Page 41 of The Lair

“It’s going to be an epic gift, so I’d rather make you wait to see it,” he says. “But you can tell me yours.”

“Nice try.”

“Worth a shot.”

Some of the weight in my chest lifts every time I interact with any of my co-workers, which is as social as I get these days. But I remind myself nothing good will come out of rushing my process, so I pat myself on the back and count this small step with Charlie as my win of the day.

Minutes after Charlie disappears into the changing room, my boss’s unmistakable voice sends a thrill down my spine.

“Don’t forget my bracelet.”

Heat climbs up my cheeks, and I shift my gaze to my sneakers. I don’t know what’s harder to believe—that I was bold enough to suggest making him one of my bracelets, or that he seems eager to have it.

I give him a smile. “Green and white, right?”

He dips his chin once, and that’s all the answer I get. With another smile his way, I turn around to put away some bottles of alcohol before my shift ends.

Humming a song under my breath, I’m not paying attention to my surroundings—which explains why I don’t hear him coming until he’s right beside me.

“I’ll take care of that,” Travis says, carefully taking a heavy bottle from my grip.

My heart somersaults, warmth seeping into my skin when his fingers brush my much smaller ones. “Oh. Thanks, but my shift isn’t over yet. I’ve got this.”

“You’ll finish sooner if I help you.”

He doesn’t sound gruff or mean when he says it, yet his voice doesn’t leave room for arguments. And honestly? This week has been so mentally exhausting, I won’t say no to a bit of help.

Together, Travis and I put the remaining bottles away. We don’t speak, and I keep humming because he doesn’t seem bothered by it. Charlie is the first one to leave, then Jude and Sandra until we are, once again, the last ones at The Lair.

I’m zipping up my jacket, ready to face the cold outside, when he says, “I’ll walk you to your car.”

I’m shaking my head before he finishes his sentence. In a teasing voice, I say, “Thanks, boss man, but I don’t want you to spoil me so much.”

The hardness in his face doesn’t go anywhere. “It’s late and dark.”

“And I’ve been on my own for the past six years, taking care of myself. I’ll be fine.”

My admission catches him off guard. Maybe someone else wouldn’t have noticed the way his eyebrows shoot up the tiniest notch, but I do. I notice everything about Travis, even when I don’t want to.

“Okay,” he concedes after a pause. “You’re right.”

I’m not sure he sounds that convinced, but I appreciate his faith in me being able to take a forty-second walk to my car without getting kidnapped.

That last thought sends a bolt of anxiety straight to my chest.

What happened with Claudia—or whatever her real name was—has never, not once, stopped haunting me. How she knew everything about my family so easily, how she managed to fool me. If I hadn’t screamed like a maniac, I wouldn’t be here today.

What if it happens again? What if there are more Claudias out there who want to hurt me?

It’s just the article, I tell myself. It’s brought all my daunting memories back, including the most traumatizing thing that has ever happened to me. But realistically, I know I’m okay. Their ring got dismantled. My mind is being my worst enemy today, that’s all.

And yet, after waving goodbye to Travis, I nearly sprint to my car. The cold wind pushes back my bangs and makes me shiver despite my many layers of clothing. The streetlights are my only companions, and for a moment, I regret not having said yes to Travis.

But I can’t depend on him. On anyone else. I’m okay on my own?—

My thoughts skid to a stop when I reach my car and notice that the window behind the driver’s seat is rolled down.

“What the hell,” I mutter, frantically glancing around, but there’s nobody here.

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