Page 41 of His to Keep
Thoughts of Marcus consumed her, every damn minute. It was bordering on ridiculous. Obsessive, and she knew it. But the second she dozed off, his powerful maleness evaporated and he was quickly replaced with the stale breath of Carl who persistently seeped into her sub conscious, choking her screams.
Every time the memories snuck into her dreams, she drowned in fear. Exasperation clawed her lungs as she tried in vain to run. Her body lay paralysed, her screams muffled.
The nightmares intensified, even waking Amanda during the night. Perhaps counselling really would help her deal with the aftermath, but she wasn’t ready to open that trunk of emotions.
The door chimed when she stepped inside the small premises that displayed an array of expensive city rentals. A pretty brunette looked up through purple frames.
“Good afternoon, I’m Sinead. How can I help you today?” She lifted her hand and waved.
Lana strolled over to the seat in front of Sinead’s cluttered desk. “I’m looking for a cheap one-bedroom city rental.”
Sinead cocked an eyebrow. “I have quite a few listed, but the rent is really high. Do you have a budget in mind?
“The cheapest you have, please.”
If Lana went back to college, she would have to get a part-time job to help fund the course and pay her bills, so the cheapest and smallest apartment would be necessary.
Sinead batted aside her sleek hair that hung like curtains over her ears. “Well, you won’t find anything in the city centre on a tight budget. The further out you go, the less the monthly cost. How about I pull together some potential properties in the surrounding areas and schedule you in for some viewings through the week?”
It’s not what she wanted. On a low income it would be all she could manage. Lana had no choice other than scaling down and focusing on the long-term goal.
“Perfect. Thank you.” She gave a tight smile and dropped into the spongy chair opposite the perky girl whose fingers blurred as she typed.
“Your full name and contact number please?” she asked.
Lana scribbled her details on a house shaped notepad and handed it to Sinead whose eyes were fixated on the barely visible bruising that marred her cheek.
She tapped her pen on the counter. “Did you get yourself in some sort of trouble…” She looked down to the details on the quirky page. “Lana?”
“A crazy night out with the girls. Too much gin.” She faked a smirk.
“Oh, I hear ya, loud and clear. Just the other week I barrelled down the stairs in my mate’s house.” She shook her head regretfully. “I only had ten shots. Omigod! I nearly ruptured my spleen. And that bone just above my...” She pointed to her bottom and mouthed the word ass. “It’s been sore ever since. I’ve decided that five shots are my limit before I go out, any more than that and I walk like a puppet.”
Lana sighed with relief when a buzz from her pocket saved her from the jaws of too much information.
“If you’ll excuse me.” She nodded to her phone and stood, edging away from Sinead’s big ears.
Freddy’s name glowed on the small screen. “Hey!” She listened avidly as he launched into a conversation about a new hot guy he wanted to tap.
“Oh goodness, listen to me babbling on, how are you feeling, honey?” He finally asked. “How’s the face?”
Lana chuckled, she was more than happy to hear the sordid details of Freddy’s most recent hook up.
“The bruises have faded,” she all but whispered. “I’m out hunting for an apartment just now. Can’t kick Amanda out of her bed for much longer. It’s been nearly a week.”
She glanced back to Sinead who was pretending not to listen. “Would you like to call round and catch up?” she asked.
“Sure thing, I need to talk to you about something anyway.”
Lana nervously ruffled a few pages on a plastic stand near the door, wondering if she was about to hear news of Marcus. “That sounds ominous…?”
“Oh, honey, I haven’t heard from ‘he who not be named,’” he joked.
She exhaled in a gust, not realising she had held her breath. “Oh, right. I’ll text you Amanda’s address. Call round about 7 p.m. Can’t wait to see you again, Freddy.” She ended the call, smiling inwardly at the thought of seeing his refreshingly happy face.
The desk phone rang. “Good afternoon, Butler and Walcott.”
Lana returned to her seat, waiting for a list of rentals to check out through the week.
