Page 79 of Gangster's Empire: Leeza & Havel

She was going to see his home!

She wondered what it would look like. He’d told her he was an accountant, which meant he had money.

As they walked, she imagined a scenario where they got engaged and she was able to have a glamorous bachelorette party just like Leeza’s, with an elegant wedding to follow. After the wedding, they would move into Adam’s fancy apartment where they would host Babi and Leeza. She’d have to invite Havel too, of course, since he never let Leeza go anywhere alone. She shoved the thought out of her head. She couldn’t think about Havel right now. It upset her too much and she needed to concentrate on Adam if they were going to have a future together.

“This way.”

Anne frowned as Adam led her down a set of cobblestone stairs and through an alleyway. There were buildings on both sides and the air around her went from warm and sunny to damp and shadowy. She shivered and leaned closer to Adam.

Instead of continuing through to the other end of the alley and back out into the sunshine, he stopped at a door and fitted his key in the lock.

“Here?” she asked incredulously, looking at the buildings around them. They were tall, dank, and mostly windowless with an industrial abandoned feel.

He nodded. “I prefer living quietly.”

Her place with Babi was small, but cozy and quiet, located in a bustling but cheerful neighborhood. Anne often lamented that the home wasn’t more modern, but it was clean and friendly, unlike the building Adam was living in.

Incredulity was replaced with dismay as they stepped inside. She followed him down a long, dark and empty hallway, glancing past a door that was hanging open, the hinges bent at an odd angle. There were no signs of life. Just cobwebs, dust and boxes.

“Is this an apartment building?” she asked, hearing the squeak in her voice.

She didn’t think she was in any danger from Adam, but she didn’t want to go any further into the building. Her sheltered life had steered her away from ramshackle abandoned buildings. It looked like the kind of place homeless persons might squat in.

“Not exactly,” Adam answered. “But I own the building, so I can do whatever I want with it.”

“You own this place?” Her fear turned to relief as she imagined how much it must cost to purchase a whole building in the heart of Prague. Maybe he was rich!

They went up a staircase, down another hall, then stopped at a door. He unlocked and opened it, ushering her inside.

The room consisted of a makeshift kitchen, dining room, and living room. His kitchen had a hot plate on a counter, a sink and a bar fridge. Next to a grimy wall there was an old square dining table, its laminate top scarred from years of use. A single faded hardwood chair was tucked up to it. In the living room there was a small couch, but no chair, no rugs, no TV, nothing. It appeared windowless although one of the walls had a plywood board nailed to it. She supposed there could be a window behind it.

Anne’s inner alarm bell was finally clanging, and she was terribly afraid she’d done something stupid by following this man back to his so-called ‘apartment’.

Backing toward the door, she stammered, “Actually… I…I don’t think I’m quite ready to…”

Adam reacted swiftly by gripping her arm. “You can’t leave.”

Anne swallowed hard and considered her options. She could scream, but who would hear her? Adam had brought her into what looked like a deserted back alley and then into a deserted building. She could knee him hard and bolt for the door, but if he caught her, what would he do to her?

Maybe she was being ridiculous. Just because he had less money than she thought didn’t make him a serial killer. She’d fallen on hard times too. It’s why she’d taken the position of Babi’s caretaker. She loved Babi, but if she had the choice, she’d rather be sipping margaritas on a beach in Spain than cleaning up after an old woman.

“Umm, you said you owned this place?”

He nodded, a look of relief on his face as he let her go. “It was a good investment when I came to Prague, but I only moved in a few months ago.”

Another red flag. Or was it? “Is that why you don’t have much for furniture?”

“Uh, yes. I’ve been meaning to get more.”

She smiled her relief. His place was sparse now, but given the size of the building, he could turn his home into a mansion. If they continued to date, maybe she could help him pick out a few pieces. All his apartment needed was a little love.

“Do you have plans for the rest of the building?”

He stared blankly from behind thick glasses, then turned to open the bar fridge. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“Please,” she said, watching as he took out a cannister of instant coffee and some milk. Instant coffee? Ugh. She kept the thought to herself as she watched him dig out a kettle from the single cupboard, fill it with water and set it on the hot plate.

“You said you work as an accountant for a prominent organization?” she prompted, reminding him of one of their earlier conversations. “Which one?”

---