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It’s going to cost a fucking fortune to replace all this.
I spot my gym bag on the floor and grab it, shoving clothes into it haphazardly. Marcus’s hoodie and joggers, along with a few pairs of pants, a dress, a couple of t-shirts. I have to laugh at the ridiculousness of the fact that all of it being on the floor makes it easier to see and to grab quickly.
I grab my phone charger and reach for my iPad that’s normally by my bedside table, but it’s gone.
Fucker. Of course he took the only thing worth any real value.
I let out a growl of frustration, my anger growing by the second.
The bathroom is no better – mirror shattered, toiletries scattered everywhere. My make-up bag lies open in the sink. I grab it, filling it with what I can, and storm back out.
I dare Chris to come back now. I’ll strangle him to death myself!
Marcus stands by the door, checking his phone. Even now, seeing him standing there in his gym kit, tall and handsome, gives me a little wobble.
“Ready?” he asks, slipping his phone into his pocket.
“Yea, let’s go.”
I go to lock the door, but where the keyhole should be, instead is a mess of splintered wood and twisted metal. The lock has been completely destroyed.
I pull the door closed anyway, the latch barely catching with a feeble click.
We move quickly, cautiously, ears tuned to the silence around us.
I spot Marcus’s silver Audi up ahead, but my stomach sinks as we approach it. The side mirror hangs down by a wire, and the front tyre’s been slashed.
“Fuck!” Marcus shouts, kicking the tyre.
I flinch.
This is my fault. He’s only in this mess because of me.
A cold wind blows, biting at my skin.
“I’ll pay for the tyre,” I mumble, but he doesn’t hear me. He’s scanning the street, one hand sweeping through his hair as he looks around in every direction.
A million thoughts run through my head as I look around as well, each one more distressing than the last.How long have they been watching us? How many people are there? How did they know which car was his? Where are they? What do they want?
My eyes dart up and down the street, trying to catch a glimpse of anyone in a black car, my insides swirling with a mixture of anger and panic.
If someone is watching us, they’re well-hidden.
“Come on,” Marcus says, taking my hand as he starts walking away from the car. “Can you order a cab?”
I nod and fumble for my phone, my feet moving quickly to keep up with his pace as the wind whips around us.
“Where should I order it to?”
“Here,” he says, glancing over his shoulder as we turn a corner, but he keeps walking. “We’ll come back when it gets here.”
I drop a pin into the Uber app, but it needs me to put in a destination.
“Where are we going?” I ask, my breath turning into clouds in front of me as we move quickly along the street.
“Just put Eccles,” he says.
I enter the destination and press submit, tucking my phone into my coat pocket.