being up-front. When you’re lied to as much as I’ve been lied to, honesty is the only vital option. “I just need somewhere to go where I’m not the victim anymore. Branch out. Be free...” As I trail off, understanding licks her features. Why does she stay? I know why I have. My dad stopped helping me out, and I had to make a name for myself. But our boss is brutal to her too. Did he proposition her?
“Why do you stay?” It slips free, though I’m sure I already have my answer. She scrunches her face in displeasure, her eyes haunted and full of disdain. It’s not directed toward me, though. I can tell it’s for whatever makes her stay.
“I don’t have a choice,” she utters, her voice so small at the moment.
“If he—” I start, but she places a finger over her lips, her eyes scanning the room to point out the cameras. Her posture and stance tell me to keep quiet.
“Need a smoke? I definitely do,” she states, eyeing the back exit. She knows I don’t smoke anymore, which means she needs privacy. Lucien is one of those tedious restaurant owners who has cameras everywhere. Every corner. Blind spot. Any place a person would pass or go to hide for a little privacy, he has a camera.
With our luck, the bastard probably has one in the bathroom.
As soon as we leave the back door, she lets out a large breath. “I’m stuck here because he has something on me,” she finally speaks, pulling out a smoke at the same moment. After lighting it, she inhales so much in her first drag that I’m sure she’ll die from lack of oxygen.
It’s sad when you can see the desperation coming off a person in waves, bleeding, suffocating, drowning them with each passing breath.
“Fight it,” I say poignantly, knowing that his threats are only words, especially for what he does when he thinks no one’s around. “He won’t do shit to you. He’s too much of a pussy.” She shakes her head vehemently as if I know nothing. Maybe I don’t. She’s been here a lot longer than me.
“Two summers ago, we took a trip to Paris for that new restaurant he opened—”
“Le Grand Oui?” I interrupt.
“That’s the one.” She nods absently, tapping the ashes off her cigarette. Grabbing the rail, I look out at the city. Hawthorne doesn’t appeal to me. It’s nicer than Hollow Ridge in many ways, but the vibe is just as stagnant and haunting, with no promise of a future. A place where the rich stay rich and the poor get poorer. It’s such a sad reality, especially for someone who barely makes it from paycheck to paycheck. If not for moving to Savannah Cove and getting a little apartment, I’d be homeless. It isn’t easy living in California. Prices are inflated, jobs lack in pay, and the housing is infuriating.
Tears stream down her face all while she keeps puffing on her cancer stick. “We went to the grand opening, and there was a banquet. I’m not sure how, since I only had one glass of wine, but I ended up in bed with him.”
Her body trembles.
It’s a warm day today with no wind or chill. She’s not cold, not in the physical sense. When people experience trauma, it inscribes itself in your bones, attacking each layer of skin, muscle, and vein until it reaches the barest of parts. It eventually grinds on the bones, showing you just how deep it can carve until you’re forever stuck in a horrific memory.
“I swear, Joey, I never would have slept with him.”
My stomach churns with this information. Did he drug her? It’s not like I haven’t experienced his disgusting tactics. Maybe he hurt her, too.
“I believe you.” When her watery eyes meet mine, they’re full of hope and gratitude. “Honestly, it’s why I’m leaving,” I add.
She opens her mouth in shock. “I don’t mean to sound like a bitch, but I thought you two were together.” She emphasizes the together part like it’s a dirty word.
“Absolutely not,” I balk. “He’s foul and loathsome. I’d never...” I swallow the bile rising in my throat. “He tried. Several times. I told him to stop, or I’d report him. To who, I wasn’t sure. Since he’s the sole proprietor, he gets away with his repulsive behavior. Inside, though, I knew something needed to be done. Last week at that stupid catering conference for Collins & Co, I recorded him. I’d