course, the same could be said about anyone. Maybeshewould decide commitment sucked! She supposed that was one of the risks of falling in love and having a relationship with someone. Look at all the divorced people who started out wanting a commitment, then changed their minds somewhere along the line. That was the bitch of it. There were no guarantees. Even if he’d been a virgin, that didn’t guarantee a happily ever after. Nothing did. Life was risky. Relationships were risky. The question was, did she want to take a leap of faith with Jake?
She mulled it all over while eating the leftover pizza she had delivered the night before, then decided to take a bath to try to warm up. Maybe she’d have a glass of wine and read a book. Not a schoolbook, something just for fun. Anything to turn this night around.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“I blew it.” Jake threw back his fifth, or was it sixth, shot of the night. “I had a chance, and I totally fucked it up.”
“Oh, woe is you,” said Kris. “Like you’re the only man to ever screw up a relationship.”
“How would you know?” he asked.
“Touché,” she said, raising her glass and winking at him. “That’s one reason I stick to women.”
It was Friday. Five long days had passed since his conversation with Hannah. The one where she said she’d call. Jake was back at The Boardroom, drowning his sorrows binge drinking, because Hannah still hadn’t called and was apparently done with him.
It had barely been a month since the accident, but he’d grown accustomed to her welcome home smile and flowery, feminine scent. Unable to face another night of sitting home without her, he’d come to the bar alone after Ben and Spence copped out because of family obligations. He’d run into Kris and her girlfriend, Trisha. They were hanging around, he suspected, just to make sure he didn’t drink himself into oblivion. He glanced in the mirror behind the bar and saw a desperate-looking fool. Two-day stubble lined his jaw, and his hair was cattywampus from repeatedly running his fingers through it.
“You’re throwing those back pretty hard and fast,” said Kris. “How are you getting home?”
“I’ll call a cab,” said Jake, tearing his gaze away from the sorry sap in the mirror. “Hey, you gals wanna dance?”
“Yes. Let’s burn some of that alcohol out of you with some exercise. Good idea.” The three of them headed to the dance floor. A guy dancing behind them gave Jake a respectful nod and a thumbs up, no doubt assuming he was getting it on with two hot women. Normally, the situation would make him smile, but right now, the only thing on his mind was Hannah. He didn’t dance so much as move his hips a little while Kris and Trisha gyrated around him.
When the song ended, they returned to their spot at the bar, and he ordered another shot.
“Maybe you’ve had enough there, Lover Boy,” said Kris with a worried look on her face. “How many is that?”
Jake thought about it for a second. “Um. I lost count.”
When the drink came, she swiped it from the counter, shot it, and asked the bartender for a glass of water. “Time to switch, buddy.”
