I felt jumpy as I made my way down the street. No, jumpy was what I felt when I woke up after a bad dream or a rough night’s sleep. I was downright fucking terrified. My skin felt as though it was on fire, every muscle in my body tensed and uncomfortable. I tucked my hair behind my ear and wondered if someone was watching me. If they had my number, who was to say that they didn’t know where I lived? The route I took to work? I looked around, but I couldn’t see anyone - not that it made me feel any better.
And, for once, I knew I wasn’t being ridiculous. That threat… was the worst thing they could possibly have sent me. I thought what had happened was a freak encounter, my bad luck after walking back from the restaurant too late. After what happened to my sister, I had a habit of being a little bit over-cautious. But this time, I was completely justified. After that text the night before, I had lain awake all night, staring up the ceiling and wondering what I was meant to do with the knowledge that someone was after me.
I think the most frightening part of it all was the knowledge that what had happened on that dark night home from work wasn’t some kind of one-off fluke. It wasn’t just a pair of assholes on the street, not knowing where their boundaries lay. No, they had probably been sent to kill me and were just taking their own twisted pleasure in it first. I shuddered at the thought, a cold wave hitting my body despite the sun gleaming down through the trees. Who knew what they might have pulled if they thought they could get away with it?
Another question was pulsing through my head too… why? Why was someone out to get me? As soon as I could figure that part out, I would have a better chance of stopping whoever it was who was after me. But right now, I was straining to think of anything I might have done that would have led someone to want me dead. The best I could come up with were all absurd theories about rival restaurateurs, but this city didn’t have a crazy-competitive culinary scene. Or, if it did, I certainly wasn’t aware of it.
As soon as I got to the restaurant, I hurried in and locked the door behind me. Lily was already inside, and her head snapped up. Of course, she could tell something was wrong just from looking at me. I offered her a tired smile, and she scanned my face as she made her way towards me.
“What’s up with you?” she demanded, catching me by the shoulders as I tried to make my way past her. “You look like shit.”
“Oh, stop with your compliments,” I teased her, and she let me go, taking a step back. She was always good at knowing when I needed space, and she could tell that time was now.
“Everything alright?” she asked quietly. “We don’t open for another hour if you want to head home and get some sleep or just take the day off-”
“No, I’d really rather be here,” I cut across her. “If that’s okay.”
“Your restaurant,” she reminded me. “As long as you’re sure. I can handle this place if you’re not feeling up to it, you know.”
“I know, and I appreciate that.” I smiled at her. “But I just think being around people is the best choice for me right now.”
“Of course, after what happened.” She furrowed her brow at me. “You know, if you need to talk…”
“You’ll be here. I know.” I nodded gently. Then I ducked into the back room. My heart was hammering in my chest, as ridiculous as I knew that was, and I had to press my hands up against the walls to keep upright. I was glad for the moment of privacy, as I knew much of the day was going to be spent fighting to keep myself together. I knew if I told Lily what had happened, about the message that I had received the night before, she would freak out hard. There was no question in my mind that she would get herself involved, and that was the last thing I wanted. If she got hurt because of this, because of me… I had to close my eyes to dismiss the thought from my head. It was too horrible to even think about.
I felt a wave of panic wash over me, and I knew then that I couldn’t make it through this day without arousing some suspicion. At least I had a decent excuse - I could duck out, and Lily would cover for me, give the staff an explanation they could believe. I stepped back into the serving area, and Lily instantly rushed over to my side.
“Jesus, Sabrina, do I have the authority to send you home myself?” she muttered, winding her arm around my waist to keep me upright.
“It’s okay, I’m going.” I nodded. “I think I just need some time to get myself together, you know?”
“Take all the time you need.” She led me to the door. “Will you be okay? Want me to stop by later with anything?”
“No, I’ll give you a call if I need anything,” I reassured her. “The fresh air will do me some good.”
She opened the door for me and stood by the window, watching me as I walked down the street. I waved, and she seemed happy enough to let me go. As soon as she was out of her sight, my knees crumpled beneath me, and I sat down in a doorway just off the sidewalk. I pulled out my phone and stared at it. Who do I call? The police? I would surely end up in deep shit of my own if they found out that I had lied to them about the initial attack, now that I knew who the perpetrator was. And maybe these people had links of their own to the cops? What if they would be alerted if I got in contact with the police and they just handed me over quicker? I was paranoid, and I wasn’t sure how right I was to be so on my guard.
Instead, I pulled another number up on my phone - Anthony’s. My finger hovered over the “call” button for a moment as I tried to decide whether this was a good idea. Whoever had sent out those guys for me, Anthony was an enemy of theirs too. That was certain. He was probably the only person I knew right now who was unequivocally on my side. That made him my best bet to get in contact with, and God, I needed someone around right now. I couldn’t have given less of a shit if I came across as needy after our hook-up the night before - once he found out what was going on, surely he’d come to my aid. He had saved me once, why wouldn’t he do it again?
I dialed his number and lifted the phone to my ear.
“Hello?” He picked after two rings.
“Anthony?” My voice sounded small and pathetic as it echoed around my head.
“What’s up?” He sounded worried.
“I… I don’t think I’m safe right now,” I admitted. “Do you think you could come meet me?”
“Where?” he asked, without pausing to think.
“My apartment, I’ll send you the address.”
“I’ll be there in half an hour.” He hung up, and I quickly passed on my home address. I knew that it was risky, but I just needed someone by my side, someone who could protect me if things went to shit. I realized I was shaking, and forced myself to get to my feet and walk the few minutes to my apartment. I had to pass the spot where I was attacked a few nights before, and a shiver ran up my spine as I thought about what could have been.
I hurried back to my place, practically running by the time I got to my building. I found myself glancing over my shoulder as I unlocked the door and pushed my way inside as if someone had followed me back from the restaurant and was lurking in wait for me as I jammed the keys into the lock. I pushed the door shut behind me, and let out a sigh as I heard the lock click into the latch.
I practically hit the roof when I heard the knocking on the door. It took a second for me to realize that I had invited Anthony around, and I peered through the keyhole to find him staring back at me.
“That was quick,” I commented as I opened the door, and he shrugged.
“I wasn’t far when you called me.” He peered at my face as if looking for a visible injury. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” I stepped back to let him in. “At least, I am now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I got a message last night.” I hastily scrolled through my phone to pull it up, and then thrust the screen towards him. “When I got back from the restaurant.”
He peered at the screen for a moment, and then his eyes widened.
“Jesus,” he muttered to himself and looked back up at me. “Any idea who this might be from? Any friends with a sick sense of humor?”
I shook my head. “Lots, but none of them would go this far.”
He observed me for a moment and then began to pace the room.
“I think you need to get out of here,” he suggested calmly, and I felt another shiver run up my back.
“What?”
“Pack up some stuff - we need to leave,” he explained. His voice was under control, but I could hear the waver in it. He didn’t want to have to do this, but we both knew it was the right option.
I did as I was told, striding through to the bedroom and grabbing a handful of clean clothes, my toothbrush, and a couple of toiletries. My heart was pounding against my ribcage. Could this really be happening? I was going on the run, no two ways about it. Anthony was taking me out of this situation because he didn’t think it was safe anymore. Should I trust him? What if he was taking me straight into their hands? My brain was overflowing with irrational thoughts, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to calm down until I was out of my apartment and far away from where I knew they could find me.
As I stepped outside, I went to grab my phone, but he shook his head.
“Take a note of the numbers you need, then leave it here,” he suggested. “They know your number, they might be able to track you through it too.”
“Good point.” I felt like I was in some kind of heist movie, but I wasn’t enjoying the drama one little bit. “So… where are we going?”
Anthony held out his hand, and I took it, grateful for the feeling of his strength so close to me.
“Follow me.”