They were all striking, but one stood head and shoulders above the rest. I shifted my clothes bundle and picked up the vintage platinum Rolex. The metal was cool to the touch, and the watch was heavy in my hand. I went through my mental checklist and examined it to see if it was a fake, but this was clearly the real deal.
I whispered, “Holy shit,” as I ran my thumb along the edge of the elegant watch face. This wasn’t just any Rolex. It was a sought-after collector piece, and it was easily worth fifty grand—maybe more with the right buyer.
I’d had no intention of stealing from Adriano, but this watch was a once in a lifetime score. It would make a huge difference, not just for me, but for my mom. I sent money home every month, since she was barely making ends meet. With this, she’d be able to put a down-payment on a house, and I could move into a nice apartment.
It wasn’t an easy decision though, not by a long shot. I liked this guy. Plus, robbing someone I’d just had sex with really wasn’t how I operated.
While I was trying to make up my mind, I pulled open the drawer in the bottom half of the mahogany chest. It was divided into smaller compartments, which held a few pairs of expensive cufflinks.
It would take no effort whatsoever to fill my pockets with these and the watches, but I didn’t want to clean Adriano out. In fact, I didn’t want to take from him at all, but how could I pass up that Rolex, knowing how much it could help both me and my mother?
In the end, I rationalized my way around my guilt by deciding to only take one thing, instead of being greedy and taking all of it. As soon as I made up my mind, I began moving very quickly. The Rolex was so big on me that I ended up fastening it just below my elbow, instead of around my wrist. Then I got dressed as fast as I could.
The safest way out—in terms of not getting caught—was probably climbing off the balcony, so I crossed the room and opened the double doors. It occurred to me that I really should have ducked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, because the sound of running water might have bought me some time.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end when a deep voice behind me asked, “What are you doing, Jack?”
My heart rate was already quick. Now it started beating in double time as I turned to face Adriano. I noticed randomly that he was wearing nothing but a pair of gym shorts, and he was watching me curiously. Then I did something stupid—I glanced at the chest, which I’d left open on the dresser.
He followed my gaze, and then he rushed to the box and looked closer. When he turned back to me, there was barely contained fury in his eyes. He said, in a dangerously low voice, “No. Not the Rolex.”
I swallowed hard as my heart pounded. I’d never been caught in the act before, and I wondered if there was a chance I could talk my way out of this. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say, though.
“If you need money, I’ll help you. But I can’t let you take that watch.” The deceptively calm way he said that was unnerving, and so was the way he held my gaze with all that anger in his eyes. I took a step backwards, over the threshold and onto the balcony, and he growled, “No! Don’t you fucking do it.”
I took two more steps backwards, bumped into the metal railing at the edge of the narrow balcony, and grasped it with both hands. Then I quickly glanced down, judging the distance to the ground.
In response, he yanked open the top drawer of the dresser, pulled out a giant fucking gun, and pointed it at me as he yelled, “Stay there!”
And just like that, the situation went from scary to terrifying.
I didn’t even think about what I was doing. With my heartbeat thundering in my ears, I vaulted over the railing and landed in some bushes in the compact front yard. I turned my ankle, but that didn’t matter right now. Nothing did but getting away from that gun, so I took off at a sprint.
From somewhere behind me, I heard a yell of frustration but no gunshot. That was followed by a loud thud and the unmistakable sound of branches cracking. Fucking hell, he’d followed me off the balcony!
Even though I was confident in my ability to outrun someone as big and bulky as Reno, I didn’t put it past him to shoot me. The look in his eyes right before he reached for the gun suggested he was capable of it.
In my panic, I’d started running right down the middle of the street, like I wanted to get shot or something. Delores Park was to my left, but it was mostly just an open, grassy area with no place to hide, so I kept going until I reached the next neighborhood.
Then I had an idea and quickly climbed over a fence, which put me in someone’s back yard. If I did that a few more times, I’d come out at the other end of the block, and then I’d probably lose him. Sure, I could also just hide in the yard until I was sure he’d passed, but I was exhausted and afraid, and I really just wanted to go home.
I crossed the yard and climbed over another fence, then repeated the process. It was all going according to plan, until I cleared another fence, landed on something uneven, and twisted the ankle I’d messed up when I jumped off the balcony. I yelped with pain as I fell face-first into a lavender bush. It smelled like a funeral.
My yell had alerted whoever lived here, and a moment later a bunch of lights came on in the house and yard. I tried to scramble to my feet, but pain shot up my leg, so I sat back down again. There was no way I was going anywhere on that ankle.
Instead, I brushed some lavender flowers out of my hair and took a look at my surroundings. The pretty yard belonged to a hot pink Victorian. If it was possible for houses to look friendly, that one did. I just hoped the homeowners weren’t armed, because one gun a night was more than enough.
A moment later, a bunch of people rushed out the back door. A petite brunette in a red silk camisole and shorts was in the lead. She was armed with a baseball bat, and it looked like she had every intention of using it on the intruder in her flower bed.
“I’m so sorry,” I blurted, as I held up my hands to show them I was unarmed. “I didn’t mean to trespass. I was on a date and it all went horribly wrong. I had to get away from him, so I ended up climbing over your fence.” There was actually a lot of truth to that. I just left out the fact that I was the reason it went wrong.
The woman with the bat relaxed her posture slightly, but she still looked wary. Meanwhile, the curvy blonde at her side rested a hand on her companion’s arm and asked me, “Are you okay?”
“I think I sprained my ankle when I landed in your yard.”
A tall, muscular Black guy and a cute twink with dark hair had followed the women outside, and the tall guy stepped forward and said, “Here, let me help you up. Don’t put any weight on your ankle.”
His confidence and the way he took charge of the situation made me ask, “Are you a doctor?”