If any of this made sense at all.
Carlos decided to withhold judgment until he saw the inside of her apartment, but this place was pretty rundown. His house wasn’t much better, though he’d been spending all his spare time outside work fixing it up. It was harder to do that with an apartment.
Eliana’s parents would?—
No, he wasn’t going to think that either. He didn’t need his dad sticking his nose in every part of his life. Lia probably didn’t need her parents doing that either.
In the end, she would do whatever she wanted anyway. This apartment in this building was a prime example. Meanwhile, Carlos followed orders.
At least she’d agreed to go get Luci with him. It was a family matter, and only the family would resolve it. In doing so, he could prove that he and Eliana could coexist. That there could beharmony between them. He’d be able to walk away, certain that the friction was a thing of the past, and get on with his life.
“Yes?” Eliana’s voice sounded tinny through the small speaker.
“It’s me.”
“Third floor, second on the right.”
The door buzzed, a sound akin to a prison door unlocking. He didn’t like the connotation, and thankfully the lobby didn’t smell like incarceration.
Carlos jogged up the steps even though he’d forced himself to go for a run this morning. None of it helped him burn off the frustration of not knowing where Luci was or how to contact her.
He heard shouting before he even got to the second floor. A door flung open and the sound increased until he made out a man’s voice.
“I said, ‘Get!’ Useless piece of trash.”
A woman hurried out of an apartment to the left, a cloud of musty scent coming with her. The distinct glaze of Elysium in her eyes.
Carlos stepped up to the landing on the floor and paused.
The woman grabbed the rail but still turned too fast. Dirty jeans, silver strappy shoes. A stack of necklaces that hung low on her small frame. Hunched shoulders and a tight shirt under her pink jacket.
He caught her arm. “Careful. You’ll take a tumble.”
She stared at him, confusion in her expression. “Huh?”
“You wouldn’t want to fall down the stairs.”
“Oh.”
“Babe.” The guy stood at his front door. Jeans and nothing else. Bare feet. Bare chest. “What are you doing?”
She almost flinched. Didn’t look at the guy. “Nothing. Going to get more drink like you said.” Animosity laced her tone.
Carlos let her arm go, and she scurried down the stairs.
The guy clenched his fists. “You look like a cop.”
“Is that any of your business?” Carlos rounded the stair rail and headed on up.
“I’ll be watching you,” the guy called up.
Carlos waved a hand over his shoulder like he just wanted to be left alone. He didn’t need a couple of junkies trying to be all up in his business—or Eliana’s. Still, he dragged out his cell from his pocket and sent a quick text to the department tip line with his badge number.
He went to the second door, which opened before he could knock. “Hey.”
She stepped out, tugging on her coat, and called back, “See you later.”
Before he could wonder if she had a boyfriend that he didn’t know about, someone called back, “Okay, dear.” A decidedly older, feminine someone.
