I meant to post this a few days ago. I got a bit busy, and it slipped my mind. It's shorter, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Chapter Five

Steph POV:

Two months after I decided to change my life, I was in Philly looking to start anew. Today I was browsing apartments, I had already narrowed it down after talking to the apartment building managers.

Now there were only five for me to look at. Pulling up to the first in the northeast part of Philly. I was willing to give it a chance but from the way it looked outside, it wouldn't be the one.

When I got to the third building, I stepped out looking around. It was completely across town then where I had previously been looking, but there was an obvious difference. It was a four-story red brick building, and I had to be buzzed inside. The building already had one mark in its favor, and a second if you counted the security cameras.

The building manager, a man in his late forties, a gruff beard, and brown hair with strands of gray, met me at the door. He stood a few inches taller than me and greeted me with a firm handshake.

"If you'll follow me. We have three units available. How many bedrooms are you looking for?"

"One or two," I answered, following him up the stairs. He nodded.

"Our singles and doubles are on the third and fourth. Is it just you?" he asked.

"And my hamster." I smiled. He chuckled.

"On the third floor we have a two bedroom and a three bedroom, and I assume since it's just you and your hamster you only want to look at the two bedrooms. Unless your hamster needs his own room?" He grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "No, he prefers the kitchen counter."

He chuckled, opening the door to the apartment. Walking inside, I looked around. It was bigger than what I had now, but not too big. The master bedroom had an ensuite that didn't look like it was out of the seventies, and a small walk-in closet.

The second bedroom was smaller, the perfect size for a small office. The other bathroom was smaller than the master bathroom but still better than the one in my current apartment.

"How much was it a month?" I asked.

"$1250," He answered from the kitchen.

I bit my lip, it was affordable, it was nice, it had enough room for anything I wanted to do. "I'll take it."

"Let's go down to my office and start the paperwork." He smiled.

XXXXXX

Two weeks after my new apartment was secured, I was packing up my apartment in Trenton. There was a knock at my door. I checked the peephole, finding Tank standing outside. I tucked my gun into the back of my jeans and opened the door, stepping outside into the hallway and shutting the door.

"Tank." I greeted.

"What the hell is your problem?" he asked me. My eyebrows rose to my hairline.

"Whatever do you mean?" I asked.

"You know what I mean. You've been dumping tracking devices, losing tails, not to mention scaring the shit out of the men."

I felt my eyes narrow. "I don't see how anything I do is any of your business. If anything, you're invading my privacy. Under Jersey law you're stalking me, which is a 3rd degree charge punishable with five years in prison."

"Stephanie, Ranger would be pissed if he was here!" Tank growled.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't care what Ranger would want or if he would be pissed. He made his choices and I made mine. He gave up any right to be in my life or voice an opinion on it when he did the shit that he did. Stay the hell away from me, Tank."

The elevator dinged, and he turned to look. Jay walked out carrying a pack of moving boxes and a bag. Jay's face was blank, but his eyebrow rose.

"Who's this?" Tank asked.

"None of your business." I growled at him.

"Do you need help with this?" Jay asked.

"No, he's leaving," I said.

Tank shook his head. "This isn't over."

"Yes, it is." I replied as he walked to the elevator. I opened the door for Jay, and he walked in.

"Thanks for coming to help. I've got two other friends on the way. It should go pretty fast once they're here."

Just as he was setting down the boxes and tape, there was another knock at the door. I opened it to find Lula and Connie standing there. Lula was dressed in her usual spandex and bling, nearly blinding me with her bright lime green clothes and hair.

I let them inside. I tried to follow them into the living room, but they stopped, nearly tripping me. "Who is that fine hunk of meat?" Lula purred, staring down Jay. Jay froze, like a deer that knew he was being tracked by a predator. The Lulaosaurus Rex, I would have laughed but now wasn't the time.

"Lula!"

"What?"

"Keep your thoughts in your head and don't be rude!" I grumbled.

They walked the rest of the way into the living room, and Connie offered Jay her hand. "I'm Connie." She smiled, batting her eyelashes at him. "What's your name, handsome?"

"Uhhh," Jay said, glancing at me. "Jay."

"Hi, honey," Lula said, bumping Connie out of the way. "I'm Lula."

He gave me a wide-eyed look of panic as she angled her chest at him. "Lula, take this box and start cleaning my shoes and bags out of my closet," I said, shoving a box at her. "Connie, you can do the bathroom."

I shoved both of them down the hallway, not giving either of them a choice. I turned back to Jay. "I'm sorry."

He chuckled. "They're a little much aren't they?"

"Yeah, they mean well, but they have no filter," I said sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I should have warned you."

He laughed. "I would have appreciated a little warning about Lula, she's a little scary."

"That's what sane men say."

XXXXXX

Now standing in my empty apartment, the memories came rushing back. This was my first place after my divorce with Dickie. I had grown as a woman here, maturing and learning my self-worth.

This place had some horrible memories for me, plenty of them. But this apartment meant something to me. I sighed and walked towards the door. One last glance and I turned off the light, locking the door behind me.

I met Dillion at the front door handing over the keys. I got into my new to me, made after the turn of the century SUV, and pulled out of the lot, leaving my home of the last few years behind.

As I passed over the Trenton city limits, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders. This was the beginning of a new chapter of my life. Hopefully Philly would treat me better than Trenton did.