act innocent, but there is something about you that tells me you aren’t. Whatever it is you are hiding, I’ll find out. I’d watch my step if I were you.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“I’m merely stating a fact. No threat. Just a fact.”
“I think you should go.”
“You don’t seem to understand that I don’t care what you think and I certainly don’t take orders from you. I am going to go, but only because I have things to deal with. You are the least of my worries at the moment.”
“Fine.”
“I’ll be back later to check on you, and I expect you back at work tomorrow. I suggest you do what you women do and put some makeup on those marks of yours before you come in.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t be sullen with me. It’s doesn’t look good on you, Ana.”
“Goodbye, Dio.”
“See you soon.”
I watched as he sauntered back to the door and opened it, hesitating for a moment and looking downward. I had to wonder if he felt bad about the way he was treating me, for the accusations he was making, but I supposed a man like Dio didn’t really feel guilt. No doubt he did much worse things than just hurt a woman’s feelings sometimes. I had no doubt at all that he could be more than a little ruthless when the situation dictated it.
“Forget something? Left out an insult, perhaps?”
“Lock the door, Ana.”
“Why? Am I locking the bad people out or locking a bad person in?”
“That has yet to be decided.”
He disappeared out the door as my blood boiled. Part of me wanted to be indignant that he was accusing me of being deceitful, but the fact was that I was exactly that. He was only wrong about what I was lying to him about. With him out of the way, I did as he asked. I locked the door and snapped the deadbolt in place. Once I heard his bike crank and head down the road, I went to my bedroom and retrieved my burner phone to call Roland, making some notes while I waited for him to answer. I got voicemail.
“Roland, it’s Ana. Another member is dead. Micah Baranov, the one who assaulted me. I don’t think Dio did it, because he seems to think I might have, but he isn’t convinced so I think I’m not in any danger. They brought in a cleaner to dispose of the body from Micah’s house.”
The call was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. I hurriedly ended the call and stuffed everything back in its place beneath the floorboards before making my way to the door. Looking out the peephole, I saw my landlord standing there, looking a bit nervous. I opened it and smiled at him, forgetting for a moment what a wreck I was with the bruises.
“I came to fix the shower.”
“Come in.”
“What happened to you?”
“I fell.”
“Yeah, into someone’s fist from the looks of it. Anyway, none of my business. I just need to fix your shower drain and get going.”
“Okay. Well, you know where it is.”
“Yep.”
I watched him as he made his way down the hall and went into the guest bath. How odd that he finally turned up to fix the shower. Why did he look so shaky? I was pretty sure he was an alcoholic, so maybe he was just recovering from a binge or reacting to not being on one. I heard him clanging around in the hallway bath and went back to the bedroom to do something with my appearance.
By the time I had gotten my makeup on and brushed my hair, he was calling to me from the living room.
“Yes?” I called back as I stepped out to look at him.
“You’re good to go now. It just needed to be snaked out. I’m really sorry that it took me so long to get to it.”
“It’s okay. It’s not like I have a lot of guests using that shower anyway.”
“I don’t think it matters how many guests you have that want to use it. It’s the matter of who those guests
“Are you threatening me?”
“I’m merely stating a fact. No threat. Just a fact.”
“I think you should go.”
“You don’t seem to understand that I don’t care what you think and I certainly don’t take orders from you. I am going to go, but only because I have things to deal with. You are the least of my worries at the moment.”
“Fine.”
“I’ll be back later to check on you, and I expect you back at work tomorrow. I suggest you do what you women do and put some makeup on those marks of yours before you come in.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t be sullen with me. It’s doesn’t look good on you, Ana.”
“Goodbye, Dio.”
“See you soon.”
I watched as he sauntered back to the door and opened it, hesitating for a moment and looking downward. I had to wonder if he felt bad about the way he was treating me, for the accusations he was making, but I supposed a man like Dio didn’t really feel guilt. No doubt he did much worse things than just hurt a woman’s feelings sometimes. I had no doubt at all that he could be more than a little ruthless when the situation dictated it.
“Forget something? Left out an insult, perhaps?”
“Lock the door, Ana.”
“Why? Am I locking the bad people out or locking a bad person in?”
“That has yet to be decided.”
He disappeared out the door as my blood boiled. Part of me wanted to be indignant that he was accusing me of being deceitful, but the fact was that I was exactly that. He was only wrong about what I was lying to him about. With him out of the way, I did as he asked. I locked the door and snapped the deadbolt in place. Once I heard his bike crank and head down the road, I went to my bedroom and retrieved my burner phone to call Roland, making some notes while I waited for him to answer. I got voicemail.
“Roland, it’s Ana. Another member is dead. Micah Baranov, the one who assaulted me. I don’t think Dio did it, because he seems to think I might have, but he isn’t convinced so I think I’m not in any danger. They brought in a cleaner to dispose of the body from Micah’s house.”
The call was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. I hurriedly ended the call and stuffed everything back in its place beneath the floorboards before making my way to the door. Looking out the peephole, I saw my landlord standing there, looking a bit nervous. I opened it and smiled at him, forgetting for a moment what a wreck I was with the bruises.
“I came to fix the shower.”
“Come in.”
“What happened to you?”
“I fell.”
“Yeah, into someone’s fist from the looks of it. Anyway, none of my business. I just need to fix your shower drain and get going.”
“Okay. Well, you know where it is.”
“Yep.”
I watched him as he made his way down the hall and went into the guest bath. How odd that he finally turned up to fix the shower. Why did he look so shaky? I was pretty sure he was an alcoholic, so maybe he was just recovering from a binge or reacting to not being on one. I heard him clanging around in the hallway bath and went back to the bedroom to do something with my appearance.
By the time I had gotten my makeup on and brushed my hair, he was calling to me from the living room.
“Yes?” I called back as I stepped out to look at him.
“You’re good to go now. It just needed to be snaked out. I’m really sorry that it took me so long to get to it.”
“It’s okay. It’s not like I have a lot of guests using that shower anyway.”
“I don’t think it matters how many guests you have that want to use it. It’s the matter of who those guests
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