Diners, Dives & Dead Ends

I made sure there were no strange cars in my parking lot, no menacing bad guys lurking in the shadows. When all was safe, I darted out of my car and ran to my building, sprinting up the stairs to my thankfully empty apartment. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I grabbed my blanket and pillow, left the lamp on, and fell onto the futon.

I had just dozed off when something startled me and I bolted upright. I glanced around the room, my heart pounding. I didn’t know what had awakened me.

Then I heard pounding on the door.

Chapter 12

“Open up, Rose.”

It was BJ. I debated what to do. Open the door or ignore him? Open the door, and I’m an idiot. Ignore him, and he’ll just break in. While I’m standing here in my underpants. I didn’t like either option.

“Go away,” I said in my sternest voice.

“Let me in.”

“No.”

“This is me, asking nicely,” he said.

“Why should I? You threatened Axton.”

I swear I heard him laugh. “Are you still holding that against me?”

“Not funny.” I was tired and out of sorts and the last time I saw him I was all pressed up against him. It made me hot and cold and embarrassed at the same time. I threw on some sweats and opened the door. But kept the chain on.

He sighed. “Come on, Rose. I’m not going anywhere until we talk and I don’t want to wake your neighbors.”

Since most of my neighbors were barely functioning alcoholics who passed out before ten o’clock, I wasn’t worried. “I’m listening.”

He reached a finger through the crack of the door and touched the bridge of my nose. “You get a crinkle right here when you frown.”

I jerked out of reach and tried to slam the door on him. He anticipated my move, because he pulled back his finger and wedged his foot between the door and the jamb. His lips flattened into a straight line. “You have quite a temper. Have you thought about anger management?”

I just glared at him.

He sighed. “Open the door, Rose. This is getting tiresome.”

I didn’t want to let him into my apartment. I didn’t trust him. Yet I still wondered if I could get information out of him. Maybe he would slip up and tell me something useful. Besides, his asking to come in was just a formality and we both knew it.

“Just a minute.” I shoved at his foot, shut the door, and grabbed my cell phone. I dialed Roxy’s number.

She picked up on the fourth ring. “This had better be good.”

“BJ’s at my door,” I whispered. “If you hear me scream, call 911.”

“What? No, don’t be stupid.”

“He might know something about Ax.”

“Hang up and call the police right no—”

“Calm down and be quiet.” I tucked my phone in the pouch of my sweatshirt, then unhooked the chain to let him in. “Five minutes or I scream the place down.”

“Okay,” he said. Putting his hands up in a placating gesture, he stepped into the apartment. He was dressed in an expensive suit with a red striped tie.

“I’m not crazy about that tie.”

He looked down and fingered it. “Why not?”

“Did I say that out loud?” God, I was tired.

“Yes, you did.” He walked toward the kitchen. “Got anything to drink?”

I trailed after him. “Not for you.”

He stopped at the sink and turned, wagging his finger in my direction. “I thought you and I had come to an understanding.”

“If that were the case, I think I’d remember it.”

“I remember it quite clearly. You were going to mind your own business.”

“I have.”

“No, you haven’t. You’ve been quite a busy little bee, dashing all over town looking for Axton.”

How the hell was this guy tracking me? I’d checked my rearview mirror frequently all day. I hadn’t seen anyone following me, hadn’t seen Henry lurking about.

He moved toward me and even though I wanted to back up, I held my ground. “You have my property. Or you know where it is.” He stood so close, the front of his chest skimmed my breasts. I stopped breathing for a second.

I craned my neck, looking up at him. “I already told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think you’re lying.”

He was so close I could see his pupils contract. And that spicy, citrusy smell enveloped me.

“Tell me what you’re looking for and maybe I can help you find it.”

His eyes narrowed. “If you’re lying to me, you’ll regret it.”

Yeah, he scared the hell out of me, but he also made me angry and a feeling of helplessness got tossed into the emotional mix, too. All of it was boiling inside me. This was exactly how I felt when I tried to pummel him. I found myself wanting to do it again. “Listen, you bastard, this is my house. You can’t just keep barging in here and bossing me around.”

He took a step closer and leaned down until we were nose to nose. “Want to bet?” He smirked and his nose bumped mine. “Tell me, Rose, if you went missing, would anyone care?”

I flinched. “People would miss me. My family…” I clammed up when I realized what I’d almost revealed to him.

“You’re a waitress. You live in this shithole. Except for your sister, Jacqueline, and her son,” he paused, tapping his mouth with one finger, “what’s his name?” His eyes hardened. “Oh, yes, Scotty. Except for Jacqueline and Scotty, you don’t have much of a relationship with your family, do you? Would they even bother to look for you?”

I was suddenly freezing. I rubbed my arms, comforted that Roxy was only a phone line away.

He walked around me to the door and opened it, but turned back. “Why don’t you like my tie?”

“Get out.”

I snatched the phone from my pocket and assured Roxy I was all right. Apparently, my sweatshirt muffled the noise so much, she hadn’t heard any particulars of the conversation, so I gave her the Cliffs notes version and hung up.

I turned on all the lights and huddled beneath my blanket. BJ knew everything about me. My dysfunctional family dynamic, my job, my house, probably even my favorite breakfast cereal. Who was this guy? Finding that out was at the top of my short list. If I could find out who he was, maybe I could get the upper hand. Divert him until I found Ax. Knowledge was power and I’d had precious little in this whole thing, that was for freaking sure. And the fact that every time BJ came near me my heart beat a little faster — well, I’d deal with that later.

The next morning I decided against drinking a tankard of coffee, even though I was exhausted. Last time I’d done that, it hadn’t worked out so well.

When I got into work I greeted Jorge and Ray, who waved me at me with a spatula and mumbled a hello. Ma stood in the dining room filling salt shakers. “Good morning, Ma.”

She stopped pouring and looked me up and down. “You look like ten miles of bad road, toots.”

“Thanks.”

“Didn’t get much sleep again, huh?”