Denied (6 page)

Seven

Cameron’s car pulled
up outside an apartment block.

Numerous teenagers hung around outside, rap music blasting from some high-tech speakers which sat on the steps. They were laughing and ribbing each other, but as Cameron opened the car door and climbed out, they all stopped to turn and look at him.

Lily’s stomach churned. What the hell was she thinking, coming to a neighborhood like this? But then she reminded herself that she’d seen a lot worse, and been in far more threatening situations. This was just a group of kids trying to appear tough. Chances were they had no idea what it was really like to be in a life-threatening situation.

Holding her chin up and straightening her back and shoulders, she opened the passenger door and stepped out of the car. She wouldn’t allow herself to be intimidated by a bunch of teenagers.

“Hey sweet-thing,” one of the guys called out to her. “You want a date for tonight?”

She wouldn’t even fuel his comment with an answer.

Cameron came around to her side of the car and moved in close to her, as though to shield her with his body. She didn’t want his protection, but was grateful for his company. She was glad she’d not had to come here alone.

A sudden pang of longing for Monster hit her. If he’d arrived here, these kids wouldn’t have dared say a single thing. One look from him would have sent the whole lot of them scurrying home to their moms.

Lily blinked back tears at the thought of him.

I’m angry at him. I hate him. He’s not a good guy.

Maybe if she told herself that often enough, she’d start to believe it?

“Ignore them,” Cameron said quietly, as they pushed between the group of teenagers to trot up the steps, toward the apartment block. “Don’t let them get to you.”

She shook her head. “It’s not them, I promise. I’m fine.”

They pushed into the building. The concrete walls were covered in graffiti, and a handwritten notice taped to the doors of the elevator told them it was out of order.

Cameron gave a tight smile. “Looks like we’re taking the stairs.”

They walked up, trying to ignore the stench of urine and stale beer. What appeared to be a homeless guy sat in the stairwell, but he didn’t even acknowledge them as they passed.

“I feel bad I’ve brought you here,” Cameron said once they’d ascended a couple of floors. “I hope it’s worth it.”

“It’s worth it,” she confirmed. “Believe me, I’ve seen a lot worse.” She thought back to the conditions she’d been kept in during her time in the shipping container. Those poor girls, raped and beaten, and forced to urinate where they sat. At least the people who lived here had some sort of choice about it, even if it was a very limited one.

Cameron pushed out of the stairwell and onto one of the floors. “We need apartment sixty-three,” he told her. “I think it’s down this way.”

She followed his leather-jacketed back as he walked down the corridor and located the correct door. He lifted his hand and rapped with his knuckles. Her heart thumped in her chest, her mouth running dry. Who would the gun dealer be? A drug-addict who would threaten and frighten her? He couldn’t be much worse than what she’d already dealt with, and she needed this gun. There was no going back.

Movement came from inside, and then the door opened. She’d been expecting a waft of smoke to billow out, but instead a young guy, reasonably well dressed in dark blue jeans and a shirt rolled up at the sleeves, stood in the doorway. He spotted Cameron and a smile spread across his face.

“Cameron, man, good to see you!” He stuck out a hand and Cameron took it, smiling back.

“You too, Jake. It’s been too long.”

The guy—Jake—stepped back. “Come in, both of you. You don’t want to be hanging out there. It’s a shithole.”

Cameron laughed. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“Yeah, well, the rent’s cheap and I have a whole host of willing customers on my doorstep.” He shrugged. “Not planning to be here much longer, though. The neighborhood sucks.”

He glanced over at Lily and gave a half grin. “So you’re Cameron’s friend?”

“I’m not sure friend is quite the right description …”

“No?” He cocked an eyebrow at Cameron. “You do something to piss the lady off?”

Cameron gave a laugh. “You could say that.”

“As long as you’re not the reason she needs what she needs.”

“I don’t think I’d be bringing her here if it was.”

Jake chuckled. “True.” He nodded toward the couch. “Take a seat. I’ll bring you out what you came here for. I’m going to assume you understand this is completely confidential. If I find out you’ve passed on my name to anyone, but especially the cops, I won’t hesitate to pay some of the guys hanging around outside to come and track you down and teach you a lesson about keeping things to yourself.”

The atmosphere had suddenly taken on a chill.

Lily nodded. “Of course. I know how to keep my mouth shut.” She thought about Monster and what he did to her, and how she hadn’t told the police the whole story.

Jake’s tone remained cold when he spoke. “Good, because there are always people willing to shut it for you at the right price, and when I say shut it for you, I mean permanently.”

Her body was rigid on the couch. She didn’t want to appear weak, so resisted the urge to glance over at Cameron to gauge his reaction to his friend’s threats. She’d known what she was getting into. She just hadn’t expected the switch from best buddies to death threats to happen quite so abruptly.

She kept her eyes locked on the young man. “Message heard and understood.”

He grinned, instantly relaxing back into a hip, relaxed guy. “Great. Let’s get on with this, shall we?”

Jake pulled a dresser back from the wall. A small door was placed in the plasterboard behind. He produced a key from a chain around his neck and used it to unlock the door. Pulling the door open, he reached inside the small, dark space it revealed and removed a metal case.

“Here we go,” he said, carrying the case over to the coffee table before them. He placed it down and then worked the code on the lock. The case clicked open. He lifted the lid to reveal a number of guns of different sizes, each attached as a display to the top and bottom of the inside lids.

He reached in and removed the smallest weapon. “Cameron said you needed it for self-defense, so I assume this is the kind of thing you’re after. This is the Glock 19. It’s great for someone with small hands, such as yourself, and is perfect for conceal and carry. It’s got a dual recoil spring system, so you’ll barely feel the recoil when you fire.”

He handed the gun over and she weighed the weapon in her hands. The size felt comfortable, but she wasn’t sure it would have enough firepower for what she needed.

“What about that one?” she asked, jerking her chin toward a much larger gun.

“Honestly, I think you’ll struggle with anything larger. If you take a bigger weapon, the recoil will be greater and it’ll just ruin your aim. The Glock 19 can take up to a thirty-three round magazine which is more than enough firepower to deal with an immediate threat.”

She chewed her lip and lifted the gun, pointing it at the wall on the opposite side of the apartment. It felt good to have the weapon in her hand, as though it elevated her somehow—making her stronger, more powerful. For the first time, she understood the love affair some people had with their guns.

“How much?” she asked.

“Twelve hundred.”

“Cameron said a grand.”

Cameron lifted his hands in defense. “Hey, don’t get me involved. It was just a guesstimate.”

Jake laughed. “Let’s say eleven hundred, then. Do we have a deal?”

Lily smiled and put out the hand not holding the gun.

“Deal.”

Eight

Cameron drove them
back to their apartment block.

Lily was glad to get away from the rough area, though she felt like she’d brought a piece of it with her by the handgun she now had placed into the waistband of her pants. Though the piece was small and lightweight, it felt like a massive bulge beneath her clothing, and she was certain everyone who saw her would know what she was hiding.

Spotting a parking space, Cameron pulled up on the opposite side of the street from their building and they both climbed out.

“How are you doing?” he asked her, resting his forearm on the roof of the car as he looked over at her.

“I’m fine, thank you. Feeling better now I have some protection.”

“You really think these guys will come and find you?”

She nodded, tamping down on the fear threatening to rise inside her. “Yeah, I do. I don’t know if it will be today, or even tomorrow, but the minute they discover I’m still alive and back in the country, they’ll come for me.”

“I can’t believe the cops aren’t going to do more to protect you.”

She shrugged. “What can they do? I’ve given them descriptions, but they’re not going to station police officers outside of my apartment just because I’ve told them I think I’m in danger. I don’t think they completely believe my story, anyway.”

Cameron glanced down, and then looked back up and offered her an awkward smile. “Yeah, sorry about my part in that.”

“It’s not your fault.” Lily tapped her waistband where the gun was held. “And you’ve done your bit to make things up to me.”

She turned toward their building, and her heart lurched.

Someone darted into the alley beside the property—she was sure of it—someone the shape of a large man. It hadn’t just been a passerby; they’d moved too quickly, as though afraid of being seen.

Not giving herself enough time to change her mind, she stepped away from Cameron’s car and strode across the road.

“Lily?” he called out to her, but she ignored him, focused only on the spot where she’d last seen the figure. Had Cigarette Hands and his buddy found her already? She’d thought her reappearance wouldn’t have made the news for at least another twenty-four hours, but perhaps they had friends in the police force who had tipped them off, and they were already after her.

Her heart thumped, her mouth running dry, but she refused to be a victim again. She would stand up to these people—kill them if she had to. Even if it meant she spent time in prison herself, it would be worth it to know these bastards were no longer on the street.

“Lily? What’s going on?”

She didn’t reply.

With her hand resting on her newly acquired weapon, she ran across the street, toward the opening of the alley. She slowed as she reached the spot, the tall walls of the buildings either side swallowing the light.

Lily pulled the gun and stepped into the alley, the weapon drawn. Her gaze scanned the narrow space, but, from what she could see, no one was there. A tall, chain-link fence blocked the far side, so they couldn’t have gone that way. Was the person hiding? Perhaps he’d climbed one of the fire escapes when he realized he’d been seen.

Cameron’s footsteps pounded the sidewalk behind her, and he drew to a stop at her shoulder. “I hadn’t thought you’d need to use that thing quite so soon.”

“Did you see him?” she demanded, not taking her eyes off the alley in case the person tried to make a run for it.

“See who?”

“Someone was watching us, I’m sure of it.”

“Lily, you’ve been through a lot, and it’s understandable you’re jumpy, but honestly, I didn’t see anyone. Are you sure you weren’t mistaken?”

“No, I’ve felt it before. Someone’s watching me. And yes, I am jumpy, and paranoid, too, but I’ve got a good fucking reason to be. If you’d seen half of what I had, you’d be paranoid, too.”

He lifted his hands in defense. “Okay, okay. Point made. There’s no one here now. Let’s go inside. You’ll feel safer then.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think I’ll ever feel safe.” But she allowed Cameron’s hand at the base of her spine to turn her from the empty alley and guide her to the front door of their building. Chewing her lip, she walked with Cameron into the elevator, and they rode up to their floor.

He walked her to her door.

“Are you going to be all right?” he asked as she opened the door to let herself in.

She turned to face him. “I guess so,” she said, though in her head she thought,
I’m not sure if I’m ever going to be all right again.

He peered over her shoulder, into her apartment. “You sure you don’t want me to come in and check in your cupboards and under your bed?”

“Very funny,” she said, lifting her eyebrows.

“Seriously, though.” He stepped closer, narrowing the gap between them. “If you need me, I’m happy to stay.”

He was close, too close. Her heart rate stepped up, her breath growing shallow. Her defenses went on high alert, an alarm sounding in her head. But he wasn’t threatening and intimidating. Instead, he exuded warmth and genuine concern, and right now her soul craved for someone to take care of her. She didn’t step away, but instead lifted her face to look up into his. He stared down at her and then reached out to brush her hair away from her neck.

Catching her by surprise, he lowered his head and placed a soft but firm kiss on her mouth.

Lily froze, her whole body screaming in alarm. All her old reactions at someone touching her flooded back, her heart racing, every muscle tensed. She wanted to push him away, but both her inertia and her thoughts stopped her doing so.

This wasn’t what she wanted, not really, but a part of her felt like she should be allowing Cameron to kiss her. He was a good guy, who seemed to like her and wanted to take care of her, but she couldn’t change her body’s reaction.

But still she didn’t push him away. Maybe she was kissing Cameron as a way of saying ‘fuck you’ to Monster for everything he’d done, but perhaps she was simply desperate to have someone hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay.

Yet Monster, and the loss of him, flashed into her head, making her heart hurt.

Placing her hands to Cameron’s chest, she finally broke the contact. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

His lips twisted. “The bad boyfriend?”

She nodded. “He’s not bad, not really. He’s just grown up in a different world than ours.”

“I’m not going to pretend I know what that means, but I know you’ve been through a lot, and so I’m not going to press you on it either.”

She exhaled a sigh. “Thank you.”

“But if you need me, you know where I am. Any time, day or night.”

“Don’t you work?”

He laughed. “Yes, but from home. I’m a social media consultant.”

“Seriously? I didn’t even know there was such a thing.”

“It’s a fairly recent development. It used to just be called a marketing consultant, but things have narrowed down over the past few years.”

She laughed and the sound felt good in her chest. “Okay, well, I know where you are, so I’ll call, I promise.”

“Good. I’ll look forward to it.”

He backed out of her doorway and shoved his hands into his jeans, and then spun away to walk down the hall, toward his own place. She stood, watching him as he went. He threw a glance and a smile over his shoulder, catching her standing there. Lily smiled back, and then stepped inside and shut the door. Quickly, she shot the lock into place.

With a sigh, she placed her back against the door and put her hands over her face. She didn’t need any more complications—life was difficult enough.

Her mind went to the money Monster must have deposited in her account. What the hell had he been thinking? That it would help her, somehow? Or perhaps it was simply guilt money, something to make him feel better without giving any thought to what sort of shit-storm it might stir up for her. Was the money going to get her in trouble? She already felt like she was under suspicion from the police, even though she hadn’t really done anything wrong, and now this massive sum was going to make her appear even guiltier.

Her stomach twisted with a hollow hunger, and she realized she hadn’t given any thought to the practicalities of living. She’d been out buying guns when she should have been grocery shopping. Without even looking, she knew her refrigerator would be bare. When she’d lived here, she’d only ever bought the basics, and anything left over would have gone bad by now.

Walking into the kitchen, she pulled open the freezer. Living alone meant she was a regular consumer of frozen meals for one, and her freezer didn’t disappoint. She pulled out a single serve lasagna and tore off the lid before shoving it into her microwave.

The journey she had ahead of her was overwhelming, and she had plans she needed to make, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to focus if she didn’t eat something and get some sleep. She would make mistakes, and in the world of hardened criminals, mistakes would get her killed.

The microwave pinged to let her know her meal was ready. She ate straight from the package, standing up at the kitchen counter, barely even tasting what she forked into her mouth. She took no pleasure in eating. Just like everything else at the moment, she was simply doing what she needed to survive.

Lily dumped the dirty fork into the sink and threw away the empty carton.

Pulling the gun from the waistband of her pants, she headed into the bathroom to brush her teeth and use the toilet, then, fully clothed, she lay down on her bed. The gun was under the pillow beneath her head, her hand rested on the butt. It was right at her fingertips if she needed it.

Within seconds, she was asleep.