“Are you fucking serious?” I practically yell.
“Yeah, just lay low, Dom,” he answers with a pissed off tone. Jack should fucking know better.
“Not a problem.” My hands twist the steering wheel. I always lay low. I’m not out there like the rest of them.
“Yeah, it is a problem.” My brow furrows. The fuck it is? “Don’t you remember what happened yesterday?”
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. De Luca. Damn is he a pain in my ass. “That hasn’t been dealt with yet?” We have to be careful about how we talk. No names, nothing that could be used as evidence. Just in case.
“Not yet. We have some issues standing in the way, and now this.” My fist slams on the wheel. It’s not hard to whack a guy. Really, it’s not. And the quicker, the better. Which is why it was supposed to happen last night.
“Why didn’t the call happen last night?” It’s hard to keep the anger out of my voice. Usually I stay calm and indifferent on the outside. That’s how I am. That’s how I like it to be. Other than with this broad. She’s gotten under my skin.
“We got tied up.” What the fuck could be more important than taking care of someone who’s trying to take care of us? I wanna ask him, but my temper is starting to get the best of me. I can’t let that get out of hand. I can’t slip up on a phone call.
“What do you need me to do, Vince?” I fucking hate this. I hate knowing someone is out there gunning for us, and we’re just sitting ducks. My mind flashes with an image of Becca, her lying on the ground, blood pooling around her pale, lifeless body. Even worse, her son. Fuck that. That can’t happen. I won’t let that happen.
No. No, they didn’t see her. Right? There was plenty of time that passed between when she left and that young prick coming into my office. But who the fuck knows how long they were waiting out there?
Johnny looked at the footage, had to cross every “T” and dot every “I.” He said there wasn’t anyone with Marco. His car was left in the lot. Johnny dumped it, of course. But still, an uneasiness creeps up on me.
My body stills and freezes. I’m not risking it. I put the car in reverse. “I gotta go, Vince.”
“Just hang tight and lay low.”
“Got it.” I hit end and immediately dial Johnny.
“Yo, boss,” he answers casually. Too fucking casual for my liking.
“Did you watch my girl leave when you saw the footage?” I feel fucking stupid for not doing it myself. I grit my teeth as I come up to a red light and resist the urge to gun it. Stay low. Besides, I just left her. She’s fine.
Fuck! What if they had a tail on me? I haven’t been paying attention since this fucker is supposed to be dead. He was supposed to be taken care of. Fucking Jack! My fist slams against the wheel as I stare at the longest fucking red light I’ve ever sat at.
“Nah, boss. I di-”
I cut him off and say sharply, “Do it. Make sure no one followed her. Do it now, and get back to me when you’re done. I’m heading to her house now.” It’s gonna take another forty minutes to get back to her place. At least it gets dark pretty early in the fall. I’ll just scout it out, make sure she’s good until Johnny gets back to me.
There’s a short hesitation and I know he’s confused and wants to ask what’s going on, but he knows better than to ask. And realistically, I have no clue what’s going on between us. But if they are hoping to get to us, those spineless rats will use any means necessary. Including our women. It wouldn’t be the first time a competitor targeted us that way. But I’m sure as fuck not going to let it happen to her.
I pull up a few houses away, park and turn off my lights. I’m glad she lives in a nice neighborhood; my car doesn’t really stand out much here. There’s a car parked along the curb of her house, but I know she was expecting someone, so I don’t freak out. I stay calm. She’ll be fine. I’m just gonna make sure she’s alright. That’s all. I put my hand on the butt of my gun, just to make sure it’s where I like it, and get out with my phone in my hand. I flick it to vibrate and I shut the door quietly. Right before I pocket my phone, it goes off.
“Yeah?” I ask Johnny.
“She’s good. There’s nothing on there.” His answer is quick and to the point. I like it.
“Thanks.” I end the call and debate just getting back in my car and leaving. But I drove all the way back out here. I check the time on the phone. It’s nearly eight. I’ll go check to make sure she’s alright.
I chuckle deep and low. That’s a fucking lie. I wanna see what my doll is up to.
Becca
I wish this bitch would just leave already. She doesn’t even want to be here. She’s digging for information. I can practically feel her claws. Her eyes keep looking all over the room, as if searching for some evidence of anything to bring back to her bitchy cabal.
Her daughter, Ava, is freaking adorable, but she’s not the least bit interested in playing with Jax. Not that it really matters when they’re three. But seriously, just fucking go home already. I watched Ava for an hour, fed them dinner – pizza since I didn’t have time for anything else – and Cindy was just supposed to pick her up. Just scoop up your tyke and go.
I’ve had some really fucked up long days today and yesterday. I need to crash. Or go to a freaking mental institution. I’m not sure which.
Cindy’s hand reaches out and touches my arm, bringing my focus back to her. It’s fucking cold. I should start referring to her as the ice bitch.
She looks at me with a tilted head and a sad frown, feigning actual sympathy. I should hate this woman. She was friends with the woman I caught Rick with. She knew! But then again, they all knew. Everyone but me. “How are you really, Becca?” she finally asks.
How am I? I’m fucked. That’s what I am. I’m seriously fucked in the head. I hate Rick, yet I miss him. More than that, I feel guilty about my dead husband. Ex-husband. I don’t even know how to refer to him. I’m drowning in work. And I’m fucking a criminal who knows where I live. I’m not fucking okay. Nothing feels okay. My perfect world has been torn apart, flipped around and is practically unrecognizable.
But I’m not going to tell this bitch that. I don’t even tell Sarah that. I mean, she knows. She figures shit out on her own. Like when she dropped the kids off. She knew something happened. I could see it on her face that she wanted to ask questions, but she didn’t. I bet one of these days she’s just going to drive me to a fucking shrink. The thought isn’t as funny as I wish it would be. Rick wanted to take me to a shrink. He said I was unstable, and therefore should not have custody of Jax. Fuck, am I unstable? No. I close my eyes and turn my head away. I’m handling all this shit as best as anyone possibly could. I’m doing my best. I really am. My hands cover my face. I have no idea if it’s good enough though.
Cindy’s hand squeezes my thigh. “You can tell me; I’m here for you.”
I give her a tight smile. “It’s really hard working through the grief and anger. But I know everything will be fine with some time.” I pat her knee and say, “Grief is a journey; I’m just moving through it.” It’s the truth. Well, a partial truth. The slimmest fraction of the truth. But the truth nonetheless. I’m not going to open my heart for this woman. I’m not going to do it for anyone. Not anymore. Just as the bitter thought creeps up on me, Jax squeals and Ava starts crying.