Chapter 2 Completely, Utterly Alone

"Becca? Becca? Becca?!" I jolted as a sharp smack landed on my arm. My coworker stood beside me, glaring. "Shoot, I'm sorry. Do you need something?" I sat upright, realizing I had zoned out thinking about Jake and how he had made a fool of me. "Yes, I needed something from you about an hour ago. I asked for the files for Halverson's project. Where the hell are they?" Oh no. I had forgotten all about that project. "I'm so sorry. Just give me a minute. I have them somewhere around here." I searched aimlessly on my desk, knowing full well that the files were nowhere to be found. I hadn’t even visited the sites. "What's going on with you, Becca? This is so unlike you. Mr. Gavin needs those files before the end of the day. Get them. Immediately." She glared at me again and walked away. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Nothing was going right for me. It had been three weeks since I broke up with Jake, but it still felt like yesterday. Despite being the one to end things, I was the one who lost out. Jake announced his engagement to Christabel, and they had a public gender reveal party. Since then, I'd been bombarded with messages from friends wondering what happened. My phone buzzed. Another message. I didn’t even check who it was. I already knew. "Becca, what happened between you and Jake? Why didn't you tell me?" "Girl, is it true he got her pregnant while you two were still together?" "Why aren’t you answering? Are you okay?" No. No, I wasn’t. I ignored the buzzing phone and grabbed my bag, heading out of the office toward the Halverson site. I couldn't let Jake ruin my life any more than he already had. But as I drove, the radio played a song. Our song. The moment the chorus hit, the dam broke. Tears poured down my face. Ugly, gasping sobs. I pulled into an empty parking lot and just let it all out, clutching the steering wheel like it was the only thing holding me together. By the time I surfaced from my breakdown, two hours had passed. My cellphone rang. Without checking the caller ID, I picked up. "Hello," I croaked. My throat was raw from crying. "Becca, where the hell are you?" My coworker's voice snapped. I wiped my nose and sniffled. "I—I went to get the files," I lied. "The meeting already started, and Mr. Gavin is pissed that you're not here with them." Oh no. This was bad. Really bad. "Please help me explain. I'll be there in thirty minutes." "I don’t know if I can. He’s really—" She was cut off, and a deep male voice took over. "Becca, where the ever-living hell are you?" I swallowed hard. "Mr. Gavin, I had a minor accident. Just give me thirty minutes, and I’ll be there with the files." "No need. I’m tired of your excuses. You’ve had enough time to submit those files, but you didn’t. I don’t know where your head has been these past few weeks, but it’s definitely not at work. Seems like you’re not ready for this job. Don’t bother coming back. You’re fired." My heart sank. "Mr. Gavin, please. Just give me a minute to explain—" "I don’t want to hear it. Your desk is being cleared. You can pick up your things from the front desk." The line went dead before I could say another word. I stared at my phone, my hands trembling. Fired. Just like that. Tears welled in my eyes again. I took deep breaths. No. I will not cry. Not again. I needed to go home. But when I pulled up to my apartment, my stomach dropped. My things—my suitcases, boxes, shoes—everything was dumped outside. A bright red eviction notice was taped to the door. Heart pounding, I yanked out my phone and dialed my landlord. He answered on the first ring. "Mr. Landlord, what the hell is going on? There must be some mistake." "No mistake," he snapped. "I haven't received your rent in three months. I was generous enough to let you stay this long without payment." "What? That’s not true! I gave my share of the rent to Jake every month. He was supposed to transfer it to you!" "Well, he didn’t," the landlord said coldly. "Ask your goddamn boyfriend what he’s been using that money for, because it sure as hell wasn’t rent." The line went dead. I slowly lowered the phone from my ear, staring at the screen in shock. Jake. That bastard. He took everything. My job. My home. My stability. Oh, God. What am I going to do? Tears blurred my vision. My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the pavement, surrounded by my belongings. I sobbed into my hands, my chest heaving. I had nothing left. No home. No job. No family. I was completely, utterly alone. Then— Heavy footsteps. I froze. Lifting my head, I saw three men in black approaching. They were big. Covered in tattoos. Their presence screamed danger. My stomach twisted. One of them, the tallest, with piercing dark eyes, spoke in a thick Italian accent. "Rebecca Thompson?" Every hair on my body stood on end. My throat went dry. "Who’s asking?" The man’s jaw tightened. "Are you Rebecca or not?" I hesitated, my pulse hammering. Would lying help me? Or make it worse? Before I could decide, the man gave a sharp nod. "Grab her." Pain. Rough hands yanking my arms back. I screamed. Kicked. Thrashed. It didn’t matter. I was dragged off the pavement, my belongings left scattered behind me. Panic clawed at my chest. What the hell was happening?! Who were they?! And why were they after me?