Adalynn looked at me with sympathetic eyes. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. Didn’t you have a suitcase or anything?”
“Yeah, but I’m sure Stephen took that when he left. I have to find him, Adalynn. He’s dangerous and he needs help,” I said as I looked down at the bloodstained carpet.
“Ian can help you find him. He has resources and connections.”
“I don’t want Ian’s help, ever. He’s helped me enough, and it’s time to move on,” I said as I opened the door and walked outside.
We gave the key back to the overly large man and got out of there as fast as we could. I reached into the envelope and pulled out some money.
“Here, I want to pay you back for the motel,” I said.
“Rory, no. You’re going to need all of that money for whatever it is you’re planning. Just forget about it and do what you have to do.”
I sighed because I knew if I argued with her, she’d end up winning anyway. So I thanked her and changed the subject.
“I met Ian’s father this morning.”
“Oh, he’s back from his trip? How’d it go?”
“He was repulsed by me and my name and, the sad part was, Ian didn’t even defend me.”
“Ian can be an ass and, as for Richard, pay him no attention. The man has issues and wouldn’t know a proper woman if one stepped on his face. Now, where do you want me to drop you off? Something tells me that you don’t want to go back to Ian’s house.”
“Can you just drop me off at Java Hut?”
Adalynn pulled up to the curb and before I got out of the car, she grabbed my hand. “I’m having a birthday party Saturday night and I want you to come. It’ll be your first Malibu party.”
“Thanks for the invite, Adalynn, but I wouldn’t fit in.”
“You will fit in, Rory. I want to celebrate my birthday with my new friend. Please come.”
There was a hint of desperation in her voice when she asked me. She had done so much for me and it wouldn’t be right if I turned her down. “Of course I’ll come. I wouldn’t miss your birthday.” I smiled.
“Great! You can come with Ian, or if you’d prefer not to, I’ll text you my address.”
“Text me your address and thank you again for taking me to retrieve this,” I said as I held up the envelope.
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you Saturday.”
I shut the door and Adalynn drove away. I walked into Java Hut and asked Ollie for a chai tea latte.
“Hey, Grayson, this is Rory. Rory, this is Grayson. Today’s his first day back from vacation.”
“Hi, Grayson.” I smiled as I held out my hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Rory. I look forward to working with you.”
Ollie handed me my tea and I went and sat down at the table. Jordyn came out from the back room and as soon as she saw me, she sat down across from me.
“What are you doing here on your day off?”
“I was out and about and needed some chai.” I smiled as I held up my cup. “Do you have a newspaper or something? I want to look for an apartment.”
“I have my iPad. You can use that,” she said as she got up from her chair.
She set her iPad down in front of me and pulled up the listings of apartments for rent in the area. I looked at the prices and shook my head. “I can’t afford any of these apartments.”
“I may have something for you,” Jordyn said. “Let me call my dad.”
She stepped away from the table as I sat there and contemplated on what to do. There was no way I could continue to live here. A few moments later, Jordyn sat back down and smiled.
“I may have just the place you’re looking for. It’s not much and it needs to be cleaned up, but I think you could do wonders with it and it’s super cheap.”
“Seriously?” I asked excitedly.
“Follow me,” she said as she led me out the door and over to the next building. On the side of the building were a set of black, wrought-iron stairs that led to a door up above. The store below was a bakery and you could smell their bread from the street. Jordyn inserted the key into the lock and opened the door. She flipped the light switch as we walked inside.
“It’s not much, but I think with some help, you can make this place a nice home.”
“Jordyn, I don’t understand,” I said as I looked around.
“My dad owns this building and Java Hut. He didn’t want the hassle of renting this place out, so he never did anything with it. I explained to him your situation and he said you’re more than welcome to fix the place up and he’ll only charge you $100 a month, water included. So, all you’ll have to pay is gas and lights and, in this little place, that won’t be much.”
I didn’t know what to say. I was stunned at the generosity of Jordyn and her father. I looked around. To the left side was the small kitchen area with a stove, sink, refrigerator, and a small counter top. A few feet down was a closed door, which I had guessed to be the bathroom. I opened the door and just about died when I saw the filthiness of it.
“Okay, so that needs some cleaning up,” Jordyn said as she pinched her nose closed.
The bathroom had a toilet, sink, and a bathtub. No more than one person could be in there at one time. I walked over to a large window and pushed back the curtains. The sunlight that filtered in was amazing. It really brightened the whole place up.
“I’ll take it.” I smiled.
“Great. I’ll let my dad know, and Ollie and I will help you fix it up! I love to decorate.” She smiled as she hooked her arm around me.
I smiled back at my new friend, but worry started to consume my mind about Ian’s reaction when I tell him I’d be leaving. I couldn’t stop thinking about last night and what he said to me. He wanted me and, when he touched me, I wanted him too. But if I let him have his way with me, I would be the one who would be destroyed, not him.
“Earth to Rory,” Jordyn said as she waved her hand in front of my face. “Where were you?” She laughed.
“Sorry. I was just picturing this place all done.”
“I’ll bring some cleaning supplies with me tomorrow and, after our shift, we can come up here and start cleaning. I’ll get Ollie and a couple of his friends to help.”
“Thank you, Jordyn. I’m so grateful for your help.”
“That’s what friends and co-workers are for.” She smiled.