Pixie was there, red hair like a wild woman’s helmet. “Three on one? You wussy-assed jerks.”
Pixie Rae was standing there with a bat, slapping it against her palm, not a bit of fear in her. I watched with awe as the three staggered and tried backing up.
The brown-haired one stood up, rubbing his knee. “Maybe your friend Tocks isn’t here right now.”
“You threatening me? I don’t need him to help when I crack your head open like an egg.” She swung the bat in his direction, clipping the pavement in warning. “I’ve called the cops, too, so I hope your parents will like going down to the station to get you later. And, Alfie, maybe you can just visit your father while you’re there. I’m sure he’ll be proud.”
They were apologetic now. Alfie even held out a hand to me to try to help me up. I swatted it away and called him an asshole. Pixie shuffled over to stand near me.
“Head out. And I’m telling all the guys that you’ve pissed me off for the last time.”
She was an avenging angel. She made me feel protected like I’d never been before.
Chapter 14
Pixie Rae
THESE ASSHOLES WERE so predictable. They waited to find someone to mess with until they were alone. I’d kept an eye on them for years. They were one year younger than me, so in my head I was in charge of them. Tocks warned me that the kids would get bigger than me someday, and that I’d have to watch my back.
I also knew they’d give Gaze hell for being helped by me. But I guarantee if I showed up with a bat to help them, they’d be grateful, too.
As the alley cleared out, Gaze and I gave it a few minutes before we started to get him home. He leaned against the wall while I checked to see if the coast was clear—I didn’t want the jerks to bring reinforcements. Though I knew that they didn’t have many more friends in the neighborhood.
I left the bat next to Gaze and looked in one direction down the sidewalk, and then when I checked down the other, my mother stood in front of our building’s entrance.
“Pixie Rae! What are you doing? You’re so sweaty.”
Mom was beautiful in an all white suit. I instinctively ran toward her, arms flung open. I missed her so much.
Just before I made contact with her, and got the snuggle I was aiming for, a tall man stepped between us and put out his hand. His palm hit me in the chest, stopping me in my tracks. “Hold up there, little lady. Wouldn’t want to get your mother’s wedding dress all dirty, would ya?”
I looked up at him like he was speaking a different language. “Who are you?”
He let out a loud guffaw. “I’m your new daddy, baby! I’ve always wanted a daughter. So happy to finally meet you.”
Then he grabbed me up in a bear hug while I struggled against his chest. I looked frantically at my mother. She was laughing, too, but I saw that her eyes were guarded. Like she was regretting the way this was going down. Whatever this was. I struggled for an uncomfortable amount of time before Mom put her hand on his shoulder. “Maybe put her down, Bic. I think she’s in shock.”
Bic turned his face and mashed his cheek against mine. “I can tell she’s crazy about me. I knew this would be the best. Happy family group hug!”
My mother was dragged into the “hug” with me. Bic was squeezing me too hard. His breath smelled like onions and his armpits were wet. Finally, I gave up trying to be nice and started kicking.
“Oh. Oh! She’s a feisty one. Just like her mom.” Bic set me down hard on my feet and snaked his arm around Mom’s neck to pull her in for a long, disgusting kiss. Her hands dangled on either side of her body, and I saw the shiny gold band on her left hand.
I touched her fingertips. My mom was mine. We didn’t get to spend a lot of time together, but it was she and I. I was her number one.
Mom’s fingers curled up like she was trying to hold my hand, but Bic swung her and dipped her, pulling her out of my reach.
I stepped back.
Bic made a growling sound and pretended to bite Mom’s neck. “Time to make a full-fledged bride out of this woman.”
Then he picked her up like she weighed nothing. “You run along. Be back in like two hours. I’ll be resting up for round two.”
I didn’t understand what the hell he was talking about, but it felt icky, like my soul had stepped in some crap.
I knew the tears were coming, so I turned and ran back into the alley. Gaze had slumped down with his fist curled around my bat. I got a better look at him. His bruises were not accompanied by cuts and blood.
He might actually have needed an ambulance. “You might need to go to the hospital. They got you good.” I wiped my tears away with my fingers, pressing the moisture into my cheeks.
“Don’t cry, Pixie. It’ll be okay. I’ll be fine.” He proved it by struggling to his feet. I slipped my arm under his and supported his weight.
“We have to at least get you upstairs and clean you off.” I started walking us toward his building.
“No offense, Pixie, but I’m not sure what my dad’s doing. Can we—”
I interrupted him, “No. We can’t. We have to go to your place.”
I’d bring my bat. If Gaze’s dad came near us, I’d attack the hell out of him.
Gaze stared at the sidewalk, nodding solemnly. He was going to have to face a fear now that he had clearly been putting off. I sighed.
“My mom just got home. And normally I would trust her to—”
He interrupted quickly, wincing while speaking, “Awesome. Go home. You must be excited she’s home early.”
“No. That’s the thing. She got married? While she was gone? And now her new person wants to be alone with her.” I was crying again.
Gaze patted my shoulder. “What the hell?”
“I know. But let’s take care of you. Then…”
Then, I didn’t know what. I focused on Gaze, helping him into his building.
The stairs took a while and he had to stop and sit on them a few times. While he caught his breath, he rubbed my back while I cried. We were a sight, I’m sure, for the few people who passed us in the stairwell, but they didn’t say anything. People were good at ignoring weird things in this neighborhood. Everyone had their demons.
When we got to Gaze’s apartment, the door was slightly ajar. He pushed it open and his father was passed out on the worn couch, snoring and drooling.
“He’ll be like that for a while. We’ve got time now.”
I helped Gaze into the kitchen and found a rag to wet. I went from the top of his head to his legs, slowly asking him if anything hurt. We found out that his jaw was very tender. His cheek was cut, but we were able to reduce the swelling a bit with some ice in a Ziploc bag.
After I set him up with a water and another bag of ice, I heard his father go to the bathroom. Gaze’s eyes went wide.
“You gotta get going. I’m sorry, but…”
He didn’t have to explain. It would be awkward. I knew as much. “He’s going to leave you alone?”
Gaze nodded once and then let his stare slide past me.
I had to put him out of his misery. I turned and padded through the place, closing the door right after I heard the toilet flush.
Mom was home and I didn’t want to go there. It felt so out of place. Not feeling elated that she was here was so weird, I wasn’t sure what to do.