Page 5 of Guilty As Charged
“I don’t want to think it’s him, but you’re probably right,” I admit. Spencer puts more food onto my plate, and I pick up another one of the chicken wings. “These are really good.” It’s the first time in a week I’m not having to force myself to eat. "Maybe you should have some more so you won't feel so angry."
“In a minute.” He sits back down and pulls out his phone. “I have a sense of what Taylor is going to say about this.”
My stomach tightens, but it’s probably the wings. They are spicy, and I haven’t eaten much lately.
“Who’s she?”
“He,” Spencer corrects. “Taylor is good at digging into shit. I’m sure he’ll want your phone and possibly your computer.”
“Really? Why?”
“First he’ll want to check to see if anyone is tracking you with them.”
“Oh gosh. That never crossed my mind.” Would Geoff have gone that far? “Can he remove them if that’s the case?”
“He could, but he might want to use it as bait too. We could turn the tables on this asshole.” Spencer's taps on the phone screen grow harder with each one. "As I thought." When he lifts his head, I look away quickly so I’m not caught staring at him. I can't help it; he has a jawline similar to Vance Astrovik. Also known as Justice in the Marvel Universe.
Spencer places his hand on my knee and gently squeezes it. "We got this. No one is going to hurt you."
"I want to believe you." Tears sting in my eyes, but I fight them back. It's what I should be doing: fighting to get my life back.
"I'm going to prove it to you,” Spencer vows. Crap, I better be careful or I might fall for this man. "Trust me, Abbie. Can you do that?"
"I think so." I nod.
"All right then." He stands. "First we’ll go to your place and get your phone and computer."
"Okay," I say, realizing he’s ready to move on this quickly.
"You can pack a bag too." Spencer starts cleaning up our food containers, and it takes a second for his words to sink in.
“Pack a bag?”
“You said you’d trust me.”
“What does that have to do with packing a bag?”
“You’re going to stay with me,” he says as he straightens to his full height. "I promise we’ll both sleep better if you’re with me."
“Well, okay then.” I should be freaking out about staying with him, but right now, all I can think about is the disaster I left at my apartment.
When Spencer gets a peek at my place, I'm sure he's going to change his mind about me staying with him. In my defense, when I take the time to organize it, I can’t find anything. Chaos is my normal.
Chapter Four
SPENCER
Abbie’s apartment building is in a not-so-great part of town, but she tells me it’s what she can afford and she’s got good neighbors. On the way here, she told me more about the work she was doing prior to signing the noncompete with Geoff. It’s the most animated I’ve seen her as she describes her art and what she loves about creating characters for comics.
When we get to the top of the stairs on the fourth floor, she stops and faces me. Her expression has gone from playful to serious, and maybe even afraid.
“I need to warn you, I wasn’t expecting company when I left here today.” She bites her bottom lip, and I realize she’s nervous.
“I lived with two guys in college that didn’t know what a laundry basket was. You’re good.” I try to ease her fears, but she doesn’t seem to shake it off as she unlocks her door.
When we step inside, she keeps her eyes on me as if waiting for my reaction. I glance around the small space and see piles of notebooks and drawings on a coffee table. There’s a sewing machine on a little table next to the kitchen, but she would have a hard time using it as a dining table because it’s covered in fabric. In the distance I can see a bedroom where the sheets are pushed back like she got up and didn’t make the bed, and there’s a few pieces of clothes draped over the side.
“Well, it’s official.” I let out a long sigh before turning to face her.
