this wouldn’t somehow turn against them.
Perhaps Chase’s openness and willingness
to call her his girlfriend would end up creating bigger problems than either of
them had foreseen.
You’re
just being a Debbie Downer ,
she told herself. But it didn’t
feel like that to her right then. It felt like she was watching a train heading for a collision with
another train, head-on, and she was just waiting for it all to happen.
It was just a matter of time before
everything went wrong.
***
The first thing Chase did when he walked
through the front door was take her in his arms.
Faith started to cry, mostly from relief
that he wasn’t angry. But also, she
realized, it was that she was finally safe again. After Boogie had broken in and taken the
money, she’d been completely on edge.
It was only now that she could feel Chase
Winters’s strong arms wrapped around her, that Faith could breathe again. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she
buried her face against his chest as he hugged her tightly and kissed the top
of her head. “Hey,” he soothed,
“it’s okay. Everything’s going to
be fine. I’m here now.”
After a long moment, she finally pulled
back, laughing at her own tears and wiping her eyes. “Sorry, I got your shirt all wet.”
“I don’t give a shit about my shirt. What I’m worried about is you.” He was
watching her intently. “Now tell me
what happened.”
Faith, took a deep breath and let out the
tension as she exhaled. “Okay. I got up and came downstairs this
morning after you left. And someone
knocked and said they were delivering a package.”
Chase put his hands on his hips and
stared at the ground, grimacing, as he shook his head. “Oldest trick in the book.”
“And I fell for it,” she replied. “I guess that makes me an idiot or
something.”
Chase’s eyes blazed as he looked up again. “I never said that.”
“I know,” she sighed. “I just feel awful. When I opened the door, he barged right
inside. Said his name was Boogie or
Charles. I wasn’t clear which.”
“Charles Bridges,” Chase said. “But everyone just calls him Boogie.”
“So it’s true, then. You do know each other from Detroit.”
Chase nodded, reached in his pants pocket
and pulled out a pack of gum. “We know
each other very well,” he said, as he took a piece of gum and popped it in his
mouth. “Now tell me the rest.”
“Chase, he—he went upstairs and
found money you’d hidden in your closet.”
Chase’s eyes widened and then narrowed
again as he registered what she’d told him. “What about the painting? Did he find the painting too?”
She shook her head, her mouth open. “I don’t know.”
“Come on,” he said, his jaw flexing as he
chewed his gum, and then he was taking the stairs two at a time as he went up
to his bedroom.
Faith followed behind, her heart beating
fast, coming upon Chase as he bent down and examined the closet. “Yup, he got everything from there,” he
muttered, and then stood up and went to the large modern painting that was
hanging above his bed. The thing
was enormous, and it looked like nothing but a bunch of red and yellow paint
splotches across a very big canvas.
Chase took it off the wall and flipped it
over. Nothing looked strange about
the painting at all, but Chase moved to a drawer in his nightstand, dug through
it and grabbed a small screwdriver.
Then he began unscrewing a few small
screws on the back of the painting, and before Faith knew what was going on,
he’d peeled the backing from the frame and sitting inside it were stacks of
hundred dollar bills, neatly arranged and packed tightly inside the painting.
She gasped involuntarily at the sight of
so much money.
Chase glanced at her, half-grinning. “This was where the real money was
hidden. I kept a stash in the
closet, partly for real and partly as a decoy for people
Perhaps Chase’s openness and willingness
to call her his girlfriend would end up creating bigger problems than either of
them had foreseen.
You’re
just being a Debbie Downer ,
she told herself. But it didn’t
feel like that to her right then. It felt like she was watching a train heading for a collision with
another train, head-on, and she was just waiting for it all to happen.
It was just a matter of time before
everything went wrong.
***
The first thing Chase did when he walked
through the front door was take her in his arms.
Faith started to cry, mostly from relief
that he wasn’t angry. But also, she
realized, it was that she was finally safe again. After Boogie had broken in and taken the
money, she’d been completely on edge.
It was only now that she could feel Chase
Winters’s strong arms wrapped around her, that Faith could breathe again. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she
buried her face against his chest as he hugged her tightly and kissed the top
of her head. “Hey,” he soothed,
“it’s okay. Everything’s going to
be fine. I’m here now.”
After a long moment, she finally pulled
back, laughing at her own tears and wiping her eyes. “Sorry, I got your shirt all wet.”
“I don’t give a shit about my shirt. What I’m worried about is you.” He was
watching her intently. “Now tell me
what happened.”
Faith, took a deep breath and let out the
tension as she exhaled. “Okay. I got up and came downstairs this
morning after you left. And someone
knocked and said they were delivering a package.”
Chase put his hands on his hips and
stared at the ground, grimacing, as he shook his head. “Oldest trick in the book.”
“And I fell for it,” she replied. “I guess that makes me an idiot or
something.”
Chase’s eyes blazed as he looked up again. “I never said that.”
“I know,” she sighed. “I just feel awful. When I opened the door, he barged right
inside. Said his name was Boogie or
Charles. I wasn’t clear which.”
“Charles Bridges,” Chase said. “But everyone just calls him Boogie.”
“So it’s true, then. You do know each other from Detroit.”
Chase nodded, reached in his pants pocket
and pulled out a pack of gum. “We know
each other very well,” he said, as he took a piece of gum and popped it in his
mouth. “Now tell me the rest.”
“Chase, he—he went upstairs and
found money you’d hidden in your closet.”
Chase’s eyes widened and then narrowed
again as he registered what she’d told him. “What about the painting? Did he find the painting too?”
She shook her head, her mouth open. “I don’t know.”
“Come on,” he said, his jaw flexing as he
chewed his gum, and then he was taking the stairs two at a time as he went up
to his bedroom.
Faith followed behind, her heart beating
fast, coming upon Chase as he bent down and examined the closet. “Yup, he got everything from there,” he
muttered, and then stood up and went to the large modern painting that was
hanging above his bed. The thing
was enormous, and it looked like nothing but a bunch of red and yellow paint
splotches across a very big canvas.
Chase took it off the wall and flipped it
over. Nothing looked strange about
the painting at all, but Chase moved to a drawer in his nightstand, dug through
it and grabbed a small screwdriver.
Then he began unscrewing a few small
screws on the back of the painting, and before Faith knew what was going on,
he’d peeled the backing from the frame and sitting inside it were stacks of
hundred dollar bills, neatly arranged and packed tightly inside the painting.
She gasped involuntarily at the sight of
so much money.
Chase glanced at her, half-grinning. “This was where the real money was
hidden. I kept a stash in the
closet, partly for real and partly as a decoy for people
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