Chapter 8

• Lana
• A Week Later
• I stand behind the thin curtain and look out at Cypress Street, number 356. I let out a slow breath. I can’t hide from Xander forever. And lying to him only made things worse.
• When I told him I was seriously sick, he added more time to what I owe him. It wasn’t fully a lie. The thought of him touching me still makes my stomach turn.
• A week without work is already too much for us, especially now. We don’t have the money for that. Which means I have to stop hiding. I have to step back outside and hope for the best.
• If I’m lucky, I won’t see Xander today. Not between classes. Not during my shift at La Dolce Vita Bakery.
• My thoughts drift to a man I met at the bakery almost a week ago. He left me a fifty-dollar tip. That money paid for our groceries.
• Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to stay home at all. Dark eyes flicker in my mind. My stomach tightens. For a moment, I remember thinking I’d seen him before.
• Something about him felt familiar. His touch. His eyes. The way he looked straight through me, even with the oversized hat and sunglasses I wore to hide from Xander.
• I’m losing it. That’s what Mrs. Moretti would say. I’m letting fear twist my thoughts.
• I pull the curtain shut and look at my phone lying on the bed. There’s a long row of unanswered messages waiting for me. I already know who they’re from.
• I’m fooling myself if I think I can walk away from this. There’s no clean way out. Is what I have left worth twenty-five thousand dollars? Lately, I don’t think it is.
• I only reply to one message. Chloe’s. She’s been staying in Long Island with her mom all week. Part of me is glad she’s not here. She’d lose her mind if she knew what I was thinking about doing. Especially after everything I did just to get away from him.
• “Hey, Lana, are you feeling better yet?”
• Dad’s voice comes through the thin wall that barely separates my room from the living space.
• I lie again. I’ve been lying a lot lately. My father isn’t a good man, but even he wouldn’t want me selling myself to fix his mistakes. “Yeah, Dad. I’m going back to work today.”
• He leans around the broken plaster edge, his eyes red and tired. He rubs the back of his neck and gives me a weak smile. “That’s good. Because I need to start paying back that loan—” He stops himself and covers his face with his hands.
• My chest tightens. Xander must be pushing him. Using his people to scare him since I haven’t done what I promised. “What did you agree to now?”
• He looks down at the floor. “Two thousand a month.”
• “Two thousand?” I shout.
• Even then, it would take more than a year. Longer, once the interest keeps adding up. I feel the weight settle in my chest.
• There’s no way around it now. I’m really going to have to do this. I’m going to have to give Xander what he wants just to make it end. And that means my move to the University of Coral Bay is pushed back again. At least until the end of summer.
• “Get out,” I say after a moment. “Please. I need to get dressed.”
• “Sure, sweetheart. I’ll leave you alone.” But he doesn’t move.
• “What?”
• He hesitates. “I know you’ve been sick, but did you talk to that Golden Phoenix guy? About easing up on us?”
• “Yes,” I say through my teeth. “I’m handling it.”
• “Okay. Thanks, Lana.” He steps back, then finally turns and disappears into the small kitchen area.
• If he asks me about breakfast, I might snap. Thank God he stays quiet, only the sound of empty cabinets opening and closing. I pull on a shirt and jeans, tie my hair into a high ponytail like Mrs. Moretti prefers, and head out the door.
• *****
• Hours later, I finally make it back to our building. Relief hits me all at once. I lock the front door behind me and lean against the worn wood, clutching a paper bag filled with Italian pastries.
• I made it through the day. Barely.
• Xander’s cousin, Jin, spotted me when I stepped outside to deliver cannoli to a customer. Even with my hat and sunglasses, he saw me. I didn’t think. I just rushed back inside La Dolce Vita Bakery and stayed there until my shift ended.
• I must have looked shaken. Gianni Moretti noticed right away and asked if I was okay. I told him Xander and Jin were causing trouble.
• He didn’t hesitate. He stood by the door for the rest of my shift, making sure no one came in after me.
• I don’t know what I would’ve done without him.
• He was a lifesaver.