He shot me another “big bro” look. “You know I can help—”
My palm shot up to him, cutting him off. “Nope. I got it handled.”
He took a step closer to me as I got my things out from underneath the bar. “It’s okay to let people help you, Kay. I’m your brother. I don’t mind.”
A smile formed on my lips as my chest warmed. “I love you, bro. I know that. You know that. You also know that I'm stubborn and independent.”
That earned me an eye roll.
“I got this. I’ll see you on Friday,” I said, finishing the conversation as I moved past him.
“See you on Friday,” he murmured.
Twenty minutes later, I slipped the key into the front door of my apartment, mentally and physically exhausted.
As I shut the door and locked all five locks, I reminded myself I was safe here. My apartment was in the best neighborhood, and this building had security. Flipping on the lights, the space lit up with a warm golden hue that reminded me of summer sunsets. The kitchen was to the left, a small L-shaped area with hunter green cabinets and a small island that faced the living room. The wall between my bedroom and living space was exposed brick.
Dumping my purse on the island, I made my way to the bedroom, shedding my jacket. My bedroom was small. Cozy. Safe. The whole apartment was around eight hundred square feet—perfect for me. It was all I needed. My headboard was against the opposite wall, a gold iron bed with a cream duvet and a mountain of pillows. There was a small bathroom to the left of the door that contained a tiny closet.
I discarded my clothes in the laundry basket and headed to the shower. As I scrubbed my body with my vanilla soap, my mind calmed a little. Our house, Mama’s house, always smelled like vanilla and honey. It made me feel safe.
Mama used to always bake…it was the one thing we shared. She taught me to bake my first cake when I was seven, and bythe time I was sixteen, she was out of the picture, Jer was gone, and I was the one making the desserts for “Sunday at Sullie’s.”
After the shower, I dressed in my baby blue silk PJs, did my skin care routine, and headed to the kitchen. The clock on the stove read two in the morning. I turned on my coffee pot. Looked like it would be another early morning for me…
I’d sleep when I was dead.
Chapter Five
Haley
“How are you feeling, Miss Austen?”
My eyes opened slowly, hesitant of the sunlight I might face, but the room was dim.
The curtains remained shut in the room Collin put me in three weeks ago. It was dark—just like him, with warm tones throughout. The bed was in the far corner of the room, catty-cornered and facing the door. I had an IV hooked up to my right hand for fluid intake, but the monitors were taken out last week. Days flew by, and every day, I asked to see Kay. I knew she was here. I had heard some of the staff talking about her when they came in to check on me or clean.
Usually, I would pretend to be asleep, but I heard every word. They referred to her as “the pretty blonde” or “Boss’s favorite”, but nothing about a man. Nothing about Kevin Matthews, which meant he wasn’t here.
Bella, his house maid, was standing by the bed with a tray in her hands. I nodded. “I’m better. Thank you, Bella.”
She blinked, somewhat shocked that I treated her with basic human dignity. I watched as she stepped forward, placing the tray on the bedside table. Food. My stomach rumbled as the smell greeted me, the first time I had felt hunger in weeks. I tried to sit up, but she stopped me.
“Miss Austen, you must be careful.” She was right, but I wasn’t going to let her know it. I ignored the pain in my side, a result of Romano’s man kicking me while I was down. My body was healing quicker than expected. My mind wanted to drift back to the worst night of my life, but I refused to go there, at least not right now. Over the last week, I'd learned to hold in my tears in front of strangers, trying to be strong forhim.
“Bella, I have to eat,” I argued, keeping my voice soft. She nodded and assisted me. Once I was somewhat upright, she placed additional pillows behind my back and head. “I'm glad you are hungry today, Miss Austen. That’s a sign of healing.”
“You don’t have to call me that. You can just call me Haley,” I reminded her as she brought the table closer to me. She remained silent, stepping away and folding her hands in front of her. Waiting.
Goodness, the mafia had her trained well.
My eyes fell to the food, and my mouth watered. It was soup. I didn’t know what kind, but at this point, I didn’t care.
I was halfway through the meal when the bedroom door opened, and he stepped through. He was dressed in black, as usual. His eyes were alert as he took in the scene before him, keeping one hand in the pocket of his slacks. “Leave us,” he ordered.
Bella nodded her head, her brown eyes shooting to me. “I will return to you later, Miss Austen.”
I continued eating my soup, and when the door closed behind her, Collin spoke. “How are you feeling?” His voice was cold, but there was an underlying hint of concern there that would have been easy to miss if you didn’t know him.
