I SEARCH Robbs’ eyes for any sign of humanity, but all I see is wild rage. I know there’s not a chance that I’ll be able to talk my way out of this, but I try anyway.
“Robbs,” I say calmly. “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been waiting for you, Kiara. I’ve been waiting for a really long time. You don’t think you’re leaving, do you?” He gestures to the keys in my hand. “You just got here.”
He takes a couple of steps toward me, and I instinctively back away. “You haven’t answered my question, Robbs. What are you doing here?”
He pulls one of my chef’s knives from his back pocket and points the blade at me. “I’m here to give you what you deserve. You know as well as I do that you’ve slept your way to the top. This should have been my apartment. You stole it from me, just like you stole the apprenticeship back in Austin. I could outcook you all day long, but I just can’t satisfy the executive chefs quite the same way you can. It’s not fair.”
Just stall him. Delco is on his way. Just keep him talking until the cops get here.
“Robbs, you’re clearly upset. But so far, you haven’t done anything that you can’t come back from. I’m sure that any decent attorney could keep you out of jail. Please don’t do anything to make things worse for yourself.” I try to keep my voice even. I don’t want Robbs to have the satisfaction of seeing my fear.
He lets out an evil laugh. “Nice try, Kiara, acting like you’re worried about me. It’s completely unnecessary, I have a foolproof plan all worked out.” He takes another step toward me.
I remain rooted in place. I don’t want to put any more distance between myself and the front door.
“As soon as I’m done with you,” he continues, “I’m going to go finish what I started with your slutty little friend. I thought I’d done the job right the first time, but the bitch just wouldn’t die, would she? I wasn’t counting on a neighbor finding her. But I learned from that mistake. You’ll be cold before anyone finds you. And once Jenny is taken care of, I’ll disappear. I’m a master at reinventing myself. I’m thinking a life near the beach is in order. The sun and fresh air will be good for me, after all of the hell you’ve put me through.”
“You’ll never get away with it,” I tell him defiantly. “The cops will grab you the moment you try to go near Jenny. You’ll never hurt her again, and you’ll rot in prison if you hurt me.”
“They’ll have to find me first,” he snarls. “And even if they do, any punishment they give me will be well worth it. Knowing that you’re in the ground will be the warm blanket that keeps me warm in prison.”
He lunges at me and knocks me in to the hallway wall. The back of my head hits the hard sheetrock, and I slide to the floor. I feel dizzy, and it takes me several moments to focus my eyes. When I finally do, I see Robbs moving toward me with the knife.
Where the hell is Delco?
Robbs bends down and grabs me by the front of my shirt. I lean into the wall as he pulls me to my feet. I’ve never been a particularly religious person. I’ve kind of always thought that if God did exist, he’d forgotten about me a long time ago. But in this moment, with Robbs holding me against the wall and pressing the cold blade to my neck, all I can do is pray.
Please help me. Please send someone. I’m not ready to die.
I hear the crack of the front door being kicked open, and a rush of relief fills me.
Thank you. I can’t believe that worked. Thank you.
“Kiara?” Paul cries out. “Kiara, are you here?”
Robbs is caught off guard by Paul’s sudden appearance, and I’m able to wiggle out of his grip.
“I’m here, Paul,” I call out through my tears. I race down the hallway, followed closely by Robbs. “So is Robbs! He was here when I got home!”
Paul rounds the corner into the hallway and quickly gets between me and Robbs. “Get out of here, Kiara! Go to the diner across the street and wait for me. I’ll take care of this trash.”
“NO, NO, NO!” Robbs screams. “Get the fuck back here, you bitch.”
“Paul, he has a knife!” I warn as Robbs lunges for him.
Paul hits the wall but isn’t knocked out.
“Go, Kiara,” Paul demands again. He grabs a hold of Robbs’ wrist and keeps the knife at bay. I’m torn between wanting to stay and help him and wanting to get the hell away as fast as possible.
Paul can handle him. And if he can’t, I don’t want to be here for Robbs to slice into next. I’ll call the cops from the diner.
I race toward the door and find it splintered, barely hanging from its hinges. I step through the wreckage and race for the elevator. I listen for sounds from my apartment but I can’t hear anything. My ears are still ringing from hitting my head on the wall. The elevator doors open, and I jump inside. My heart pounds as I descend to the ground floor and escape to the sidewalk. I cross the street and step into the diner, but I still feel an overwhelming urge to flee.
What the FUCK happened to Delco?
A tired, middle-aged brunette approaches my table. “What can I get you?” she asks halfheartedly.
“Coffee and water, please,” I quickly reply. She leaves, and I pull my phone from my back pocket. Delco had promised to be here in ten minutes, but that was twenty minutes ago. I dial his number.
“Kiara, I hit traffic. I’m still about ten minutes out. Was it Martin? Is he still there?”