1
SAGE
Staring up at the square-shaped whiteboard I used to design crossword puzzles, I tapped the bottom of my dry erase marker against my lips as I considered where I wanted to place the first word. I had decided on the theme this morning—the most difficult part of designing a puzzle—and was hoping to make good progress today so it would be ready for submission tomorrow. This particular puzzle was a harder one since I was hoping it would be accepted for a Sunday edition of the paper, which required a larger grid. It also paid three times as much, so competition for the coveted spot was fierce.
Just as I was in the middle of writing out the seven-letter answer, there was a loud pounding on the door. After quickly scribbling the rest of the word, I glared over my shoulder. My roommate had left for work a couple of hours ago, and I wasn’t expecting anyone to visit, so I was tempted to ignore whoever it was. Unfortunately, my unwanted visitor made that option impossible when they only waited a few seconds before thumping against the hard surface again. Only this time they didn’t stop until I finally stormed across the living room to fling open the door.
“What do you wa—” I hissed, the last word trailing off when I caught sight of the man whose fist was still raised, quickly regretting my decision. Popping in my noise reduction earbuds so I could ignore the interruption would definitely have been a much better choice.
My gaze darted to the guys standing on either side of him as they rushed forward to grab my arms as one of them grunted, “Boss needs to talk to you, bitch.”
“Oww, stop,” I cried, trying to yank out of their hold.
“I wouldn’t bother trying to get away, Phoebe. You’re not going anywhere until I’m done with you,” the man in the middle warned. He was obviously the boss the two thugs had referred to.
“You heard him,” the jerk holding my right arm snarled, tightening his fingers enough that my skin was sure to be bruised when he finally let me go.
The name the boss had used finally clicked in my brain. “I’m sorry. Phoebe isn’t here right now.”
“Nice try, girlie.” He got right up in my face and reached out to grab my chin in a punishing grip. “But I’m not gonna buy your lies.”
I was terrified as tears filled my eyes and streamed down my cheeks. “It’s the truth, I swear.”
“You’re a better liar than your brother, I’ll give you that.” His dark, beady eyes didn’t have an ounce of compassion as he scanned my expression. “Every time he’s told me he’ll have the money he owes me, it’s been obvious he’s lying. But if I didn’t know better, I’d almost think that you’re telling me the truth.”
I blinked up at him in a daze. “But I don’t even have a brother.”
“Sure you don’t,” he jeered, releasing my chin to jab a finger toward the apartment number above my door. “The problem with your story is that I know damn well that Paul Baker’s sister, Phoebe, lives at this address. No way in hell would my source lie to me about that. He knows what price he’d pay for crossing me.”
Holy crap! He was here because of Phoebe’s no-good brother…who she hadn’t even talked to in months.
“You’re here for Paul?” I whispered.
He quirked a brow. “Thought you said you weren’t Phoebe.”
“I’m really not. I’m her roommate, Sage.”
It didn’t seem to matter how much I tried explaining the situation, none of these men were willing to listen to what I had to say.
“Too bad for you that your brother isn’t around to learn the lesson himself, or else I’d just take the money he owes me out of his hide.” The two goons laughed as he shook his head. “Since he’s disappeared into thin air without giving me the ten large that he owes for a brick he was supposed to sell, I’m gonna have to make do with you.”
“Junkie shoulda known better,” the guy on my left muttered.
“He really should have,” the boss agreed with an evil smirk. “I can’t let his transgression slide, or else I’ll lose respect. Then some dealer will think he can invade my territory, and I’d have to kill him.”
I knew that Paul had struggled with drugs in the past, but I had no idea that he had relapsed. Or that he owed his dealer enough money to have the man show up at our apartment. If I had, I never would have opened the door.
“I don’t know what kind of trouble my roommate’s brother has gotten himself into, and I have no idea where he is,” I swore, tilting my head back toward the apartment. “If you let me get my purse, I can prove that I’m not Phoebe.”
“Do you have ten K in it?” he asked, sarcasm thick in his tone.
Shaking my head, I whispered, “No.”
“Then no fucking deal.”
That was all the warning I got before he slammed his fist into my face. Pain radiated up to my skull, and I felt a trickle of blood drip down my cheek. A sob burst from my lips, and I would have fallen to the ground if his men hadn’t still been holding me.
The boss stepped closer, and I cringed back in fear. “Please don’t hurt me.”
“Save your begging for your brother. It’s up to him if you suffer more or not.” He looked up at his men, and they released my arms. I dropped to my knees, and he crouched in front of me.
“My roommate’s brother,” I whispered.
His eyes narrowed as he considered me. “You have me more than half convinced you’re actually telling the truth, but it doesn’t matter in the end. If Paul doesn’t get me my money, any woman who lives at this address is gonna pay for his mistake.”
He straightened and stormed down the hallway, his men following in his wake as he finally left me alone. Getting to my feet, I stumbled back into my apartment and grabbed my purse. As I yanked out my cell phone, I shoved my feet into a pair of shoes and grabbed a sweatshirt. Pulling the hood over my head, I slid my hair over my shoulder to cover as much of my face as I could while still being able to see where I was going. Then I headed out the door and down to my car.
Pulling out of the parking lot, I called Phoebe. I wasn’t surprised she didn’t answer since she was at work. When her voicemail finally beeped, I blurted, “Your brother is in trouble. Some guy came looking for him at the apartment. He…um…is dangerous. And incredibly insistent about finding Paul. You need to stay away from the apartment. Maybe go and stay with your parents for a while. Your brother owes the guy a lot of money, and he won’t hesitate to hurt you if Paul doesn’t pay him. Be careful.”
I skipped over the part about the punch to my face because I didn’t want Phoebe to worry about me. She had bigger issues to focus on at the moment.
Once I disconnected, a sob welled up my chest. I’d managed to hold back my tears while I was leaving her the message. I didn’t have a destination in mind when I left, I had just wanted to get as far away from my apartment as possible. When I hit a red light, I flipped down the sun visor and slid the mirror open so I could peer up at my reflection. My eyes widened when I spotted the cut in the middle of the apple of my cheek. I hadn’t realized how deep it was—or that blood was still dripping down my face. I definitely needed medical attention, so I figured that I might as well head to the nearest urgent care.