you have a key?” I asked as I went to open the door.
“I’m not allowed to just enter your apartment.” When I opened the door, Lyle stood there with an unimpressed expression. He wasn’t a bad man, just lazy.
“That’s very kind of you.”
He shrugged. “I’m a good guy. So, where’s the leak?”
“Oh, this way in the bathroom.” I shut the door and Lyle followed me. “I was able to get it to slow down but, yeah.”
He opened the cabinet under the sink and saw the leak. “Ah, yeah. I think I’ll just replace this pipe. It’s easier. I have some in my truck. Be right back.”
“Okay, sure. Thanks.”
I sent a text to Ciro and one to Ledger that Lyle was fixing the pipe and that hopefully I’d be done this century.
Ciro texted an okay and asked if Neil was there yet. Ledger said to be safe. I answered Ciro that he wasn’t here yet, but I was okay and promised not to leave on my own. He texted “Good boy.” Jerk.
I heard the door open to my apartment and shouted that I was in my room. Lyle didn’t answer, but then again, he wasn’t usually talkative.
I grabbed my bag and carried it into the living room and went to see Lyle in the bathroom. “So, how long do you think…” When I peeked my head in, Lyle wasn’t there. “Shit, I swear I heard the door open.” I went to the living room, and my door was shut, and the chain was over the door. “Huh, I must’ve locked it.…Wait no, I—”
“No, I locked it.”
I whipped around and there, sitting in my corner chair, gun pointing at me, was Charles.
“How’d you—”
“You didn’t lock your door.”
I realized Lyle and Neil were both on their way. I just had to stay alive until someone arrived. That shouldn’t be hard, right? I could feel and hear my pulse in my ear. I hoped I didn’t pass out. As odd as it was, I thought about Ciro. He was going to be so fucking mad at me for forcing him to go.
“I did, but then my landlord went to his truck to get a pipe. He’ll be back in a second.”
Charles gave me a stilted nod. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. So, tell me something, Shane.”
He was so calm, so collected. It was eerie. “Yeah?”
“Do you sleep well at night?”
Odd question. “Um…normally, yeah, but lately, not so much.”
“Is that because you feel guilty?”
I dared not move an inch. The gun in his hand was pointing at my head, and it was already obvious he was unstable. “Guilt? Why would I feel guilty?”
“Because you’re sleeping with someone who isn’t yours to have!” he snapped, the hand without the gun clenched into a fist.
“Charles, Ledger isn’t yours.”
That was a bad thing to say, because he got up so fast and stormed over to me, and if I hadn’t ducked out of the way, he would’ve pistol-whipped me.
“He isn’t yours!” Charles shouted, and I so hoped Lyle or Neil heard.
“Okay, don’t get upset. Maybe tell me how you met Ledger?” I slowly moved toward the door. But Charles wasn’t stupid.
“Sit down.”
I eyed the door and knew I’d never make it. Maybe if it wasn’t locked, I could. I moved to the sofa and sat.
“The first time I saw Ledger was in this video for DJay Con. Seeing him, I knew we’d be great together. So, I registered, booked a flight, and when we were face-to-face we just clicked. It was almost magical, really.”
Wow. “Uh-huh. And what did you two talk about?”
He narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. “You know, you were there, like a thorn in my side. I thought, ‘Huh, he has a protective assistant.’ I liked that he had you. Ledger needs someone to take care of him. I mean, look at that mess with Trinity.” He scoffed. “She didn’t know when to stop. I could tell Ledger wasn’t enjoying her eager ways and like a good boyfriend, made it stop.”
He sat on the table across from me. His grip on the gun was strong, judging by how he was white-knuckling it. “Then I find out you’re trying to take him away from me. Maybe you always were. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Not okay, Shane, not okay.”
“I’m sorry. I had no idea he was seeing someone else,” I said, trying to sound as honest as I could.
“Yeah, don’t try and lie. Your face gives you away.”
Just then there was a knock on the door. “Shane,