Page 54 of Dirty Filthy Boy
"I'll handle it, not you. Here." He hands me a much smaller bag. "You take this one, fill it up with your things." Just as I grasp the suitcase, he tweaks my chin and gives me that lopsided smile of his.
My breath shorts. Leaving him is going to be very hard.
When we return to the living room, Oliver and Mar spring apart. The look on both their faces tells me they weren't exactly saying goodbye. Guess I'm not the only one who's going to have a hard time letting go. But Miss love 'em and leave 'em is made of sterner stuff than me. More than likely, her attraction to Oliver will burn itself out in a very short time.
I don't know if mine will. What I do know is I need to put some distance between Ty and me. As I buckle the seat belt in his Cheyenne SUV, I pray I can packing up and the cleaning will be painless. I didn't make that many memories in that apartment, but the devastation cuts me to the quick.
Before we head out, I call the police to let them know we're coming back to the apartment. They'll need to tear down the tape so we can enter. But when we arrive, we find the landlord there, putting up a new door. Since there's no need to tear down the tape, we call the police to let them know they don't need to show up. Once the landlord's done installing the door, he hands me a new key.
"She's not staying here," Ty says. "The place is not safe."
The landlord shrugs. "Doesn't matter if it's safe or not. I installed a new door. That's all I'm required to do."
Ty bangs on the wood. "That door's as cheap as can be. What is it made out? Balsam? She's leaving. Capisce?"
"She has nine months left on her lease. If she refuses to pay rent, we'll sue."
Fists drawn, Ty advances on the landlord. "Why, you—"
"Ty, don't," I yell. Last thing we need is bloodshed.
The landlord at last gets a clue and takes off at a run.
"What the hell was that about?" Oliver says.
"The man's scum."
"There are ways of dealing with this situation, Ty, that don't involve violence."
Ty smiles as he flexes his wrists. "Yeah, but it wouldn't be as much fun."
Oliver's only response is an arch of his brow.
"Come on. Let's get inside. We have a lot of work to do." I thought I could get out from under the lease, seeing how my apartment had been broken into. But something tells me the landlord has the law on his side. He's fixed the door, and that's all he's required to do. Which means I'm stuck paying rent for a place I can't live in. "Maybe I should stay."
"What?" Ty's head swivels toward me. "The hell you will."
What was I thinking? I can't stay. I wouldn't get an hour's sleep in this place. "You're right."
"I can have someone look into it, MacKenna and see if you can break the lease."
With hope blooming in my chest, I glance up at him. "Okay. I appreciate it."
"No problem."
Without saying another word, I head into the apartment to reassess the damage. It's even worse than I remember from last night. Not only have my things been stolen or damaged, but great big holes have been carved into the walls. BITCH has been spray painted in bright red letters on my bedroom wall.
"This is personal," Oliver says.
With a great big lump in my throat, all I can do is nod.
"Who would do something like this?"
"I don't know." Tears roll down my face, and Mar hugs me to her.
"It's going to be okay. MacKenna," she says, patting my shoulder. "You'll see."
"Yeah." I don't know how. I don't have the money to replace the damaged things. I've worked so hard to get to this point. A job I love. An apartment close to everything. Maybe it was not the best, but the location suited me. But now? I don't know. I just don't know.
