Chapter 38: Sawed-Off Barrel
"Open up shithead!" I’m pounding on the neighbor’s door at the same time that I’m trying to quell the rage in my lungs. "Open the fucking door. I know you’re in there!"
"Let’s call the police," Will says behind me. I’m obviously making him uncomfortable with the amount of aggression that I have no problem unleashing when it comes to his daughter’s privacy.
"The police aren’t going to take voyeurism seriously here," I mumble over my shoulder before turning back to address the pervert who is hiding in his apartment. "You got a good look at me, right? How about a closer one? Open the fucking door!"
I hear the locks start working on the other side, and I take a step back—ready to finally get a look at this disgusting piece of shit. Instead, the sawed off barrel of a shotgun is pointed at me from under a golden security chain.
"Jesus," Will exclaims and grabs me, pulling me away from the door and back toward Raya’s apartment. "Let’s just go. Dying isn’t going to fix anything."
Several neighbors have emerged from their doors, and I glare at every single one of them. They don’t frighten easily. Most of them glare back.
When Will and I are back in the Raya’s apartment, I immediately climb back up on the chair and shove a cereal box in front of the hole. Not that it makes any difference now.
When I look back down, Will is grabbing the bag of cat food and scooping up Moira Rose who was still eating. She makes a mew of protest but lets him tuck her against his chest without any problems.
"Let’s just get out here," he says. "We’ll figure out what to do with Moira and Raya. We’ll figure it out. For now, let’s just go."
"Is there anything else she needs that we should grab now?"
"She wanted a book by her bed, but it’s not important."
"I’ll get it," I say, a muscle working in my jaw. Will waits by the front door while I walk back and grab the book on her bedside table. It has a muscular guy and a wolf on the front. It actually looks a little bit like me.
The misunderstanding Rory had with the notebook I was reading in the hospital waiting room instantly flashes through my mind. She asked why Raya even had the notebook with her. I can hear her voice: "Is she dreaming at work now?" I glance around the room before pulling open the drawer next to her bed. Inside is an exact replica of the moleskin journal I gave Raya for taking notes.
Shit. Why did I open the drawer? Now I have to decide if I’m going to take it with. And if I take it, I’m going to be tempted to read it. I’m not sure that’s a temptation I’ll be able to overcome.
I close the drawer and leave Raya’s dream journal where I found it, grabbing the teddy bear and quilt on her bed instead. Both look worn from years of use, which tells me that she’ll probably be happy to see them.
Hopefully the neighbor with the peephole and shotgun doesn’t break in and take the journal after we leave. For some reason that isn’t entirely clear in my mind, it would feel like a very personal violation.
Will looks incredibly nervous when I come back to the kitchen, and he still has Moira tucked against his chest. Her eyes are huge like she can sense the tension and fear that has permeated the room.
"Okay," I sigh to indicate I’m ready, and I walk past him to pull the door open.
The hallway is deserted once again as if there weren’t just people leaning out of every doorway. There are a few loud noises from distant apartments—people banging things and loud music playing. But no one with a gun is waiting for us. Everyone has gone back to their lives. It’s just another Friday night.
When we are back in the truck, Will lets Moira go, and she jumps into the back seat. I glance in the rearview mirror and see her huddled, looking around suspiciously at the unfamiliar place.
"Are you okay?" I ask, realizing that the older man is shaking. "I didn’t mean to scare you."
"It’s not you," he shakes his head and covers his mouth. With the sun now starting to slide toward the horizon, the rays of its waning light angle into the truck and shimmer across the tears in his eyes. "I can’t believe she lived here, and I let her. I didn’t realize how dangerous it was."
"We’ll find her a new place. Don’t worry. Maybe this accident she was in happened for a reason."
We pull out and make our way back to the hospital without talking. Everything that happened in those last few minutes that we were in Raya’s place is enough to keep our minds busy. It isn’t until we get close to the hospital that I wonder what we’re going to do with her cat.
"Maybe we shouldn’t tell Raya right now," Will says, breaking the silence. "I don’t want to completely freak her out when she’s recovering. If we can wait awhile, then she may not be as emotional."
"Then what do you want to do? She’s going to be discharged from the hospital this weekend, right?"
He nods, rubbing his chin. "Rory is out of town. Otherwise, Raya could stay with her. She and Westin have a spare bedroom, but I don’t know when they’ll be back."
"Where did they go?"
"London. For work."
"Is there room at your place?" I glance at him.
"I’ve started seeing someone, and I haven’t told the girls yet. I was going to tell them this weekend, but then Raya had the accident."
"Does your girlfriend live with you?" I ask, guessing.
"Yeah. She just moved in."
"Well I have plenty of room," I sigh and squeeze the steering wheel until my fists are white. "But I’ve only known your daughter for a few days. I’m not sure how well that will go over."
"Oh," her dad turns to me, clearly shocked. "I assumed you were dating."
"Really?" I laugh, and now it’s my turn to rub my chin. "What would make you think that?"
He doesn’t reply right away, which I guess is an answer in its own right. I obviously act like someone who has known Raya longer.
"We don’t talk very often," Will says. "The girls tend to keep their lives private until something big happens. I figured you two met when she started the internship."
"You heard me tell my mechanic friend Ronnie that I got back into town this week," I glance at him again.
His brows furrow. "Right. Huh." And then he rakes a hand over his face. "My mistake."
