Page 75 of Lost Without You (Chasing Olivia 2)

“Don’t worry about me. I can handle him,” she says with a wink. “I’ll drive. You want to drop off your car at your mom’s?”

“That’s a good idea.”

Sitting at The Tap Room bar, listening to some guy playing guitar singing I’ll Be, brings back memories of Evan. They’re good memories, even though he’s brought me nothing but pain.

Knowing this could get ugly, I make a decision to tell Brenda about the break in after we’re a few beers in. Brenda has her own demons, and this is a trigger. One of the reasons I put off telling her was so she wouldn’t relive one of the worst nights of her life.

I sip my beer and as nonchalantly as I can, say, “So, someone broke into my apartment a few weeks ago.”

Turning to look at me, she pauses before saying, “I’m sorry, did you say something? I could swear you said someone broke into your apartment a few weeks ago, but you couldn’t have said that. The Liv I know would have told me immediately.”

“It’s complicated.”

“How the fuck is it complicated? ‘Hey, Bren, you’ll never guess what happened? Someone broke into my fucking apartment.’ And how is it possible someone got in anyway? Don’t you have a doorman and state of the art security?”

“Like I said, it’s complicated.” She looks at me, tapping her fingernails on the bar.

“And?”

I slug down my pumpkin beer and take a deep breath. “Chase has reason to believe it was Evan.” That shuts her up.

“Evan? No way. Really?”

“Yeah, I know. My underwear were scattered all over my bedroom and a few pairs were missing.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“There was a surveillance video. Apparently, the guy had on a maintenance uniform.”

“That explains how whoever it was got in. How do you know it was Evan?”

“Did you know he has a tattoo?” She shakes her head. “Chase found out from a private investigator.”

“He doesn’t seem like the tat type.”

“It’s a Celtic cross with my name through it, and he got it after we split.”

“Shit.”

“The guy in the video had a tattoo, identical to the one the investigator said Evan had.”

“I have heard rumors of Evan not letting you go, but I never thought he would stoop that low.” She slams down her martini and waves for a new one. It’s then that I see the realization in her eyes. I was afraid of her reaction, and I’ve never seen Brenda this pissed. “That scumbag piece of shit! I’ll fucking kill him!”

“I can’t prove it was him or I would have had him arrested.”

“That cock-sucking douche bag!”

“Okay, relax.”

“No! This is not okay. I’m going to go to his apartment and cut his dick off!” It’s taking all of her strength not to jump off of her stool and hunt down Evan. I know this, and I can’t have it.

“Bren, don’t get yourself arrested on my account.”

“He shouldn’t be allowed to breathe after what he did to you.”

“It’s not the same . . .” I trail off. Brenda bites her lip, hard.

“Don’t.”

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