Whore.

Chapter 31: Epinephrine

I raised my hands to indicate my surrender. I didn't want to die. The man held the knife to my neck and seemed to growl. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew that if I struggled, that would be the end. When he realized I wasn't going to fight him, he released the knife slowly.

"Didn't think we'd find you, did you?"

I mumbled my protest against his hand. He released it slowly.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about. Please don't hurt me." I was surprised at how scared I sounded. The man punched me. It hurt. A lot.
"The hell you don't. We've been tracking your stupid ass all over this town. Did you think you could just take money from us and run?"
"Honestly, I don't know what you-" I stopped. Fucking hell, he thought I was Jeff. I remembered the guy at the diner. Apparently, Jeff owed some guy money. Oh yeah, Francis. Frankie. I shook my head. Jeff was going to get me killed. Some reward I got for inheriting his boyfriend.

"What are you shaking your head for? Don't even think you're not going to pay back every cent, plus interest."
"I'm not Jeff."

He looked like he was about to kill someone. Oh yeah, me. He punched me again.

"What kind of shit are you trying to pull?"
"Seriously, I'm not Jeff. I look like him, but you've got it all wrong. You're not the first guy to make this mistake."

I received another punch. It seemed nothing I said was going to get through to him. As far as he cared, I was Jeff. And I was going to pay back whatever Jeff owed.

"Fine, alright, I'm Jeff. Stop hitting me. I'll pay you back. How much do I owe?"
"Two grand, dipshit."
"Okay. I'll get the money; just stop, please."

He eyed me angrily before he released me.

"One week."
"What?"
"You have one week to pay up. Or I cut your nuts off." He waved the knife at me and I flinched back. He opened the door and walked out. I stood there, wondering what to do. I had just promised to pay back money I didn't even owe. Where was I supposed to drop the money off? Who should I pay to? I walked out of the stall and looked at my face in the mirror. The bruising was light. Maybe my skin had been conditioned by Mr. Beedham. I rubbed my face and rinsed it with warm water. I prepared a lie to tell Swash and walked out of the toilet.

"What took you so long?" Swash looked concerned. I shrugged.
"Potty break." I said, trying to sound mischievous.
"Oh." He smiled. Bradley wanted to move on to see something else. I followed, but felt nervous. I continued keep an eye out for the guy that threatened me. I didn't want Bradley or Swash to get into any sort of trouble from being seen with me. Whoever this Francis guy was, he seemed like the type that could arrange to have Bradley kidnapped and the ransom dropped as his repayment. I didn't want to risk that. And if it happened, Swash would blame me for endangering his son. I felt something twitch in my chest at the thought. Swash scared me more than Francis. So, for once in my life, I decided that the truth would be an easier option. If Swash knew what was going on, he could join me in keeping an eye out for Bradley. Plus the blame on me would be minimal if anything did happen. Whoever these jackasses were, I didn't want to face them by myself.

"What's going on? You've been looking around since you came back. You look like you're scared of something." Swash interrupted my thought process.
"Swash, I'm in trouble."

He frowned. It's not like it was my fault, but somehow, I found myself covered in someone else's crap.

"What do you mean 'trouble'? Legal trouble? Financial trouble?"
"The second one. But it's completely not my fault." I tried to keep my voice low. So many people were passing by.
"Explain."
"I look a lot like someone who owes some people a lot of money. Just now, some big guy threatened me with a knife in a bathroom stall. Apparently, the person I look like - whose name is Jeff, by the way - owes them two thousand dollars. No doubt they're loan sharks."
"So, they want you to pay back two grand."
"That's not my main concern right now. These people mean business, Swash. That guy in the bathroom was actually going to kill me. I'm just scared they could be watching me. If they see me with Bradley, they could-"
"Keep my son out of this," he snapped. He had gone from concerned to angry. I couldn't blame him.
"Do you think I want to be part of any of this? I'm just as scared for him too. These people look vicious. They could decide to kidnap him for ransom or something. So I think it's best that we go, now."