Chapter 96: Busy Signal
- RAYA -
"You took my notebooks?" I ask, my shock and fear turning to rage with that stupid grin on Lawson’s face, and I shove him with both hands, sending him back a step as the blanket I was holding around myself falls to the floor.
He chuckles and brings a hand to his chest. "Ow. What was that for? You wrote it for an audience, didn’t you? It’s very... very good." His expression shifts to something dark as his gaze descends over me.
"God, you’re disgusting!" I yell, pushing him again with another surge of fury.
I can’t even begin to comprehend the fact that Lawson read something so intimate and personal. No one else was ever supposed to see them! Those were mine—my private way of getting my thoughts out so that the dreams would no longer haunt me. I wouldn’t even let my sister read them, and then to have them end up in the hands of this pervert? And he memorized them? How could he be this big of a creep?
This time Lawson doesn’t smile and he doesn’t laugh when I shove him. Instead, he catches my hands to stop me.
"That’s not nice, Auraya. Calm down," he says calmly, but the amusement he had before is gone. I guess he realizes now this isn’t a joke.
"Let go of me," I growl, glaring at him and that hideous darkness he has revealed that is now staring back at me.
One side of his mouth tips up, but the smile doesn’t reach his eyes. He releases my hands though, and I pick the blanket up off of the floor, ignoring the dizziness that makes the room tilt and walking to the couch to grab my phone.
"Where are you going?" He asks.
"Away from you."
"So... wait. Are you telling me that you didn’t create those notebooks for me?" He asks. "That you didn’t manipulate your way into this house to make Dex look bad?"
"No! I told you I wasn’t going to help you. I’m not a psychopath. I would never do that to anyone. And I want my notebooks back, Lawson!"
He chuckles, shaking his head and raking a hand through his hair. "I don’t get it. Why write that stuff down?"
"That’s none of your business," I say, clenching my teeth against the emotion that springs up, tears stinging my eyes.
I squint at my phone and unlock it, catching myself against the wall when I teeter sideways. This pain medication makes me dizzy, and it is the absolute worst time for it.
"Come here." Lawson walks toward me and waves his hand in a gesture to call me over to meet him.
"Stay away from me," I say with a shaky voice and click on Dex’s name.
"Give me the phone, Auraya. We need to talk."
When he lunges at me, I gasp and drop the phone, and he grabs it before I can.
"Give me my phone!"
"Not until we talk," he says, caging me against the wall with an arm on either side.
———————
- DEX -
On the way to work, this little niggling doubt starts working its way into my mind. I find Jeremy’s number in my phone and call him.
"Hey, Dex," he answers.
"Hi, Jeremy. Sorry to bother you on a Saturday," I say, testing my theory before even having to voice it.
"No problem at all, what’s up?" There’s someone yelling in the background and then a whistle being blown. "Sorry, I’m at my daughter’s soccer game," he chuckles.
"Oh, that’s great. I won’t keep you then." A little alarm bell goes off in my mind, and I put on the turn signal to get off of this road so I can head back home. "I was just curious about the pitch scheduled for next week. We can talk about it Monday."
"Oh, are you sure? I don’t have my computer with me, but if there’s something you wanted to go over now..."
"No, no. It’s okay. Enjoy your daughter’s soccer game."
"Okay, thank you Dex. See you Monday."
When I hang up with Jeremy, my knuckles are white around the steering wheel. I should have taken my motor cycle so I could get back faster, because this sudden suspicion is making me panic. But it all starts falling into place in my mind: Lawson trying to get Raya to spy on me and showing up at the hospital... Lawson speaking with Grace... Lawson bringing my cousin Luciano to work...
Lawson must know that Raya is staying with me. Grace stopped by the house yesterday and saw Raya in person, and she may have told him. But why the fuck would he go to the extent of lying to me to get me out of the house? He can’t possibly be showing up to visit her. That can’t be what’s happening. My brother isn’t that big of a sociopath.
When I try dialing Raya’s phone, I get a busy signal. Is she calling me?
"Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck," I mutter, flooring it to get back. If I’m right about this and he’s there, I might end up killing my brother today.
———————
- RAYA -
God, I can’t believe I ever thought Lawson was attractive. With the dark, predatory eyes and way he has trapped me against the wall, he’s officially the most terrifyingly disturbed person I have ever seen in real life.
"Why did you write it?" He asks, studying me like a butterfly under glass, leaning so close I can feel his breath against my cheek. I feel like I’m going to throw up. The nausea is immediate.
"It’s not... your business," I say with a tremor in my throat. How did I end up in this situation?
"Actually it is my business, because I specifically assigned you to him for a purpose. And now that I know just how good you can be in this role," he grabs my chin, turning my face back his way so that I have to meet his eyes, "I’m regretting not keeping you for myself."
I want to throw up, but instead a sob breaks in my chest as his hand descends over my neck—teasing the grip that he could easily tighten but keeps featherweight.
"I think you’d look better in my shirt," he says softly, staring down at what I’m wearing.
"You fucking wish," I growl, and his hand presses against my chest in reply, pinning me against the wall in that place right below my collarbone. He leans close, whispering in my ear.
"You’re right. I do."
The same rage that rose when I shoved him surfaces again, and I bring my knee up hard into his groin. Lawson groans and crumples, and I’ve bought myself a window to slip around him and run for the stairs.
Dex has a lock on his door. That’s the thought that starts repeating in my mind. I can get in his room and lock it. I can stay in there until Lawson leaves.
I’m running down the hallway on the top floor when I hear Lawson cursing and stumbling up the stairs behind me, but I make it to the bedroom and close the door, locking it with trembling fingers and backing away.
"Auraya," Lawson calls, knocking on the door shortly after. He’s attempting to sound calm, but there’s an edge of anger in his voice—like a fraying that has begun and will surely unravel when he doesn’t get his way. "Open up. I just want to talk."
Moira Rose meows and jumps on the bed. Seeing her—this delicate, sweet creature who has only ever brought me comfort and love and is such a contrast to this situation—causes me to break a little. Angry, terrified tears well and fall, and then I gasp when Lawson throws his shoulder against the door.
"Open up!" He yells. "If you want your notebooks back, we need to talk about this."
I look around, wondering if there’s anything to defend myself with in case he gets the door open. I don’t know what he would even do, but I don’t want to just be standing here waiting to find out.
"Look, Auraya. I’m not going to hurt you," he chuckles, truly sounding like a crazy person. "We can work together. I’ll make it well worth your trouble. You won’t have to worry about anything, okay? Dex won’t come after you. I’ll protect you from him."
I scoff through the tears. Does he hear himself right now? He’s the one who’s coming after me!
When I don’t answer, he mutters something to himself.
"Fine. I’m leaving. I’ll leave your phone right here."
He sounds pissed and disappointed, and then I hear the phone drop and him walking away. I hope the fall didn’t break my phone.
When it’s been several minutes and my panic has slowly receded, the house sounds quiet. I try to peer out the window to see how much of the outside is visible. Maybe I can tell if his car is gone. But the window doesn’t face the right way.
Moira stares at me, wondering why I haven’t pet her, her tail swooshing before she gives up on me and licks her paw. I sigh and sink down onto the floor, resting my head and arms on the bed and letting her sniff me.
When my phone starts ringing, I stop breathing. It’s right outside the bedroom door, but I don’t even want to risk opening it to get it at this point. I think I’ll just stay right here.
