“Stay here while I update the boss man, alright? Then we’ll work on getting you set up with a room and shit.” Grave stands in the doorway of his bedroom, completely unbothered that his black t-shirt and jeans are streaked with blood and dirt.
We didn’t pass anyone as we entered the single story office building that’s been converted into a weird house, but by the way he was strutting around without a care, I doubt anyone we came across would bat an eye. Nerves start to churn in my stomach, second guessing my spur of the moment decision. I’ve traded one prison for another, though honestly, I know I wouldn’t have survived my father’s wrath when he woke up. All I can do is pray that this cage is slightly better than the last, even if the locksarereinforced.
Which just means he can’t get in either. Trapped inside, but safer than the weathered door I’m used to hiding behind.
He brushes a stray lock of dark hair away from his bright blue eyes, scrutinizing my face. I’m not sure what sort of reaction he’s searching for, but whatever he finds has him leaving me alone without another word, shutting the door behind him.
Grave’s room is luxurious, but impersonal. A huge bed with a locked trunk at the foot of it, and some bookshelves line the large, clean space. The end table beside his bed has a phone charger and a bottle of water, but beyond that, everything’s devoid of any insight into who he is.
There are two other doors, one leading to a large closet full of casual clothes with the exception of a single suit hanging, and the other to his bathroom. No matter how small of a space they find for me, if I can get my hands on an attached bathroom? Hell, I’ll have moved up enough in the world that this new life sentence will actually be a blessing.
Honestly, I know I should be freaking out right now, but compared to my other options? Without a cent to my name, I could have only run so far, forced to risk hitchhiking. I’d be stuck living on the streets, praying to stay off of everyone’s radar and always sleeping with one eye open. Never knowing where my next meal would come from, let alone surviving the winter in a few months, forced to keep running so no one could find me rather than hunkering down somewhere. Having a long term job as a live-in maid doesn’t sound too bad in comparison, so long as Grave wasn’t lying about me being safe here.
If it turns out he was, then all bets are off. Fuck my father’s debt; I’m only accepting it to keep a roof over my head in the first place. I’ll run and figure out a way to fend for myself one way or another, no matter how miserable it might make me, but it’s worth taking a chance on this place before traveling down that path.
When the bar is low enough that you’re just grateful not to get the shit beat out of you daily and maybe some steady meals, your priorities take a hard shift. Long gone are the days I actually had any dreams, dared to hope for much. No point planning for the future when you weren’t even sure if you were going to see tomorrow. Now I simply want a life that I have some sort of say in, can sleep without worrying about anyone trying something the second I let my guard down.
I’ve no illusions that Grave is a good person, or anyone else that I might find here, but I’ve never considered myself one either. If I was stronger, I’d have slit my father’s throat years ago. I’m weak, but if my hunch is correct, that won’t be tolerated here. I need to be better, stronger, if only to prove I’m not a liability so they’ll keep me on.
“Hey, G, where’s my-“ the man cuts himself off as he pushes into the room, his head nearly brushing the top of the door frame. He’s dressed the same as Grave, though without all of the blood and dust clinging to his jeans. Short, dark brown hair, several years older than I am, and green eyes that widen with surprise look back at me as I take a slow step backward, heart thumping wildly in my chest.
His muscles tighten on the door handle, his posture going rigid and features turning hard, promising violence. My back hits the wall, mind whirling as I try to decide between the closet or bathroom to sprint to if it comes down to it. There’s no doubt in my mind that even with the knife in my pocket I wouldn’t stand a chance against this man. I couldn’t even stand up to my father until Grave knocked him out, and this guy makes that monster look pathetic in comparison.
“What the hell did that psycho do now?” he growls, stepping into the room.
I take a cautious step in the direction of the closet. There’s nothing to bar the door in the bathroom, and I know from experience that all of that porcelain will hurt like a bitch.Maybe I can get a shirt wrapped around his neck or…
He stops in his tracks, grinding his teeth. “Did he do that to you?” He gestures to my face and I shake my head quickly, barely breathing. Relaxing just a fraction, he adds, “But he brought you here?”
I don’t answer immediately, nerves seizing my throat. This man is violence personified, and the last thing I want to do is draw more attention to myself. When he punches the wall I flinch, but stay rooted to the spot, wishing for the thousandth time that I could turn invisible, or be strong enough to not be afraid.
“Asshole went too fuckin’ far this time. I told them something like this would happen!” He takes another step closer before stopping, swiping a hand over his face. Backing up a few paces and away from the door, he leans against the wall beside the end table. Just that action alone is enough to get some control back over my anxiety, noting that he’s actively trying to make me feel less boxed in.
Just an angry person. Pissed at Grave, not at me. If he wanted to take it out on me, he would have; not tried to give me a clear path to the door. Breathe, Elyse, just breathe.
“He took a deal,” I finally manage, jittery from the sudden flood of adrenaline. I stretch my sleeves to wring my sweaty palms on the fabric, anything to give me something to do with my hands as I shift nervously on the spot. “And I agreed, for now.”
He narrows his eyes. “Explain.”
I swallow before proceeding to fill him in on the abridged version. If anything, the story just makes him that much angrier, but it’s easier to see that it’s not directed at me the longer the conversation drags on. Several minutes pass by in oppressive silence before he finally sighs, kicking off from the wall.
“Grave will be a while then, if I had to hazard a guess. Boss will be chewing his ass out for a hot minute, so why don’t you get cleaned up and I’ll start setting up a room for you?” he offers before noting my unease. “What?”
I bite my lip. “There’s no lock on the bathroom door. With the way you waltzed in here, what’s to stop someone else?” My eyes cut to the bedroom door and the small lock built into the handle, but I highly doubt it would hold up against anyone that actually wanted to get in.
Maybe if there were a desk chair or something to wedge under the handle, though I could probably shove the dresser over.
His jaw clenches as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll text the others to give them a heads up. Grave may be a twisted fucker, but he was right on that front. You don’t need to worry about that kind of shit from anybody here.” He fires off a text, but I don’t move. He scratches the back of his head before offering, “Make you feel better if I wait outside the door until you’re done?”
Swallowing, I give him a hesitant nod. I’m not sure what it says about my mental state with the emotional whiplash I’m putting myself through here, but much like Grave, as this man stops registering as a threat, his presence becomes oddly…comforting. Maybe it stems from a lifetime of being powerless, but once it’s clear the brutality isn’t directed my way? I feel a hell of a lot safer hiding behind it, of having that buffer between me and the unknown.
“If it isn’t too much trouble, I’d honestly appreciate it,” I trail off, realizing I have no idea what his name is.
“Everett.” He doesn’t stretch out his hand, just crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the wall.
“Elyse.”
He tips his head towards the bathroom. “Get the blood off of you before I drive back to that house then, Elyse. Boss be damned.”
