and fell instantly in
love,” Krissi said. “That’s
romantic.”
No, it was more like instant sexual
attraction. But Faith wasn’t about
to admit that to her younger, impressionable sister. “Listen, Kriss, I just need you not to
go running your mouth to anybody about this.”
“Everyone already knows.”
“Mom and Dad?”
“I was waiting until after I talked to
you to tell them,” Krissi said. “I
don’t understand why you care who knows. You guys were out in public together.”
“Yeah, but it’s… ” Faith stared out the window
again, losing her train of thought as she thought she saw Boogie’s threatening
face passing by on the street. “It’s
just a crazy time for me right now,” she muttered.
The stranger came more into focus as he
passed by outside, and she realized he looked nothing like Chase’s old friend
from Detroit.
“You sound upset,” Krissi told her. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine.”
“You’re dating Chase Winters. Everything should be incredible.”
“It’s not quite that simple,” Faith
replied. Suddenly there was a beep
on the line and she checked, seeing Chase’s number pop up. “I have to go, I have another call
coming in.”
“Is that him ?”
Krissi squealed.
“My ear, you did it again,” Faith said,
grimacing. “I’ll text you later.”
“Tell him—“
But Faith had already clicked over. “Chase?” she said, licking her lips,
feeling anxious at what his reaction to the bad news might be.
“Are you safe right now?” Chase asked,
his tone urgent.
“I’m okay.”
“Good, because with the texts and
voicemail and everything, you had me worried, girl.”
“I’m not hurt, but something bad
happened. This guy Boogie broke
in—“
“Don’t say another word over the phone,”
Chase told her.
She closed her mouth and waited.
He took a deep breath and she heard him
exhaling into the phone. Faith
could already picture him standing there in his workout clothes, hair slightly
mussed, his eyes faraway as he thought about what to do next.
“Is that person you mentioned—are
they still with you?” he asked her finally.
“They’re gone.”
“Okay, just hold tight. I should be back in less than an hour.”
“Chase…. ” She pursed her lips, feeling more
and more like a screw up. “I’m
sorry.”
“Just hold tight.”
“Bye,” she said, but her words went into
a dead phone, as he’d already disconnected.
She waited for him, and it got harder as
each second seemed to pass by so slowly.
He didn’t know about Boogie taking the
money, he didn’t know the things Boogie had said to her, or the horrible
feeling she had that Boogie was going to do even worse things before everything
was over.
Would Chase blame her for the money being
stolen?
She hated to think that, but he
might. And maybe he would be right
to blame her. Maybe she should have
called someone—called Chase, for starters. But everything had happened so fast and
she’d panicked.
Nothing could have prepared her for that
ambush.
Faith waited for Chase to get home,
pacing around the apartment, then sitting and thinking, then pacing some more. Watching as texts poured into her phone
from friends and relatives as the gossip machine in her hometown worked its way
through the community.
Faith didn’t respond to any of them, not
even the phone calls that came in from her parents’ house.
She knew it would be her father, possibly
drunk off his ass, making stupid statements that Faith wasn’t interested in hearing
right then. She ignored his call
and didn’t listen to the voicemail.
As for the texts from all her old
friends, she didn’t respond to them either. It was all too strange. Last night it had seemed magical for
Chase to come out and show himself, put his reputation out there and proclaim
his interest in her.
But now in the light of a new day, she
wondered if
love,” Krissi said. “That’s
romantic.”
No, it was more like instant sexual
attraction. But Faith wasn’t about
to admit that to her younger, impressionable sister. “Listen, Kriss, I just need you not to
go running your mouth to anybody about this.”
“Everyone already knows.”
“Mom and Dad?”
“I was waiting until after I talked to
you to tell them,” Krissi said. “I
don’t understand why you care who knows. You guys were out in public together.”
“Yeah, but it’s… ” Faith stared out the window
again, losing her train of thought as she thought she saw Boogie’s threatening
face passing by on the street. “It’s
just a crazy time for me right now,” she muttered.
The stranger came more into focus as he
passed by outside, and she realized he looked nothing like Chase’s old friend
from Detroit.
“You sound upset,” Krissi told her. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine.”
“You’re dating Chase Winters. Everything should be incredible.”
“It’s not quite that simple,” Faith
replied. Suddenly there was a beep
on the line and she checked, seeing Chase’s number pop up. “I have to go, I have another call
coming in.”
“Is that him ?”
Krissi squealed.
“My ear, you did it again,” Faith said,
grimacing. “I’ll text you later.”
“Tell him—“
But Faith had already clicked over. “Chase?” she said, licking her lips,
feeling anxious at what his reaction to the bad news might be.
“Are you safe right now?” Chase asked,
his tone urgent.
“I’m okay.”
“Good, because with the texts and
voicemail and everything, you had me worried, girl.”
“I’m not hurt, but something bad
happened. This guy Boogie broke
in—“
“Don’t say another word over the phone,”
Chase told her.
She closed her mouth and waited.
He took a deep breath and she heard him
exhaling into the phone. Faith
could already picture him standing there in his workout clothes, hair slightly
mussed, his eyes faraway as he thought about what to do next.
“Is that person you mentioned—are
they still with you?” he asked her finally.
“They’re gone.”
“Okay, just hold tight. I should be back in less than an hour.”
“Chase…. ” She pursed her lips, feeling more
and more like a screw up. “I’m
sorry.”
“Just hold tight.”
“Bye,” she said, but her words went into
a dead phone, as he’d already disconnected.
She waited for him, and it got harder as
each second seemed to pass by so slowly.
He didn’t know about Boogie taking the
money, he didn’t know the things Boogie had said to her, or the horrible
feeling she had that Boogie was going to do even worse things before everything
was over.
Would Chase blame her for the money being
stolen?
She hated to think that, but he
might. And maybe he would be right
to blame her. Maybe she should have
called someone—called Chase, for starters. But everything had happened so fast and
she’d panicked.
Nothing could have prepared her for that
ambush.
Faith waited for Chase to get home,
pacing around the apartment, then sitting and thinking, then pacing some more. Watching as texts poured into her phone
from friends and relatives as the gossip machine in her hometown worked its way
through the community.
Faith didn’t respond to any of them, not
even the phone calls that came in from her parents’ house.
She knew it would be her father, possibly
drunk off his ass, making stupid statements that Faith wasn’t interested in hearing
right then. She ignored his call
and didn’t listen to the voicemail.
As for the texts from all her old
friends, she didn’t respond to them either. It was all too strange. Last night it had seemed magical for
Chase to come out and show himself, put his reputation out there and proclaim
his interest in her.
But now in the light of a new day, she
wondered if
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