Page 18 of Roughing
~~Michella~~
My first week and a half of work consisted of tidying the office, filing the endless paperwork, and researching various topics at Carla’s request. I’d been tempted multiple times to quit and never go back, only to remind myself of all the times I’d abandoned a new career path in the past. Being an investigative assistant had shocked the majority of my friends and my family. My family, especially, thought I’d made a bad choice and wouldn’t last more than a month or two. Their doubt spurred me on to prove myself. My bestie Everly and I had bonded over our families’ disappointment in our inability to nail down a career. Recently Everly had found her niche, which gave me more incentive to find mine.
Carla didn’t make it easy. She didn’t want me here, gave me the shit jobs, kept me out of the loop regarding cases she was working on, and furnished minimal instruction when she did ask for assistance.
I refused to get down on myself. I’d prove I was worthy to her and all the doubters. I’d show them.
This afternoon Carla asked me to dig deep into a local company, Allied Professionals Limited, which she suspected of being a front for drug and human trafficking. This was the first job she’d assigned me with any meat to it, and I was determined to be as thorough as possible. If it was on the internet, I’d find it. I also called the businesses in the area near Allied to dig up any dirt I could. Unfortunately, no one had useful information, or they refused to share what they’d noticed.
Regardless, I’d found a couple connections between Allied and online ads for escorts. It wasn’t much, but it was something.
The time got away from me. Before I knew it, the clock on my phone displayed 8:05 p.m. I was hungry and tired. I stood and stretched, ate a granola bar from the stash in my desk, and decided to call it a night. I rubbed my scratchy eyes and dreamed of laying my head on my pillow and falling into a blissful, uninterrupted sleep, something I hadn’t done for a while.
I hadn’t slept well since I’d told Briggs we were through over a week ago. I was consumed by doubt ever since, not sure I’d made the right decision, while certain I did. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his ruggedly handsome face with those brooding blue eyes and uncompromising lips, except when I was kissing the hell out of him—then they were soft and pliable and anything but uncompromising.
I’d made my choice regarding Briggs. I had to learn to live with it. It’d been a sound decision based on facts and not emotions, yet I felt like shit.
I shook my head and grabbed my coat, shrugging into it.
Time to leave and maybe get a drink or something to take my mind off that infuriating man.
For the past several days, I’d been careful to leave the office when Carla did to avoid being alone in the alley. This time, she’d left early afternoon to drive to Seattle to do some witness interviews, leaving me here alone.
I’d been head down for so many hours I hadn’t taken the time to be spooked, but now I was. I gazed out the small window into the shrouded darkness. When I’d arrived this a.m., the garbage truck had been in the alley, and I’d parked my car on the street. Now I’d have to traverse the equivalent of a half block in the darkness to get to the safety of my vehicle. I debated on sleeping in my office chair tonight but chastised myself for being such a coward.
I stared out the window again and squinted into the darkness. If someone lurked in the shadows, I didn’t see them. Digging in my purse for my Mace, I came up empty. I’d swapped purses this morning, and I pictured that little canister sitting on the kitchen counter just where I’d left it almost twelve hours ago. Well, that wasn’t very bright.
Taking a deep breath, I put my hand on the dead bolt, ready to unlock it. My other hand held my keys.
My eyes grew wide and I stifled a scream when the doorknob turned and the door vibrated as if someone were trying to break in. I backed away. My heart pounded in my chest, and my hands shook.
Someone was out there.
I inched my way to the window, not taking my eyes off the door. Peeking outside, I caught a man slinking around the corner of the building and out of sight.
No fucking way was I going out there and traversing the long, dark block to my car. I debated calling the police, but I wasn’t sure they’d respond to a threat that was no longer present.
I briefly considered that Carla might be toying with me to scare me into quitting. She wouldn’t go that far, would she? I disregarded such an outrageous thought. Carla was no-nonsense, and even if she didn’t like me, she wouldn’t use such a juvenile approach.
I ran through a mental list of who I could call to escort me to my car. Everly would pick me up, but Dash just got back from a weeklong road trip. I didn’t want to interrupt their reunion. Inez was out of town visiting a relative. My parents were the last people I’d call even before I called—
Fine, I was going for it. I would get out of here.
I took a deep breath, unlocked the door, and opened it. After shutting it, I quickly locked it and ran down the alley toward the safety of my car. My shoes weren’t designed for running, but I managed. Skidding around the corner onto the empty main street, my car sat like a silent sentinel promising safety once I reached its metal interior. I fumbled with the key fob, set off the alarm, and scrambled to turn it off. I heaved a sigh of relief when the door lock clicked. I jumped inside and hit the locks. Heavily breathing more from fear than from exertion, I pressed the Ignition button.
The engine ground with the last death moan of a wounded animal.
I pressed it again.
More grinding, even more pathetic and feeble than before.
Several more times before I faced facts. This engine was not starting.
The engine wouldn’t start. I’d been having trouble with the battery, but I’d ignored the warnings. Perhaps if the battery was dead, it hadn’t affected the alarm earlier. I knew nothing about cars, but this one wasn’t transporting me anywhere in the near future.
A pair of headlights were visible a few blocks down the deserted street. I watched as the car pulled over, its headlights shining directly at me to the point where I couldn’t see beyond them.
If I stayed here, I’d be a sitting duck for anyone in the area. Car windows were easy enough to break, and judging by the emptiness of the streets, no one would hear me scream. This guy was two blocks away. Plenty of time for me to make my escape back to the safer interior of the old warehouse. The building might be a neglected mess, but the locks on those metal doors were sturdy and impenetrable.
