Chapter 19: He's Not That Bad

I finished making my way over to my sister after getting past the security detail man. It was good that someone was looking after me. Dax really made sure that I was always safe wherever I went, which made me more at ease overall.

The thought of him looking out for me sent an odd feeling to my chest. I tried to ignore it, since it brought memories back of waking up in Dax’s arms.

It wasn’t something I should keep thinking about. He had left that day without saying goodbye. It almost was like he had never been there, and I had dreamed the whole event. But I knew it was real, as I remembered how warm his body felt when he was that close to me.

I quickly focused back on the present and shoved thoughts of Dax away. I needed to distance myself from what had happened that day, since it was the best choice to do. It was too dangerous to get closer to Dax in general.

I spotted my sister in her living room. She was expecting me to come over, so I guessed that maybe we would eat together after talking for a while.

It felt like I hadn’t seen my sister in a long time, and I couldn’t wait to catch up with her. Texting wasn’t quite the same. Each day I had made sure to text her at least a couple times. I didn’t want her to think that I was ever too busy for her.

Lola especially needed to be in contact with me during her predicament. I knew she had to be so scared, as the payment was far from being over with. I wished that I could’ve been staying with Lola at her apartment. Being alone probably wasn’t good for her.

Lola’s face turned into a bright smile as she saw me coming towards her. Her hair was in a ponytail, while she wore leggings and a t-shirt with faded words. She had bags under her eyes. I noticed that her apartment was worse than the last time I had seen it too.

There were even more clothes scattered across her floor, and she had takeout containers that were set on her small kitchen counter. Her place had never been this level of disorder. Lola used to take pride in having a tidy place and got mad at me if I accidently spilled a drink.

What had happened to my neat freak sister? I kind of missed how she was before. I mean, I used to be the one who wasn’t as good at keeping my place tidy. Now my apartment outdid hers.

I thought that she was doing a little better when I had last seen her but I was wrong. I wasn’t going to ask her anything right away. I knew there were times that Lola didn’t want to talk about if something was bothering her until she was ready. I’d just wait for her to open up to me first.

Besides, it wasn’t good to pressure someone to talk. I’d rather avoid any conflicts with my sister if I could.
Lola gave me a gentle hug and said, “I’m so grateful to you for taking the position. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“You’re welcome. I was happy to help you out and do this.”

“At first I was worried that you’d almost back out but you didn’t.” She added, “I could never be a surrogate.”

I laughed and said, “It isn’t as easy as it looks. All of the effects from pregnancy aren’t great but I manage.”

She told me, “At least you’re handling it. Then how have you been? It’s been a while.”

“I’ve been okay for the most part.”

I was actually more concerned about how Lola had been. She still hadn’t told me anything that explained why her place was in an even worse state than before. I wondered if she’d tell me what was really going on.

In seconds, her face fell and she asked, “What happened? Was it something Dax did?”

“I got pretty sick the other day.” I added, “Actually, Dax was there to look out for me and stayed by my side.”

Lola got quiet after hearing my words and looked out the window.

I wondered why she reacted that way. Shouldn’t she have been happy for me that Dax wasn’t the jerk I had once thought he was? It’s not like I had said Dax had done something really rude to me.

Suddenly Lola said, “That’s not what I’ve heard about Dax Ryan. My co-worker’s husband works for him and knows of his reputation.”

I asked, “What do they say about Dax?”

Lola bit her lip and avoided eye contact with me. She started tapping her fingers against her leg like she did as a kid. Lola always used to do this when she didn’t want to tell me something.

I didn’t like her acting this way towards me. I could handle whatever she had heard from someone else. It wouldn’t affect my opinion towards Dax, since I had started to know him more.

I scooted a little closer to Lola and gave her an impatient look. She shouldn’t have told me if she wasn’t willing to share. I hoped to wear her down and get her to admit what she knew.

Lola sighed and said, “Okay. I’ll tell you.” She looked defeated and continued, “Her husband said that Dax can be a pretty cold, cruel, and ruthless person. He even fired someone right before the holidays apparently.”

“That’s not true. He isn’t like that at all. Dax is actually kind and caring and makes sure that I’m protected.”

Lola shook her head in disbelief. She kept quiet before getting up and going over to get a glass of water.

When she came back, Lola sat down next to me. She took a sip of water before she spoke, “I can’t imagine him being that way. All the rumors I heard are terrifying.”

Lola turned on the tv and made it clear that she didn’t want us talking about Dax anymore. Not wanting to argue with her, I just dropped it.

I couldn’t believe she had judged Dax before even meeting him. That wasn’t very fair to do. She could at least believe my words. Lola just didn’t know him like I was starting to. Dax was someone who opened up over time and showed his true self.

As we kept watching tv, Lola started to zone out.

I spoke up and asked, “Lola, is something bothering you?”

Lola got sudden tears that welled up in her eyes and shook her head yes. “I…I’m in so much more trouble.”

“What do you mean? You gave the gangster some money already.”

Lola had more tears streaming down her face and told me, “It wasn’t enough to keep him happy. He’s putting more pressure on me to pay back my debt. I don’t think he can wait much longer.”

“Oh my God. This is terrible. You’ve got to try to convince him to give you more time.”

“I don’t...” She sobbed some more and her voice broke as she said, “He doesn't want to give me more time. He’s sending more threats to me every day. I’m so terrified.”

I hated seeing my sister in so much distress. I wondered what we could do to get her out of this. Things were getting worse, as we tried to stall her payment.

I thought the money she had given him would’ve worked. Why was he targeting my sister to pay him back so badly? She didn’t deserve what was happening to her.

It was going to be hard to comfort her, but I tried to rub her back in circles. Lola continued to cry into my shoulder and sounded so sad.

I spoke up and asked, “Can you please try to persuade him to give you more time? It’s only a few months of delayed payment. You can let him know that he’d be paid back in full, even if it is longer to get it.”

She wiped her eyes and said, “I can try one more time but it might make him even more mad.”

“Please just try to be really persuasive. I know you can change anyone’s mind with how persuasive you are.” I added, “I believe in you.”

Lola said, “That means a lot. I’ll try my hardest to make him agree to that.”

I just hoped that I had saved my sister again and not made it worse.