Page 105 of Unbelonging
"I don't remember," the guy mumbled.
"Want me to make you remember?" Bishop said.
"No, no," the guy stammered. Then, he looked straight at the camera. "She said Lawton had some kind of hero complex or something. Figured if he rescued her, you know, he'd fall for her, maybe get him to propose or I dunno, move in with him."
"And about the other thing?" Bishop said.
"Yeah. Well, she was planning some sex tape thing. Lots of money. She said we'd get a cut if we did a good job making him, you know, come to her rescue and shit."
Instantly, I was wide awake. "He's lying!"
"Sure he is," Lawton said, in a tone that suggested otherwise.
"I don't even know him," I yelled, anger coursing through me, and not just at Lawton. My shit list seemed a mile long.
"Except you do," Lawton said. "You admitted as much."
"No," I said through clenched teeth. "Just because Iknowhim, it doesn't mean Iknowhim."
"That's not what he says."
"You're gonna take his word over mine?" I said. "You aresuchan asshole."
"Yeah. So you keep saying." He gave me a hard look. "But tell me something? You ever hear of this movie, called uh –" He looked away. "Riding the Rastor?"
I felt myself pale. So Bishop had gone into my house? I should've known. "I don't fuckin' believe him," I muttered.
"Who?" Lawton said, his voice barely interested.
"Bishop. He went in my house, right?"
"No," Lawton said, his voice very quiet. "He didn't. I did."
"What?!"
"Yeah." He made a scoffing sound. "Bishop came in, showed me this." He held up the phone, now silent. "I said 'no way, the guy's lying. That's not Chloe. I know her. That guy, he's full of shit. It's some story. I don’t know where he got it, but it's not true.' But then –"
"Then you broke into my house?"
"Except," Lawton said, "it's not really your house, is it?"
"I'm living there now," I said. "Isn't that good enough?"
"You know what?" he said. "I don't really care. Not anymore."
In spite of everything, his words sliced through me. I hated him. And I loved him. And regardless of which emotion was in charge, the guy was a total dick, and I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of breaking up with me, assuming we'd ever been in a relationship in the first place.
"Yeah. That makes two of us," I said.
"So tell me," he said. "Is Chloe even your real name?"
"What the hell?" I said. "Of course it's my real name."
"Look," he said with a nasty smile, "you think you're the first girl to try to pull this kind of shit on me?"
"I wasn't pulling anything," I said. "Now, are you gonna let me go, or what?"
"Not yet."
