Page 19 of Force Play

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Nobody needs to know that, though.

I’m Lucia Torres, the independent woman who doesn’t need a man to be happy.

Never fazed, never hurt, never fractured.

All the bandages holding me together just happen to blend in enough that nobody can tell they’re even there.

The Strange End of Napoleon: Arsenic Poisoning or Stomach Cancer?

The Death of Alexander the Great: Poison or Natural Illness?

The Assassination of Hypatia of Alexandria: Philosophy, Power, and Tragedy

The Angel Makers of Nagyrév: How Hungarian Women Poisoned Hundreds of Husbands

I grab my favorite leggings, throw on an old T-shirt, and pull my hair up into a high pony before walking back into my living room, surveying the chaos surrounding me.

Boxes stacked everywhere.

Furniture that I have yet to figure out where I’m going to store.

Miscellaneous items on the kitchen counters I still need to shove into a box so I can take them with me.

It’s eight in the morning, and I can already tell this is going to be a long ass day. The guys are coming over at nine to help me move everything to Ari’s apartment in NoHo. In the meantime, I’ll just work on the last few things I need to get packed up.

A loud knock sounds at the door, though, leaving me wondering who the hell is here. The guys aren’t supposed to be here for another hour.

I stalk over to the door and swing it open, surprised to find a group of men on the other side.

“Uh, can I help you?” I ask, hackles rising because there are literally unknown men standing at my door.

“Just here to help you move, ma’am,” the one in front says with a southern drawl.

I don’t move from in front of the door. “I didn’t hire a moving company.”

He seems confused and looks at the paperwork in his hand. “Are you…” he trails off, flipping through the pages. “Lucia Torres?”

“Yes, that’s me. But I didn’t hire you.”

“Someone did,” he replies with a light laugh. “We’re booked to move you to NoHo today.”

“I can’t afford that right now,” I say softly. I make decent money, but movers in NYC are expensive, so I know I don’t have this in my budget at the moment.

“Already paid, ma’am,” he shrugs before showing me the paperwork he’s holding. “If you want our help, you’ve got us for today. You don’t need to do a thing.”

I stand there for a moment, stunned, but eventually get my bearings. When I do, I slowly move out of the way, opening the door wider and gesturing for the men to come inside. “Um, yeah. That would be great. Thank you.”