Page 162 of Stay With Me

“A hundred.”

“A hundreddollars?” I ask, confused.

“Grand, baby. I gave him half of it already from the money I stole, so he just needs the other half, and he’ll leave us alone.”

“Us? Why am I involved in this?”

“I just told you. He knows you’re my girlfriend, so he’sthreatenin’ your life to pressure me to pay him the other fifty. So I thought if I could borrow it from you, he’d leave us alone.”

“First, I’m not your girlfriend or your baby, so stop that. And second, you’re more delusional than I thought if you think I have that kind of money. I lost the majority of my things in my apartment, and I’m a small business owner. I’m not drownin’ in assets here.”

“Can’t you take a loan out on your coffee thing?”

“Hell no. Even if I could or had the means, I wouldn’t give it to you.”

“Maggie, this is serious. He’s gonna come after you worse than messin’ up your place. Next, it’ll be your car or your trailer. Or hell, he couldtakeyou.”

My heart beats so hard in my chest I can barely hear him over the pounding.

“Why would he suddenly come for me after months of nothin’?” I ask, trying to piece all of this together.

“Because I was missin’, but now that I got arrested and he knows I’m not dead, he’ll start harassin’ me and you again until he’s paid.”

“Who is this guy?”

“A bookie and he doesn’t play around.”

“Is he the type to wear an all-black suit and drive a Denali?” Flashbacks of that random guy who stopped by months ago hit me.

“Yes, that’s him. He sent me a photo of you workin’, which is why I had to keep stealin’ money. Once I paid him the first half, it held him off for a bit, but he’s gettin’ impatient for the rest.”

“Well, if he comes back around, I’ll just tell him I have nothin’ to do with you.”

He chuckles darkly. “It don’t work like that. He already knows you’re an asset to me and will use you to get what he wants from me.”

I blow out a frustrated breath because this isn’t making a lot of sense to me. “Well, I have nothin’ to offer him.”

“That’s not the point. You offer him leverage on gettin’ what he wants fromme.If I hadn’t gotten caught, I have no doubt he woulda done something to you to smoke me out of hidin’.”

Well, that’s not reassuring in the least.

“Speakin’ of which, where’re you stayin’, by the way, since you’re not at your apartment?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Maggie, I just wanna know that you’re somewhere safe.”

“I am.”

“If you see anything suspicious, run away and call 911.”

Anger boils inside me as the reality of his words crashes into me. “Why do you have to pull me into your bullshit, Travis? Just tell him we’re not together and that you don’t care about me anymore. You’re a pro at lying and manipulating people. I’m sure you can convince him.”

“Yeah, see, it’s kinda hard to do that when you’re walkin’ around with a baby bump. He’s a smart guy to put two and two together.”

My breath hitches, and my heart implodes. There’s no way I heard him correctly.

“Were you gonna tell me?” he asks when I don’t speak.