Make Believe (Book #2, PRETEND SERIES)

Chapter 10: Six Days Earlier

AIDEN’S POINT OF VIEW

April was right, I was still paying for staying up the other night, but it was worth it. Taise seemed way happier when we all left, so I was happy.

Leah hadn’t shown up for work yet, and nor was she answering my calls. She was forty-five minutes late, and I was not impressed.

The clearing of a throat interrupted my internal rant. When I looked up, I found a dishevelled looking Leah, standing at my office door with her head hanging. Her hair was a mess and she had on the same clothes from yesterday.

“Um...I’m so sorry I’m late,” she mumbled and tried to avoid eye contact with me.

“Leah, is everything alright?” I asked, getting up.

“Yeah, I just woke up late. I am so sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“Look at me,” I said calmly.

She reluctantly lifted her head up, revealing a huge bruise on her right cheek.

“What the hell?” I gasped as I moved toward her.

“It’s nothing,” she said softly,, backing away from me.

“Did somebody do this to you?” I felt like I was staring at my mom all of those years ago. Everything was here — the fear, the desperation, and the denial. I was not about to allow anyone in my life to experience that again. “Leah, you can trust me. I just want to help,” I whispered, took a step closer, and lifted her chin. “What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she replied quietly.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I said.

“What? Are you firing me?” she asked shocked.

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I think you should go home, get yourself together, and come back in a couple of days.”

I saw a sudden panicked look sweep across her face.

“I can’t go back there,” she whispered.

“Why?”

She took a deep breath. “I lied. I am not going to Nevada to look after my father. I don’t even know my father.”

“I don’t get it.”

“I needed this job to get enough money to move away.”

“From who?” She did not speak. “Who?”

“My ex-boyfriend. I didn’t think that he would find me here, but he did.”

“He did that to you?” I asked, pointing at her face. She nodded her head, and I felt my fist clench tighter. I tried to keep calm and pretend that anytime I heard that a man had put his hands on a woman it did not make me want to rip off his head. “Here,” I said as I handed her my keys. “Go and wait in my car, I’ll be out in a minute.”

“I don’t understand,” she looked puzzled.

“I’m going to take you somewhere safe.” She slowly removed the keys from my hand and walked out the door. I pulled my cell from my pocket and dialled April’s number.

“Hello,” she answered after the third ring.

“Hey, you OK?”

“Yeah, you?”

“I’m fine, look...I’m going to be out of the office for a little while so if you need me, call my cell.”

“OK, sure. Is everything OK?” I took a deep breath. I didn’t want to lie to her, but I knew Jess and Crystal were already making her paranoid about Leah. I didn’t want her to think it was anything more than it was.