was too hard for me to try and hide my devastation.
“I, I, I trusted you. I moved away with you.” I glanced over to Josh, who looked helpless as he stared at us, and then I turned back to Clint again. “I defended you. Even when I was informed you were keeping a secret from me, I still believed they were wrong. I still believed in you.”
“Please don’t say this. I’m sorry. I made a mistake.” He tried to move closer but with each step he took towards me, I took two back.
“No. No. No! I don’t know you.” I couldn’t look at Clint. The sickening thought of him hiring a man to hurt Samuel. It was too much, it was too wrong. “I don’t know you,” I yelled at him. “I don’t know who the hell you are.”
“Norah I’m Clint. We are in love.” Clint’s voice was unrecognizable. It was sad and desperate.
I threw the piece of paper at him. “The person I love would never do this to me. They would never hurt me like this, and they would never hurt someone I care about.”
“I beg you Norah, please come home and we will talk about this. Sort it all out. It’s your birthday. Tonight I was going to... Oh please. Please come home.” Clint’s legs had buckled and he looked like he was almost on his knees, begging.
“I don’t have a home any more. I don’t have a boyfriend any more. I don’t even think I even have a heart after all this. You have stomped on it, ripped it out and fucking wrote away our future together.”
I started to walk backwards faster, and Clint, Tess and Josh started gaining pace as they tried to move towards me.
“STOP! Do not follow me. Any of you.” I couldn’t stay. I would rip the walls down in rage with my own two hands if I stayed there. My only option was to run before I hurt myself or someone else.
I saw the tears on Clint’s face. Saw the intense fear in his eyes. But my heart was gone. It had left the moment I saw his signature. I could not feel compassion for him. Not now, not after all this. No, no, no.
A waiter walked past me with a tray of champagne filled glasses. I smashed the tray from his hands so the glasses fell in front of me, separating Clint, Tess and Josh from getting any closer, allowing me to bolt and slide into the crowd that all turned and moved in to see the commotion. The sudden influx of people all moving towards the noise, allowed me to slip out and make my escape.
As I ran out onto the street, I started walking, not taking notice of which direction I was headed, but realizing after a few blocks that I was being followed. I wasn’t a fool. I recognized the car. It was one of my Dad’s. Normally I ignored the tail my Dad usually set on me, but tonight I had a use for it.
I stopped walking and ran back to the car. It had already stopped and the two men simply sat, staring in the opposite direction, acting like they didn’t know me.
I leaned in on the car door, “Hey Frankie, hey Marco.”
They huffed a bit, “Oh hey Lenorah, fancy seeing you here.”
“Cut the shit. I need you to take me home. And I mean back to my Dad’s place. I want to get changed and there are a few things I need to get.”
Like my Glock.
And then I was going to lose this tail.
Chapter 17
The Past
~ ~ ~
Josh and I slowly opened the door to my father’s basement office, which was on the lower floor of our triple-story apartment. “Should we be in here Nor? You’ve told me certain places are off limits in your apartment, and this feels like one of them.”
“It’s alright Josh. My Dad’s guys think I’m at your place, and I know my Dad is out all afternoon. You know I need a re-fill,” I said, walking in.
“And this is the place to get one?” Josh stilled in the doorway. I went over and took his hand. His feet were still planted on the floor, but as I thumbed his hand with mine, he moved forward, following me in.
“OK, but make it quick. I don’t want to disrespect your Dad. He might stop us being friends and that’s the last thing I want. You know we have a history paper