His gaze was unwavering. Romero knew this wasn’t a coincidence, and the hollow pit in my stomach grew.
I didn’t have any words of comfort or hope for them. I couldn’t promise that something like this wouldn’t happen again.
The truth was that Charles would probably keep hurting people to get what he wanted.
Me.
He could easily walk in here and take me, but he wouldn’t. That wouldn’t be enough.
I couldn’t look at Vanessa and Romero anymore without feeling sick. Pressure built behind my eyes as I excused myself and made a beeline to the bathroom. I sat on the lid of the toilet and contemplated my choices.
Staying here was no longer an option, and talking to the police proved more harmful than helpful.
My nails dug into the palm of my hands as I struggled to keep the panic attack at bay, doing anything to stay present instead of spiraling to a place without hope.
I could stay at a shelter for the night. Perhaps they would have a few things I could take with me.
Maybe I could borrow money from Romero and Vanessa for the train fare?
That felt like too much of an “ask” after bringing hardship to their lives after they took me in.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and hung my head between my legs.
This isn’t the moment to be prideful, Ev.
When I opened my eyes, I spotted the FDNY card the firefighter handed me beneath my foot.
He said he had resources. Perhaps he could help me. Calling him could be the first step to figuring this out. The second step involved me leaving this bathroom and putting my stupid pride aside.
Vanessa and Romero tried to stay in touch after Celeste died, but I’d avoided them at every turn. Now I was about to ask them for more help than I deserved.
The moment I opened the bathroom door, I bumped into Romero. His green eyes looked tired, and I could still see the faint stain of blood on his olive skin.
He didn’t speak at first. He just looked down at me.
“He said, ‘Be careful, or your house may be next,’” Romero murmured.
“I’m so, so?—”
Romero opened the palm of my hand and placed a hundred-dollar bill in it.
“Don’t apologize. Just leave.” He shook his head. “I can’t have anything happening to Vanessa or this house. Take care of yourself, Ev.”
I watched him walk away, speechless, and stuffed the money in my pocket.
Pulling out my phone, I dialed the number on the card.
Chapter 4
Parker
Rory grabbed the remote off the coffee table and turned the volume up. The television was set to ESPN, and Scott Van Pelt was on the screen.
“Vaffanculo! You’re talking crazy again. You think Shohei Ohtani is going to take down Babe Ruth!” Rory yelled at Ian, throwing his hands in the air.
“Bro, take a look at the numbers! He’s a once-in-a-lifetime generational talent.” Ian remarked, kicking his legs up on the coffee table.
I turned around to see Danny’s reaction. He was shaking his head as he grabbed a beer from the refrigerator.
