“Interesting,” Shovel mumbles under his breath. He’s seeing it too.
“Alright, enough of this talkin’ shit. It’s time to rectify what’s going on. I’ll call one of the boys to bring a van down here. We have some cleaning to do.” Ruger and his jokes that no one laughs at.
“Don’t go into the office. Everything else you can clean,” we all hear Raven tell the cleaning crew that we can hear shuffling in.
“Gonna make her my Ol’ Lady once the dust fuckin’ settles,” I lay claim, letting Shovel and Ruger know what’s happening.
“That’s good, brother, because if you don’t, you know someone else will.” All three of us grunt in response. Now we wait until the cleaning crew is done and Raven gives us the papers. We need to get shit set in motion. As for tonight, it seems we’re going hunting, and my hands are itchin’ for it already.
Sixteen
Raven
The guys came back to my place, we ordered pizza, had a few beers, and then when night fell, I was left with a searing kiss full of nothing but promise. Maddox squeezed my hip, nodded in a way that told me he’d let me know what was going on when he could but not to question it, not yet at least. It’s the weekend and my apartment looks like a Tasmanian devil ran through it after a full week of school, working some nights, and then not being here during the day. It’s not filthy, just not picked up. School books are on every available surface. The jackets and sweaters I wear to school are hanging off chairs and need to be washed, not to mention the shoes that need to be put away.
After putting everything away, I dust, wipe the counters down, then vacuum, and I still have the bathroom to do after that. Being an adult sucks sometimes. When that’s all done, I’m going to soak my tired ass in the bathtub until I turn into a prune. I apparently have it all thought out, so I’m trying to fly through these chores. It doesn’t take me long to do them, but by the time I hit the bathroom, I’m a sweaty mess and desperately in need to wash my body. Instead, my doorbell ringing has me groaning, “I should have just given Maddox a key, then he could just let himself in,” I grumble as I walk to my front door thinking it’s him and that he either finished early or it’s later than I thought. Whoever’s there should be happy I even heard the doorbell. Most of the time, I’ll either have my earbuds in listening to the latest crime podcast or the music turned way up to drown out the cleaning noises.
“You’re back early.” I open the door without checking the peephole. Rookie fucking mistake. I try my damndest to hurry up and close it in her face but am not fast enough.
“Come right in. Seems you’re going to anyways,” I seethe. There’s so much bottled up deep inside me, the need to lash out is bubbling to the surface.
“You always were a mannerless child.” The woman who birthed me has the audacity to say anything to me after I practically wiped her ass when she was high and drunk most of the time, says.
“You’re in my home. Tell me why you’re here and then kindly leave.” I’m wearing a white T-shirt, cut-off jean shorts, and have no shoes on. Too bad I don’t have on boots; those would probably come in handy right about now. The thoughts running through my head are definitely not ones a loving daughter would have about her mother, but then again, there’s no love lost here, not one single bit.
My one saving grace is that I at least have my cell phone in my back pocket. I slowly lower my hands to my side, not making any sudden movements after I see she’s swaying, barely able to stand up. You’ve got to be shitting me. She left when I was barely old enough to stand on my own two feet. Now that I’m doing amazing for myself, she returns.
“I should have never had you, but your stupid father had to knock me up,” she admits. This is nothing new, and I have no idea why she feels the need to tell me this now, but while she’s on a tangent, I do the smart thing. I unlock my phone thankful that I’m ridiculous and can unlock it without using my eyes, pull up the phone app, and hit Maddox’s number. Only then do I slowly move to the table by my door, setting it down in case I need my hands.
“Well, this has been a great chat, but you’ve said this more than a million times, and I don’t need to hear it again.” I go to open the door, but she continues.