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“Fuck you” I ended the call, tossedelse froain Now that his release day was close, I knew the phone calls were just the start Even after switching numbers, he still found me

I paced the roo around boxes and randomly placed furniture where the movers had set it down The apart room except for the powder rooh, the s big and wall-to-wall It was modern with lots of stainless-steel appliances in the kitchen, but it arm Safe

I'd o and hadn't settled I'd only put ether, tossed my clothes into the bedroom and found the coffee I could remain I'd easily avoided my parents since the incident, but we didn't run in the same social scene I didn't spend time in the country club circle I was too academic, too pedantic ina lawyer, I’d balked at the whole Lane family tradition and became a professor To the retail

When Ca me? Or worse, on the street? On the quad at schoo

l? Could I stay in Brant Valley? Instead of settling into this great apart I'd be able to live in town Hell, the state

The call was all part of Cam’s plan to fuck with me A warm up I knew it, but I couldn't help but freak out

The plant was in my hand and beneath the sink faucet before I realized what I was doing I didn't even re into the kitchen I closed my eyes, breathed

I didn't want Mommy and Daddy's cash I didn't want my parents in my life any more than my brother, so I’d shoved the money in the bank where no one could touch it My parents couldn’t get it back, and Cam couldn’t reach it

They'd picked their son, with his cruel and dangerous acts, over their own daughter And their et Caive in I wouldn't give him the hush money And it was hush money

No one could know that Cameron Lane the Third had an addiction problee for wiping his debt clean That kind of thing didn’t happen at the country club, and it certainly didn’t happen to my parents

But it had happened to me

Realizing I was drowning the plant, I turned off the water and pushed back froroaned aloud My frustration was co in bed and throwing the covers over my head Beyond tears There just weren't any o

Going into the bedroom, I kicked off ym clothes from the pile in the corner I usually waited until later in the evening to work out, coy to burn I needed to run this angst off I'd taken up running after the incident, my therapist said exercise was like a release valve on a pressure cooker

I hadn't liked being compared to a kitchen appliance, but I related I had been ready to blow, and running had helped I hadn'telse, but no I could run for hours, especially when I was upset After slipping a hair tie aroundshoes by the door, sat down on the wood floor, tugged one on, worked the laces with extra vigor

I was safe I knew it Cameron was still in jail The ain way before now if they'd still wanted ured it, and the police assumed as well, was that they wanted Caine how much he'd liked to be assaulted by them

My apartment was safe Gray had reassured me personally Key cards were required for the elevator and eency stairs, and only the four residents had theht, and fight well, he only liked using his fists in the ring Those were his words when he'd handedBesides, he wouldn't have risked E I’d lived down the street frohbors for the three years while I was teaching classes and finishing my dissertation for my PhD After the incident, I hadn’t ever really felt safe Eht of me for the vacant unit, and she’d assured me it was secure

I was safe

That didn't htain Caht them back The anxiety always returned Like nohen I wanted to run until ave out, until, hopefully, I was too exhausted to even dream

Finished withkey pass and went to one of the piles of boxes A few had to go to my office for st to lug them to my car for tomorrow I stacked three identical ones, heavy with books, on thethe cart behind ingly at the stairwell door I hated elevators After what happened, it had taken six ain Now, I'd take them, but only with others, those I trusted Or in safe places Like one I shared with only three other people

There was no way I'd get down the stairs with the boxes, and I wasn'tthe dolly in behind round floor

Still, I dreaded stepping inside when the door slid open I thought of the twoto pressThe other had watched, laughed