“Paige is here,” I tell him.
“Oh, she was meant to be staying at Courtney’s tonight.” He pauses. “I’ll come get her.”
“Look…” I scratch the back of my neck. “There’s something you should know.”
“August…”
“I found her at Carina’s,” I tell him, using my mother’s name.
“Is she okay?”
“She’s drunk.”
He pauses again, and I hear him saying something to someone else, followed by silence before he talks again. “You aren’t allowed to interact with Josh, August. How did you get her?” he asks with suspicion.
He thinks I’m back with him.
I don’t blame him.
I protected him, beat people for him, and sold for him.
But it was for money.
I needed to survive, and that was my survival.
At the time, I had no other options. No one in this town would hire someone like me.
“I had to do a job to get her,” I tell him, and I don’t know why I do. “I’m not working for him. It was his condition for me being allowed to collect her.”
“Of course it was. He wants you back. His clients are all scared of you. He needs that fear… he doesn’t have that bargaining chip anymore.” He huffs. “I’m almost there.” He hangs up, and I head over to Paige and push her hair back as she starts throwing up again.
My front door opens, and Glenn walks in, straight to Paige, complete in his police uniform.
“How long has she been seeing her?” I ask Glenn.
“She hadn’t been… well, as far as I was aware,” he replies and reaches down for her. She opens her eyes and scoots back on the couch. “Paige, you’re coming home.” He helps her sit up, and when she does, she looks back at me with hard eyes.
“Don’t go to that house again,” I tell her.
“You shouldn’t have called him,” she says, as a tear falls from her eye.
“I had to.”
“Yes, he did,” Glenn says and nods to me as he strolls out with Paige in his arms.
Chapter 15
Rylee
“When was the last time you saw him?” Rhianna asks as we drive to our parents’ house the following weekend. It’s been a week since I sat there in front of Anderson and his parents and even longer since I’ve seen August.
One man I couldn’t care less for, the other, well, he visits me in my dreams.
“That night when you saw us,” I tell her, pulling into the driveway.
“Well, Noah told me something interesting about him.” She closes the door, and we walk to the front.
“What?”
“You know all that furniture in his house? Noah said you had seen it.” I nod, and we wait before opening the front door. “He makes it all. Noah said he’s now making it for some of his top clients after he made a desk for Noah’s office as a thank you.” I don’t say anything, just nod. “He’s good. Noah said the desk he made is probably one of the best he’s ever seen.”
Our mother opens the door and says, “Why are you waiting out here?”
“Ry was telling me all about work. You know, that fun place she goes to every day.” Rhianna walks past our mother, whose eyes fall on me.
“Where is Noah?” our mother asks, her eyes staying on me, but she’s asking Rhianna.
“Working,” she says and calls me. “Ry, come on, what are you doing?”
“Anderson is here,” my mother says quietly.
I sigh. Really?
Oh my God, what part of no does she not understand.
I go to step back only to hear my sister yell, “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Our mother immediately leaves me and hurries to Rhi. I follow and see Rhianna’s arms crossed over each other, pushing her breasts up as she stares at him.
Anderson stands, and his eyes fall to me. “I want to talk to you.” His voice is kind, and I know better than to fall for that bullshit.
“Nope, not happening,” Rhianna states.
“Rhianna, stay out of it,” our mother chides.
Rhianna’s mouth opens in astonishment.
“Maybe you should take your own advice. I heard what you did last week.” Rhianna points at her, then turns back to Anderson. “You… you need to leave. Stop being so damn desperate. She’s moved on, for God’s sake. She doesn’t want your cheating ass anymore.”
I cringe at her words because she just told him I’ve moved on.
When I check, I can tell that’s all he heard as well. His eyes narrow and he goes to take a step toward me, but Rhi blocks his path and sets herself so he can’t get to me.
“Leave, Anderson,” she says again.
“Maybe today is not a good time,” our mother finally says. “We can organize another time.”
Anderson starts to leave, but before he does, as he walks past me, he reaches for my arm, catches it, and leans in. “We need to talk.”
I pull my arm free. “No, we don’t.” I step back so he can’t reach for me again.