Page 94 of His Property

It’s been a hard night. I spent it at a police station telling detective O’Rourke everything I knew about Cora potentially victimizing a minor, and I struggled not to tell them about the damage done to Victor’s property. They asked all kinds of questions about my suspicions and where they came from, and I lied to them. If you asked me a few months ago if I would ever lie to an officer, I would say “hell no.” Now look at me.

Once I placed the call, they convinced me to come in, and I shouldn’t have. My stomach has been in knots ever since, and I get the hard, sickly feeling that I betrayed Victor by outright going to the police. I should’ve placed the anonymous call and hoped they followed up on it. Oh well. What’s done is done.

I eat another spoonful of ice cream before pulling my phone from my pocket. No missed calls. No texts. No updates. I don’t know how I feel about that. Victor could either still be looking or he could be in the middle of…

I put my phone down and run my hands over my face. Leaning back in my chair, I let out a low groan.

A knock sounds at my door, and I perk up. I push out of my chair and hurry to the door, not bothering to look through the peephole before opening it.

My hand grips the door and I tense when I spot TJ instead of Victor. I try to hide my disappointment and let my hand slide off the door.

“Hey,” I say, forcing a smile.

TJ doesn’t return my smile. He glances behind me like he’s looking for something, or more likely someone, then he meets my eyes. “Is anyone else here?”

“You mean is Victor here?” I ask, my brows raising. “No. I’m not expecting him tonight.”

“What the fuck are you doing with that guy, Mae?”

I sigh and step to the side. I’m not at all surprised by the question, but I’m surprised it took him so long to ask it. After Victor showed up at school, I expected TJ to show up wanting answers, or at least checking to see if I was okay. Not that he owes me that. He’s just a kid.

“Come in.” I wave my hand toward my living room, and TJ barges past me. He takes off his ball cap and runs his hand through his greasy hair before putting the cap back on his head.

Concern grows as I watch him fidget. “Are you okay?”

“Honestly?” He meets my eyes. “Hell no.Him, Mae? Fuckingthat guy? Are you serious?”

I wring my hands in front of me. “I know it’s crazy, and I don’t expect you to understand it.” I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “But, with all due respect, it isn’t your business. I’mhappy. Victor isn’t at all what he appears to be.”

“He’s amurderer.”

I rear back, narrowing my eyes, and lie for the umpteenth time today. “Of course he isn’t a murderer.”

TJ narrows his eyes right back. “You can’t be that stupid.”

“The night you met him, he was only trying to scare you into paying what you owed the mafia. It was a ploy.”

“Did he tell you that? Really?” He bursts with a humorless laugh and shakes his head. “You’re either lying out your ass or brain-dead.”

I shift my feet and cross my arms over my chest. “Look, my personal life has nothing to do with you, okay? I promise you, I will never let him around you. Before you show up here again, text first, and I’ll let you know if he’s here.” My face falls, and my shoulders slump. “I’m so sorry he hurt you.Sosorry. It doesn’t matter that he was doing a job for someone else, it was wrong and terrifying, and I’m so sorry that happened… But please, I’m asking you with love and respect, let me be happy. There’s a lot about me you don’t know. He’s better for me than you think.”

TJ scoffs, and his face twists with disgust. “Oh, I know a fuck ton more about you than I want to.”

Blood drains from my face as my muscles tense.

“I saw his basement, Mae. I heard what he wanted from you, and when you made a deal with him, it made me sick. I spent a week hating myself for what I dragged you into, and the whole time you fuckinglikedwhat he was doing to you.”

My mouth opens and closes while my mind fogs. I look up at the ceiling for a moment while I try to make sense of what he said.

“You saw his basement?” I squint at TJ. “How?”

TJ’s face hardens, and he doesn’t say anything.

My eyes widen, and my lungs squeeze. “Did you break into his house?”

Of course he did. And now I’m going to have to explain that to Victor.

Goddamn it, TJ.

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