Page 56 of Taking Adalisa

“Oh,” I whisper.

What do I say to that? He seems genuinely worried, but I don’t want to go around telling everyone why I’m here. I don’t want people to know in case Matthias comes snooping around. It puts them in danger if they know the specifics.

“Is anyone going to come by asking questions?” he asks.

I shrug. “I don’t think so. I don’t think I was followed here, and I ditched my old phone outside my old apartment and got a new one with cash, so he couldn’t trace it.”

I didn’t want to get rid of it since it was only few months old, but I needed to. Matthias has my phone number, and I know he will be able to track me with it.

“Good. If you need any help, let me know. I’ve helped people hide before,” he offers, handing me the key. “You stay safe out there. I’m here in this building at all times. If anyone comes asking for you, I won’t say nothing.”

I give him a weak smile. “Thank you,” I whisper, getting emotional.

I shouldn’t trust a complete stranger, but he seems sincere in wanting to help me. I take the key and grab my duffel bag, hauling it over my shoulder.

“You’re on the first floor. Made sure you have a window in case the entrance is blocked. I don’t give this room to just anyone,” the man calls out.

“Thank you,” I reply, looking down at the room number on the key.

Sure enough, it is on the first floor. How sweet of him to help me out like this when he doesn’t have to. To think about me needing to escape and having a window in the apartment.

Touching.

I am going to have to thank him when everything works out. Now I just need to lay low, change my appearance, and then I can head back to work with a whole new disguise. I even bought a fake pregnant belly to wear to work so I could change my appearance if Matthias shows up.

This is how dedicated I am to getting away from him. Changing everything about myself. I even thought about having fake tattoos to alter it even more, but I didn’t have time to buy them.

I don’t have a fake ID yet for another name. I will still be using my real one, and I don’t want anyone tipping Mathias off that I am getting a tattoo somewhere.

“Home sweet home,” I mutter as I walk into the room.

There is a couch and a bed in the one-room apartment. Why does he advertise it as a one-bedroom apartment when it’s technically no bedroom and just one big room for everything? There is a small kitchen to my right, the bed in the back corner, and the couch in the middle of the room. I’m surprised the bathroom isn’t out in the open.

I place my bag down on the ground and lock the door. The locks aren’t very safe. Anyone could get in. Maybe after I dye my hair tomorrow, I can buy another lock and install it. Do I know what I’m doing? Absolutely not, but I’ve seen you can place something on the existing lock to make it harder to get into. Exhaustion weighs down on me as I look at the bed. First, I’ll can take a nap, and then I can unpack everything and figure out food. I groan and close my eyes. I’ve brought some of my spices, but I didn’t bring any food with me. How am I going to do this? The kitchen here isn’t fully equipped with everything I need to cook, and I can’t buy premade food.

No.

Taking a deep breath in, I slowly let it out. First, a nap, and then I can think about everything else. I need a clear mind when I think about everything and make decisions. After walking to the bed, I pull back the covers and slide in.

“Perfect,” I mumble, getting comfortable and falling asleep.

Knock.Knock. Knock.

Slowly blinking my eyes, I try to make them focus. What is going on? Why is someone pounding on my door? Could it be the landlord? No, he said he wouldn’t bother me unless it were super important.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Groaning, I push myself up off the bed. Wouldn’t he say something if he needs me? I look at the door suspiciously. Something doesn’t feel right. I feel like he would be announcing himself if he needs something, giving me peace of mind.

Matthias can’t have found me. It’s only been a couple of hours since I left my apartment. Maybe I need to leave New York City for a while. But when will I know if everything has calmed down?

Margery isn’t answering her phone, and I don’t know where she is. She is the only person I would trust. If she were here, I would have to explain about Matthias, which I should have in the beginning, but I didn’t want to scare her.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I glare at the door. What am I going to do? There is no peephole and no window to look out of into the corridor. I would be opening the door completely blind, and I don’t like that. Maybe if I pretend I’m not here, they will eventually stop knocking and leave.

I sit on my bed and look at the door. I’m going to wait for them to leave before I do anything. But how am I going to know if they have left? I can’t call the owner and ask, and ruin my chances of them hearing me.

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