Off Chance by Sawyer Bennett Page A

put her in this situation, just by the mere fact we know each other. “Are you okay?”
    She turns her back on me and walks into the kitchen. Reaching into a cupboard, she pulls out an old coffee can and pops the lid. “I’m fine. He scared the shit out of me though. Threatened me if I didn’t cough you up. He searched every inch of this rat-trap and when he didn’t find you, he left.”
    Reaching into the can, she pulls out a roll of green and hands it to me. “It’s all there if you want to count it.”
    Shaking my head, I stuff the wad into the pocket of my leather jacket. “Nah... I trust you.”
    I really don’t trust her but I don’t want to stick around. The mere thought that Juice could be watching her place is giving me the willies.
    “Thanks, Amy. I’m sorry he came here.”
    I turn and head toward the door. As I reach for the knob, Amy touches my shoulder and I turn to look at her.
    “Juice may not be looking too hard for you right now, so you might be okay.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “He was really bent out of shape about the fire. Said he knows who did it and they were going to pay. I’m thinking his energy is going to be focused on finding that person.”
    “I doubt that. I’m pretty sure he set the fire himself.”
    Amy looks at me in surprise. “No way!”
    I grab the door handle and give her a hard look. “That shit kept me chained to the bed for three days. I don’t think he’s above taking me out. He’s fucking crazy, Amy.”
    “I don’t know, Rowan,” she says, while shaking her head. She’s completely unfazed by my statement that Juice kept me chained up. “He was really pissed about the fire.”
    Is it possible that Juice didn’t set the fire? I had just assumed that he was tired of keeping me chained to the bed, particularly because I was fighting him every step of the way. There wasn’t a time he came into that room that I didn’t curse at him for what he was doing to me. He had to have known, for sure, that I would never stay with him voluntarily.
    “Give me some paper and a pen,” I tell Amy.
    When she hands over the implements, I jot my cell number down and hand it to her. “Do me a favor... call me if Juice comes back or if you hear anything, okay? I should have a replacement phone this afternoon.”
    “Sure. Take care of yourself,” she tells me, but I’m not sure she’d actually call me if she knew something. She’d be smart to stay far away from this, and that’s what I expect her to do.
    Giving her a look of thanks, I leave Amy behind and head out to Flynn’s car. When I hit the sidewalk, I look left and right, expecting Juice to jump out at me. I half run to the car and throw myself in. When the door slams shut, I tell him, “We need to go... now.”
    Flynn gives me just a cursory glance, then he starts the engine and swiftly pulls away from the curb. Turning in the seat, I watch to see if anyone pulls out behind us. After a few minutes, I feel like we’re in the clear and turn back around, latching my seatbelt on.
    “Want to tell me what that was about?” Flynn asks.
    I really don’t, but I feel like I owe him a heads up. Juice is out there looking for me and he’s pretty fucking resourceful.
    “Juice was looking for me at Amy’s last night. I was afraid he might be around... watching her place.”
    I watch as his jaw muscles clench and he looks in the rearview mirror. Pulling his gaze briefly away, he looks at me. “I’m not telling you to do this, but shouldn’t you consider going to the cops now?”
    His words aren’t even entirely out before I’m shaking my head in the negative. “No way. I don’t trust them.”
    “Rowan... he tried to kill you. You should take this a bit more seriously.”
    Chewing on my lip, I consider what Amy said. “I’m not so sure he set the fire.”
    “Why’s that?”
    “It’s just something Amy said. She said Juice was really freaked out by the fire and that he knew who set it.”
    Flynn is quiet for