She mumbles unhappily at me but promises to call her sister for me. I promise to call her in the morning, feigning being tired to get off of the line.
Instead, I crawl into the shower and cry some more.
I cry until there’s nothing left inside me left to cry out. I’m exhausted when I finally climb back out, my ribs screaming and my face is pulsing in pain. I just wanna take some drugs and pass the fuck out.
My phone pings.
Open the door and hand the cash to the man there. I’ll sort everything out for you, Angel.
Right. The Wolf of Mounts Bay has my phone number.
I try not to panic but I stash all of my clothes and other belongings into some trash bags and then I just take a couple of hundred dollar bills out to use… until the money is laundered.
When I open the door the man standing there waiting patiently is freaking huge and definitely part of the MC.
I stumble over my words.“The Wolf sent you?”
He grins and tucks his hip against the door but it’s not in a threatening way. More… flirty. Oh lord, why does this always happen to me?
“Yeah, she did. We were in town anyway, for club shit. The name’s Roxas. And what’s yours, gorgeous?”
I frown at him. “The Wolf didn’t tell you?”
He huffs out a chuckle. “Yeah, she sure did Angel. I’m just trying to make conversation. If you’re not into it I’ll just take the goods and head off. Are you safe here? If there’s something else you need, tell me and it’s done. The Wolf was crystal fucking clear about how important your safety is to her and I like that kid enough to play along.”
My heart sort of spasms in my chest.
She really does love her sister.
“I’m perfectly safe. Here’s the… uh, bag.”
He grins and gives me a little salute on the way out, jogging down the stairs to where his motorcycle is waiting. There’s another guy there as well, even freaking bigger, but he keeps his head down and I duck back into the hotel room before he can see me, just in case.
I’m too tired to feel… anything about not having my money anymore, so I fall into the bed and pass out.
The bank card arrives by a courier the next morning, right to my hotel door.
It has my real name on it and when I take it to an ATM I find all of my money just sitting there, waiting for me to use it. Laundered and fucking available.
Holy.
Shit.
I read the note that came with it three times, my hands shaking just a little.
I’ve put an offer in on the house you want on your behalf, requesting an immediate settlement. Call me if you need anything else.
The house is a fucking mess but hell if it isn’t fucking perfect for me.
I go to meet the realtor over there the same morning my bank card shows up and Poe insists on coming with me even though I’m freaking terrified at having someone finding out where I am.
Tomi hasn’t tried to contact me once.
It only proves to me that Diamond was right and now I’m on the club’s shit list, which is fine. It’s completely fine, I’ll survive it. People get their hearts broken all the damn time, so what if I maybe thought that I was falling for this guy? So what if he showed me that there are some men out there that understand boundaries and always respected my consent?
So what if I feel hollow inside now?
I take enough painkillers to take the edge off of the pain in my ribs and I take my time in making sure I look good. My lip has sealed up but the swelling and the bruising is officially at its worst and I need a lot of makeup to not look fucking hideous. I pull on jeans and then one of my dad's sweaters. It looks as though I’m trying to look edgy and vintage but really I just… I need him with me today.
If I can’t wear Tomi’s hoodie then you can be fucking sure I need my dad’s sweater.
I pick Poe up from the library, a little worried about her skipping school but she shrugs at me like it’s nothing.
“Lips called Thorn. I’ve got free rein for a few days to hang out with you.”
I cringe. “So Thorn knows about… all of this too? Isn’t he supposed to come arrest me or whatever?”
Poe tips her head back and cackles. “No, dumbass! I told you, he’s a cool cop. He was more pissed that he didn’t talk to you a little more, find out what was going on with you a bit sooner. Forget about it! Forget about dumbass boys, let’s buy a fucking house!”
She’s cute as hell about it and starts talking about school and Law being a dick since his dad came to visit. She also talks about Trink but at the look on my face she shuts that down fast.
I don’t want to think about Callaghans. None of them.
The realtor is unbelievably accommodating. She is the picture of politeness, talking to me like I’m some fucking superstar and I try not to freak out over it. I’m guessing she really needs the commission because any questions I have about the place she practically falls over herself to answer.
I fall in love with it instantly.
Poe… doesn’t.
She pokes around like she’s afraid of catching a disease. “I mean… it’s not the worst house I’ve ever stood in but fuck, that bar is low.”
I scoff at her. “The neighborhood is safe. It’s well below my price cap and I could fix it up in a big way with the difference.”
She nods. “It’s a bit small though. Are you going to have enough room here?”
I peg her with a look. “It’s bigger than my car, Poe. And I’m living here, alone, until I die. It’s fucking perfect.”
She nods again and shifts to look out the back door. “The deck is fucking perfect for drinks and if you get a fence up around the whole place you’d be even safer. Maybe get a dog too. The neighborhood is really good, quiet and close to the library and school. That shit is important.”
The realtor nods along like this is all fucking fascinating to her and I try not to giggle at her.
It’s not until I leave that I realize Lips has done a lot more than just arrange this viewing for me. No, the realtor is shitting herself over the entire thing because if I want the place, it’s mine. There’s paperwork for me to sign and the settlement is being taken care of for me but the moment I lift the pen away from the paper there’s a set of keys being pressed into my palm.
I wait until she’s driven off before I arch an eyebrow at Poe. “What the hell was that? I have the money for this place, I’m paying my own way.”
Poe rolls her eyes. “I know! Lips said she’ll sort it out with you later, she just wanted you somewhere safe like today, not in two months time. I kind of agree with her so like… humor me.”
I could argue with her. I could, but I won’t because I’m beyond fucking tired and the thought of dragging all of my shit here and sleeping in a house that’s mine? Fucking blissful, so instead I smile at her. “Thanks. Thanks for being here and for being my friend.”
She grins back at me. “Thanks for trying to die for me, that was real sweet of you.”
Poe insists on helping me move my trash bags of clothing into the house. It’s almost embarrassing but she does everything with a grin and a long stream of funny stories about everyone she’s ever met and… I think she’s relieved to have someone she can finally talk to about her sister.