Slowburn

Chapter 60

         I didn't know where to go or what to do. I was crying and hiding on a seemingly random street in a convenience store at the chip aisle, and the woman behind the counter was starting to get suspicious of me. 

I'm too afraid to go to the police because I don't even fully understand what Renzo is involved in, nor do I want him to kill me when he realizes I snitched on him. That also brought me back to the point of when Renzo had been arrested and Dante laughed about it, assuring me Renzo would be just fine. That's probably because they deal with shady cops and I wouldn't know who to trust. 

I can't go home because that's the first place he'd check. Second would probably be my old apartment because he knows I don't know very many people in this city. I have never felt more lost and alone then I do right now. 

My major connection in this city was Renzo and the Revello men, but clearly I didn't know what I was getting myself into with them. 

Oh gosh...my job and my apartment are both directly linked to Renzo. I'm going to lose everything. That realization only made me sob more and I was finally kicked out of the convenience store for it. Bostonians aren't very friendly people.

        Should I move back home? Will I put my family at risk? Just how bad of a crook is Renzo? Maybe I am over reacting. Maybe he is just some low level street guy who sells marijuana or something. But no, I know that isn't the truth. You don't buy million dollar yachts with street cash. 

I'm so stupid. I should have been asking more questions and demanding answers. Instead I missed all the biggest warning signs. That robbery that happened...I had called Renzo brave for having a gun pulled and saving us. I realize now that it was Renzo's own gun, and he wasn't afraid because he probably does stuff like that all the time. 

       So many different red flags came flooding back into my head, but I needed to concentrate on where to go, because I know he'll be out looking for me. I still felt so shaky and afraid and I hate this feeling. I need help. I'm only 21 and I am so new at life. I didn't know any better. 

A face came to mind when a certain warning was remembered. Teagan. She always told me to be careful with him, but I thought she meant to be careful with my heart because he would break it. Not that he would probably kill me one day.

        I scrolled through my contacts and was so relieved that her and I had exchanged numbers not that long ago. I sent her a text asking if she was available to see me. I told her I was in a bad situation and needed refuge. She was kind enough to send me her address and tell me to come straight over. 

Something tells me that Teagan knows a lot more than I realized she knew about Renzo and I want answers. Maybe she'll be the only one who can give it to me. 

        When I looked up her address I saw it was too far to walk to. Teagan actually lived in a pretty nice area right outside of Boston in the Cambridge area. It was a converted industrial building that was made into lofts. I took the bus down there and texted her when I was outside. 

When she let me in I immediately loved the place. The vibe was free spirited with the designs very raw and bohemian qualities. Through furniture, fabric choice, and accessories that space felt very lived in and tied together well, even when it was so mixed matched.

        There were the industrial style windows with squared panels making up a larger frame. It was filmy and not very clear to look through in most of the squares though it carried the light in perfectly. Her bed was in the middle of the loft space with a mix of brickish reds, burnt oranges, and patterned dirty greens.