Chapter Eight

As soon as my shift ended I clock out and leave the building, I didn't even stop to have another heated conversation with Brooke, not that I wanted to stop and have that anyway. I walk down the road with the white envelope in my bag, I of course wanted to open it but didn't want to see the horrors that may be inside. Once I was down the street I pull my phone out, where Austin's missed calls light up the screen. He told me I had to ring him once I arrive home, why has he been ringing me? I click on his name pulling the phone to my ear, it rings twice before he picks up. "Payton are you okay, Markus dropped by an hour ago and told me he went to see you at the café?" He asks worriedly down the phone, if Markus was going to go and see Austin anyway, then why has he sent me to give him this? "I'm okay, he had lunch and gave me a white envelope to give you, I'm on my way over to the garage now" I inform him while crossing the road, I knew the walk to there would take around ten minutes. "Be careful, I would come to pick you up now but I quickly have to sort something out here" he tells me in a serious tone, the way he told me to be careful only just alarmed me even more. "Austin, I'm scared" I confess as I turn off the street and head down the back way to his place, I know it's not safe but it does cut the journey time dramatically. "It's gonna be okay, I'll sort it" he tells me before I hear a man's voice shouting in the background. "I've got to go to sort all this out before you get here, be careful Payton" he says before hanging up the phone, I take a deep breath in before quicken my pace to hurry and get there. In what feels like a lifetime I make it to the garage, where Austin walks out and runs across the street to see me. Where before he could move, I wrap my arms around him for a hug. He was majorly taken back at first, this being the first time we've ever hugged and me being the person that initiated it. But he soon wraps his arms around me holding me tightly, I was just so happy to finally feel safe and not have to walk down back alleys alone. "I'm sorry I've brought you into this" he whispers still holding so tightly onto me, I smile pulling away whilst reaching in my bag. "I don't know why he told me I had to drop this off, he came to see you afterwards" I say handing him over the envelope, where he wastes no time ripping it over to see what was inside. I stand there looking over at the garage, where two other men stood there working on one car. Are they involved somehow in what Markus does? I honestly, don't know who to trust anymore. Austin sighs putting the white envelope in his back pocket looking around, his reaction wasn't aiding in my fear of what was going on. "This must be the famous Payton, it's great to meet you!" One of the men shout from the garage, wait so there's more people he told about us, it wasn't just Markus?! "Enough with the nice to meet you's, we're heading home but that better be dropped off in the hour, you know I'll know if it isn't!" Austin shouts back in a harsher tone, that's not a reaction I thought I'd ever see Austin react in. The dude looks down before walking back into the garage, I was still shocked from his outburst at all. I've never seen Austin act like that ever! I always thought Austin was this laid back type, there's only been a handful of times I've seen him get angry, that being one of the times. Austin soon takes my hand and leads me across the road, where his car was parked around the back of the garage. The garage back door was wide open so I could see what was happening, the two men from before were loading the back of the car with brown cardboard boxes which had maybe a hundred layers of tape around them. "That car is going to the scarp yard, the heaver you can make the car the more money you get" Austin says pulling me quite quickly into the car, as though he didn't want me seeing what those guys were doing, something wasn't right here. Before I knew it, we were driving out of the back of the garage and away. The uncomfortable feeling I felt walking here made a reappearance, something wasn't adding up in my brain. Austin wasn't acting like Austin when he was at the garage, even when he's around Markus he doesn't act like him. It's as though he's putting up an act for some reason, as soon as he's away from all of those people he's back to his normal self. "What did you mean back there?" I ask breaking the long silence that filled the car, he turns to look at me sending me a confused look. "You said you were sorry for bringing me into this, into what?" I ask having to rephrase the question, he looks at me slightly but shakes his head with a smile. "You don't need to worry about that, now I don't know about you but I'm sick of eating fast food, I got some shopping delivered to the house so I can cook" he smiles changing the subject almost immediately, so he isn't gonna tell me anything that's been going on? "I don't cook much but that doesn't mean I can't" he laughs looking out the window as he went, I study his face for a second before nodding. "I'm putting my trust in you Austin, don't make me live to regret it" I say where his laughing soon fades, he turns to look at my face where he holds my gaze. "I promised Roman I was gonna look after you, I will" he says before turning to look at the road again, I smile slightly looking out the window. "Prepare yourself Payton, you're about to eat the best food you have ever tasted" he dramatically tells me, switching back to happy and care free Austin. I roll my eyes but couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips, but at the time I didn't know how much I would really need Austin to protect me.