I crossed the street and tried the bottom door. It was locked. I was desperate, didn’t really care any longer about being caught. I could always say it was fear for her safety that had led me there.

I gathered small pebbles into the palm of my hand and stood behind a parked SUV. I hurled the first stone at Jimmy’s window. It hit the side of the building. I threw another and it clinked off the window of what I remembered to be the living room. I ducked behind the SUV and watched. Nothing. I threw another and it again hit the window. Nothing. What in the hell were they doing where they wouldn’t even look out the window after a stone had hit it?

I was becoming frenzied. I paced. Another five minutes. “Goddamn it,” I said. I called Carolyn’s phone. It rang twice and went to voicemail, which meant she had hit the ignore button when seeing it was me. I searched the ground for something larger. I was seconds away from pounding on the door and yelling her name. I lifted a piece of concrete that had broken away from the curb and I threw it far harder than I had meant to. It crashed straight through the window. The whole bottom pane shattered, half of the glass falling into the apartment, the other half breaking into smaller pieces on the sidewalk. I lunged behind the SUV. Jimmy and Carolyn both appeared in the window, both alarmed and, thankfully, both dressed. They couldn’t see me. Jimmy rushed away. Carolyn stayed and I couldn’t sprint away for fear of being seen. She’d recognize my jacket, maybe even the way I moved.

Jimmy charged out of the building door. There wasn’t really much I could do, so I stood from behind the SUV and walked to the center of the street. Jimmy stared at me and took a few steps my way. He stopped ten feet short.

“Are you fucking serious right now?”

“You bet I am.”

“You just broke my window.”

“Sure did, Jimmy.”

The sounds had drawn others outside. I felt cornered. I was sure somebody would call the police. Carolyn raced out into the street and walked to me.

“Stratton, what the hell?” she said so that only I could hear.

“I was scared for you.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t trust him and you wouldn’t let me come. I just tried calling you, and you sent it to voicemail.”

“We were only talking up there. Jesus, Stratton.”

“I didn’t trust him.”

She closed her eyes, shook her head, took a deep breath.

“You guys are fucked up,” Jimmy said behind her. He turned and walked inside. A siren rang in the distance. I didn’t know if it was because of me and I didn’t want to stick around to find out.

“We should probably go,” I said. “Did you get your things?”