But whoever she is, she can at least afford UberEats. And she must not be particularly smart if she’s having food delivered to the place she’s squatting in.
As soon as the door swings open, I march forward, shoving my hand against the panel and pushing my body into the foyer. A sea of white tile swarms in every direction. Chrome banisters match the iron bars of the porches outside. Stairs wind up in a curve around a glass chandelier.
And a woman stares back at me.
The woman is my height with blue eyes and black hair; she’s so small that I think she’s a teenager for a split second.
But she’s not.
She gasps while backing into the wall. She presses herself against it while staring at me, fear soaking the space between us. The door automatically shuts, startling us both. We stare each other down for a few minutes until her stomach gurgles.
And then I feel like shit.
She must be starving.
I hold up my hands. “I’m not here to hurt you.’
“You’re not with Uber Eats.”
I shake my head. “Nope.”
“Who the fuck are you, then?”
“I’m with Austin Real Estate. You’re not supposed to be in here.”
She snorts and relaxes away from the wall. “Andyou’rein the way of my lunch.”
“It’s my obligation to inform you that you’re squatting and that you need to vacate the premises immediately.”
She pushes past me, swipes the bag from the ground outside, and closes the door. When she turns around, she shrugs. “I know. I’ll be gone in a few days.”
“I can’t give you a few days. You have to leave now.”
“Does it look like I really want to be here?”
She scowls, her bottom lip puffing slightly. It’s then I notice the way her eyes are swollen too. She blinks quickly, blue eyes glossing for a second with more emotion than I’ve seen in anyone in the past few days.
Not even Liya looked this upset. Though she sure did put on a show, didn’t she?
I adjust my purse and shake my head. “No, it doesn’t.”
“So, I’ll get out of your hair in a few days,” she snaps. “Justpleasedon’t tell anyone. I just need a few days. I only have so much cash. It’s all for me and the ba—” She clamps her mouth shut and looks at the bag. “I need to eat.”
The girl looks like she’s about to sob. It hurts to see her this way. I don’t even know her, but I can’t shake the fact that she seems so helpless. If I call the cops, they’ll just cart her off to God knows where. What if she’s trying to escape an abusive asshole or something? Can I live with that?
No.
“Hey,” I whisper. “I know a shitty situation when I see one. You look like you could use a hand. You want to tell me what’s wrong?”
She scoffs. “Like you could really make a difference.”
“I can’t help if you don’t tell me.”
“What’s the point?” She wanders past me, sidling deeper into the condo. Her voice echoes off the tile as she adds, “Nothing matters anymore.”
Yeah, she’s hopeless right now. I can hear it in her tone. And it tugs my heartstrings. I couldn’t do anything three days ago about Liya.
But I can do something right now for this stranger.