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thoughtful. Thank you.”
    He nods and closes the door.

 
     
    Chapter 11
     
    When I get back to my apartment, I fall into bed. Jessica is asleep, snoring softly. I turn on my phone and read the texts. The more I read, the worse I feel. Fileze was really pissed. Now I understand why. The John I was supposed to meet is the one who had Fileze beat into hamburger.
    “Fuck.” I check the text Fileze sent me about the hotel and room number. I went exactly where he told me to go. It isn’t my fault the wrong person answered. How can I fix this? Can I? Should I leave? Disappear? My options are limited. The way Fileze was talking, he won’t stop until I’m dead. But I have nowhere to go.
    Last I checked my dad was still dead and my mom was still in prison. The streets of L.A. swallowed my little brother a long time ago. I have no idea if he’s dead or alive. My parents never discussed their families. They were always too fucked up to say or do much of anything, let alone tell us if we had extended family or not.
    The tears that have been threatening spill over. I’m well and truly fucked. Unless I leave.
    And do what? I ask myself.
    I got my GED when I was seventeen and I’ve been saving to go to the local community college. I want to major in business, but I still don’t have enough for the tuition.
    My dad escaped his problems by overdosing. He left a note: I know I’m a low life fuck. The world is better off without me. Peace out.
    He definitely took the easy way out and I can’t help but have the thought cross my mind. Is the world better off without me? Am I better off not being in it?
    “No,” I whisper fiercely. My dad gave up. That isn’t the kind of person I am. So what do I do?
    Before I can figure it out, there’s a knock at the door.
    I check the peephole. There’s a tall, super big guy wearing sunglasses and a suit standing there.
    “What do you want?” I ask, locking the chain and deadbolt.
    “I need to speak with Cadence Norton.”
    My heart is pounding so hard I can hardly hear.
    “Who are you?” I finally ask.
    The big guy leans forward. “I’m here on behalf of Mr. Zane. You missed an appointment with him last night and he’d like to discuss a new arrangement with you.”
    “I don’t know a Mr. Zane. And besides there’s no one by the name of Cadence who lives here.”
    He pulls a gun from somewhere and holds it up so I can see it through the peephole. “Either you come on your own or I take matters into my own hands.”
    “But I’m not Cadence,” I yell, pressing my hand against my mouth. Holy shit. What am I going to do? I should’ve stayed with John.
    “I think you’re lying,” he says.
    “What the hell is going on? What’s all the noise?”
    I run to her. Throw my duffle bag on her bed and start stuffing clothes from the floor in it. “You need to get out of here. Go out the window. Don’t come back for a few days. There’s…”
    I’m interrupted by pounding on the door. “Miss Cadence, I’m giving you to the count of three to open this door or I’ll break it down.”
    Jessica looks at me, her blue eyes wild. “What did you do?”
    “Nothing. Everything. I fucked up. Okay. Just go. Hurry.” I open the window and push the metal stairs down.
    “One!”
    “Hurry,” I whisper-shout. “Please. I’ll call you later and tell you everything.”
    She nods, pulls on a pair of imitation Uggs and climbs out the window. “You better,” she says and flings the duffle over her head.
    “I will.”
    “Two!”
    Jessica climbs back up. “Come with me,” she says.
    I shake my head and stuff the money I’ve saved, more than three thousand bucks, in her hand. “He’ll keep looking until he finds me. Hurry.”
    Her eyes get wide and she swallows. “Okay.”
    “Three!”
    I quickly slam the window and lock it. Then close the curtains.
    The door splinters open. The big guy steps in. He didn’t even break a sweat.
    “Let’s go, miss.”
    My heart falls into my stomach