Page 19 of Two Minutes for Holding

“No money,” I said, eyeing my purse that lay on the hall table.

His eyes followed mine and landed on my bag, which he immediately walked over to and picked up. He looked from me to the purse and smiled.

My heart raced as he opened the zipper and pulled out my wallet where I’d left the five grand Knox had given me to pay up our rent for at least another month, and to take care of the overdue bills we had. I was supposed to get some food, and then the rest was to be put in the bank.

I reached out to take my wallet from him, but he raised it above his head out of my reach.

“You lying to me?” he questioned, staring down into my face.

I swallowed hard, feeling intimidated. “No, I-I’m not,” I stuttered.

“Then you won’t care if I open it and look inside,” he said, bringing my wallet down, watching me as he opened the zipper.

I closed my eyes, knowing full well the first thing he was going to see was the money Knox had given me and, sure enough, he stopped, his eyes meeting mine with anger.

“Didn’t give you money? It sure looks like big brother gave you money to me,” he said, pulling out the stack of bills thendropping my wallet to the floor. He fanned the crisp bills out in his hand.

“Tor, give it back to me,” I said, raising my voice.

He stood there, looking down at the bills in his hand and shaking his head. “There has to be close to three grand here.”

“Five,” I said, trying to grab the money again, almost succeeding.

“Sweet!” he said, folding the bills and shoving them deep into his pocket.

“Tor, I need that money.”

“So do I, sweet cheeks, so do I,” he said, pushing his way into the kitchen.

I followed him, my stomach rolling at the fact he had just taken the money from me. “We need to talk, Tor,” I said, “I need that money. It’s to pay rent and bills.”

“Guess what? I have rent and bills that need to be paid as well. I’ve also got to pay Jimmy, or otherwise your boyfriend will have no teeth and two black eyes.”

Anger flooded me. “You aren’t my boyfriend,” I said, crossing my arms once again in front of me, hoping that it would comfort me enough to stop shaking.

Tor opened the fridge, grabbing a can of cola. He turned to me and met my eyes, cracking open the can, and took a long swig. “Fuck you, I’m not.”

I could feel my insides shake. Anxiety, worry, and fear built inside of me as he studied me, making me feel like I could be sick.

“You’re not. When I came back the last time, we agreed to see how things worked out. You committed to me. You told me you were finished messing around and wanted something serious. You’ve done the exact opposite, so I’m ending it. We’re finished. You’ve had your chance.”

“Pumpkin, I certainly didn’t commit to any of that.”

“You did too,” I cried.

“I didn’t. Perhaps I was drunk or high, one of the two, when I did it then.” He chuckled, then took another swig, emptying the can of cola.

I stared at him, anger flowing through me at an alarming rate. “You need to leave, and you need to leave now. First, you’re giving me the money back.”

I was clenching my teeth so hard I thought they were going to crack.

“Fuck that I do. Nope, the cash stays right where it is,” he said, smiling smugly as he patted his front pocket.

“Get out. I’m not dealing with your bullshit anymore. You’ve stepped out on me many times. I deserve more than this,” I said, standing my ground for what was the first time in my life.

“I’ll get out when I’m damn good and ready,” he said, opening the freezer and pulling out a frozen dinner. He was about to open the box when I screamed.

“GET OUT NOW!”

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