A Little Bit of Christmas (Crystal Lake 3)

elonged to Chess. There was no move made on her mother’s part to give Chess a hug. No talk of Christmas. No apology for disappearing. Hell, there wasn’t even a smile.

There was…nothing.

The fire in Chess’s gut slowly extinguished, replaced by the familiar ice that dulled everything.

“You’re not supposed to smoke in here,” Chess said, walking over to her side of the room.

“I don’t see the smoking police anywhere.”

Chess grabbed her wool scarf and wrapped it around her neck. She spied her mom’s weekender bag. “Are you leaving again?”

“Dave and I are going to Vegas.”

Dave. Huh. Her mother must have won big at the local casino.

“When are you coming back?” she asked, looking for her jacket. She asked the question, but she didn’t care.

“I don’t know if I am. After so many winters in this place, I’ve decided I don’t like the cold anymore.” She pursed her lips. “Vegas is a dry heat, you know. It’s in the desert. Not far from the Grand Canyon.”

“I know where Vegas is, Mom.”

“You could do well there.”

She frowned at her mother. “What do you mean by that? I don’t like to gamble.”

“A pretty girl like you? No problem. You could snatch yourself up someone worth millions and take him all the way to the bank. Just give them enough to want a little more.” She sniffed. “That’s all.”

Chess shook her head and slipped into her jacket. “I think I’ll pass, but thanks for the invite.” She didn’t bother to hide her sarcasm.

“Don’t you get all high and mighty and act like money doesn’t matter. Or that you don’t know how to get it when you need it. Aren’t you sick of living in this dump?” Her mother flicked ashes to the floor. “You don’t have to, you know? You’re no different than me. We’re survivors, you and me. We do what we have to do. You went out with Gerald Martin the other night, and I know you came home with a nice wad of cash. More than I thought you’d get, but I guess you were worth it.”

Chess’s pulse took off. “How’d you know about that?” When her mother smiled, Chess’s heart sank to the bottom of her boots.

“Who do you think set up the whole thing? I know Gerald from the casino, and one night, he says to me that he’s got this dinner to go to and he’s looking for someone to stand beside him and look pretty. Someone who knows how to keep her mouth shut, and then maybe a little action afterward. Said he’d pay good too.”

“It was Bonnie who told me about Gerald,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I told Bonnie to call you because you’re so damn stubborn when it comes to me.” Her mother butted the cigarette in an old coffee cup.

“You told him I’d sleep with him?” The ice inside her melted into the kind of sorrow that made it hard to breathe.

Her mother’s eyes fell away briefly, and then she cleared her throat and shrugged. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s not like you’ve never slept with a man you didn’t like before.” Her eyes narrowed. “Darlin’, your ex-husband was gay, for God’s sake. At least I picked one who could give you the world if you play your cards right.”

Chess’s hands flew to her face, to the tender skin over her cheek. Her own mother had pimped her out. Tears began to well up in her eyes, and she swiped at them, whirling around because she would not cry in front of her mother.

“He tried to rape me,” she said hoarsely.

“So he likes it rough. A lot of men do.” Her mother sneered. “Men are pigs. Don’t expect anything more, Francesca. There are no happy endings for women like us.”

“I’m nothing like you.”

Her mother grinned. “You’re entirely like me.”

“Get out,” she managed to say.

“Don’t be like that, Francesca. You did well. I saw the cash in the dresser. Now you listen to me. Go out with Gerald a few times a month, and you won’t have to worry about a thing. Maybe if you’re lucky, he’ll put a ring on it and you can thank me for that.”

Chess squeezed her eyes shut. She had nothing left.