Page 55 of Pretend I’m Yours
The police chief had assured me they weren’t going to stop at anything until they got all the corrupt people out of the inside, and I told him I believed him, though I doubted they would ever be able to get rid of men like Brandon fully.
But he had faith that they would make strides with Brandon behind bars. After all, he still seemed to be a ringleader of sorts even though he was long since off the force. Not to mention the fact that he would sell the others down the river in a heartbeat to save his own sorry ass.
The past two days had gone by in such a blur, neither Drake nor I had really talked about the fact our agreement had finally come to a close. He was only supposed to be my fake husband for as long as Brandon was after me. But with there being little to no chance of him avoiding prison – and with a lifelong restraining order against him when he got out – I no longer needed Drake in that way.
I could hear him in his bedroom. He was packing up not only the things that he had brought with him, but the things that he bought when he lived with me. I assured him that they were all bonuses for the hard work that he’d done, and I hoped they’d help him get started in his new life.
Of course, I hoped he and I would remain friends, but it saddened me to think that it wasn’t likely we were going to see much of each other anymore. I was going to go on to my finals, and he was going to move on into wherever life took him next.
That could mean staying in Chicago, or that could mean he would head somewhere far, far away from here. I didn’t know what he was thinking, and I really didn’t want to ask him.
Just the fact he was moving out was enough to make me want to break down in tears. I didn’t want to think of him leaving Chicago altogether.
I sipped my tea and fought the lump that formed in my throat when he carried the last duffle bag out of his room and left it by the door. “Want something to drink?”
“Nah, I’m okay,” he said. “Thanks. I’m going to call a cab shortly, and I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Where you headed?” I asked.
“Back to a hotel for now. I’m going to start searching for a place this afternoon, then I’m going to start looking for a job,” he said. There was an obvious awkward tension between us, and I tried not to let the silence last for long.
“What were you thinking that you might like to do?” I offered, trying to fill the air with some sort of conversation. He shrugged.
“I’ve got a lot of experience with the military training I’ve got. I might try to do something military related without re-enlisting. Plus, the police chief was impressed with how I handled your ex and said I ought to consider going into the force. Not sure about that either, though. I haven’t thought about getting just a normal job since I was in high school,” he said.
“It’s got to be something of a shock for you,” I forced a smile. “I can’t even imagine how it must be to readjust.”
“It’s not fun, I can tell you that,” he sighed. “But life goes on.”
“Yes, it does,” I said. “Anyway, I think this should help you get started. At least, it should be enough for you to live on while you find what you want to do.”
“Holy shit, that’s more than you said,” he exclaimed when he saw the amount on the check. “Are you sure you want to pay me that much? I was living here for free and bought all that other crap, too.”
“It’s the least I can do for what you’ve done for me,” I assured him quickly. “You put your life on the line for me without a thought to your own safety. Hell, you didn’t have to do any of this, but you did.”
“I’m glad I did,” he said. “You didn’t deserve that prick being on your ass like he was. Now you can move on with your life and not have to worry he’s going to do anything.”
“Thanks,” I said. The silence was deafening once again, and I cleared my throat. I needed to clear the air and this was likely my last chance. “About what I said to my parents. What you heard anyway. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that my parents are, well, it’s hard to explain and it really doesn’t matter. I was wrong and what I said wasn’t true. And if I could take it back, I would.”
