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I was just beginning to get into the movie when there was a knock at the door. I sighed. We were in a security locked building so it must be one of the neighbors at the door. Perhaps Diane forgot something, or maybe it was the girl down the hall, who was constantly stopping by hoping to borrow this and that. Honestly, you’d think she was under the impression that I was the freebie 7-Eleven or something. It was beginning to severely piss me off. I barely had enough money and stuff to sell off to support myself and Austin let alone the neighbors who would rather shoot up their cash than buy food!
Getting up from the sofa, I walked over to the door. Halfway to the door, I hesitated. What if it wasn’t one of the neighbors? What if it was one of Gabriel’s men? Maybe he’d discovered what I was up to? A feeling of dread and foreboding surged up within me. I’d known it was a risk talking to the FBI, but they’d approached me and I couldn’t help myself but hear them out. Maybe I should have just taken off on my own with Austin and tried to make a go out of it. But in addition to attempting to get a free lease on life for the two of us, I was trying to do the right thing. Gabriel behind bars was the right thing.
The knocking persisted, loud, hard knocks. Knocks that no doubt were being made by a man’s fist. Despite my anxiety over who might be on the other side of the door, I rushed the last several feet, scared the banging might wake Austin.
Peering out of the peephole I gasped when I caught a glimpse of the man on the other side of the door. It was Constantine. Quickly, I backed away from the peephole. Like it would matter. Rationally, I knew he couldn’t see me. But still…
What in the hell was he doing here?
I crinkled up my nose as I inched my way back to the door and continued to peer at him through the peephole. How in the hell did he know where to find me?
“This is important, Robyn. Let me in. We need to talk.” The pounding on the door persisted.
Talk? What could we need to talk about? I gasped. What if he knew about Austin? Who could have possibly told him? I looked over my shoulder in the direction of Austin’s bedroom.
“Robyn, open up.”
His voice brought my attention back to the door. Austin was a sound sleeper, who rarely if ever woke in the middle of the night. As long as we were quiet Constantine wouldn’t even need to know about Austin. I’d let him in, hear him out and send him on his way. Chances were he just wanted to reminisce. Besides, if he was anything like he’d been when we were younger he wasn’t about to give up until I opened the door and gave him what he wanted.
I was surprised to see my hands trembling as I undid the chain and deadbolt, unlocking the door. Grabbing the door handle, I took a deep breath in and slowly released it. The plan had been to never see Constantine again, but I should have known one day this moment would arrive. God, a confrontation with Constantine was the last thing I needed in my life right now.
Opening the door, I forced a smile onto my face as I stared up at him. “Constantine. What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk,” he stated matter-of-factly as he brushed past me and into my apartment uninvited.
“Whoa, excuse me, but I don’t recall inviting you in,” I said, planting a hand on my hip and glaring at him, leaving the door wide open for him to walk his ass back out into the hallway. How dare he! We had something back when we were teenagers, but that was over now!
“I invited myself,” he stated over his shoulder as he entered the living room, taking a seat on the far end of the sofa. “Sit down. We need to talk.”
I hesitated at the door, not sure what to do. Should I demand he leave or find out what was so important that he felt the need to track me down and barge into my home? Gazing into his eyes, I saw a look of urgency. This wasn’t a pop-in hello, it seemed like he had something he really wanted to say. Whatever brought him here was important.
“Okay.” Not ready to close the door yet, I decided to ask my questions from the open doorway. “How did you find out where I live?” I let out a little nervous laugh. “Did you follow me home or something?”
“Not exactly.”
My brow creased as I stared at him. “What do you mean by not exactly?”
“I was given your address a few days ago.”
I searched my brain, attempting to figure out who might have given him my address. There were very few people who knew where I lived, none of whom Constantine would know; I’d completely broken ties with everyone from our past a long time ago. The only people would be my parents, but they sold their home and moved to California several years ago. Not that I’d had much communication with my parents anyhow, I hadn’t for many years – Constantine wasn’t the only one I lost when I left New York, with a baby beginning to grow in my belly.
“By your husband.”
My heart sank into my stomach and I suddenly felt ill. “Ohmygod!”
