She continued, “If a man has hurt that sweet boy, I’ll rip off his hairy balls and shove them down his throat.”
My mouth twitched. I had no doubt she would if given the opportunity. But first he’d have to survive me, and that was unlikely to happen. Hurting a kid was something only bottom-of-the-barrel scum did, and it would be a slow, painful death.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, and her lips pursed together as her brows furrowed like she was in pain.
My body stiffened. “You good?”
She dropped her hand from her nose and blew air through her flamingo-pink stained lips. “Of course I am. Now, tell me all about the team. Any of them married yet? Kids? I wish you’d bring them here for a Sunday dinner.” I opened my mouth to object, and she rolled her eyes. “I know. I know. You don’t want your work brought to our doorstep.”
I set my teacup on the banister. “It’s safer that way.”
“Safer for who?” she asked quietly.
My cell vibrated in my back pocket, and I pulled it out, glancing at the text.
Saint: Heard you’re in town. Going to stick around long enough to say hi?
Obviously, word had already spread I was back, and although I suspected Saint knew the day I’d arrived, he’d given me time to get my head straight.
I shoved the cell into my pocket and headed for the steps. “Have stuff to do.” I’d drop in at Mason Auto and talk to Jaeg about Dale Richards on my way to the hardware store to pick up supplies for my porch railing and steps.
“Vic,” she called. I stopped and turned. “Welcome home.”
Home? There was no such thing as home.
This was just a small town I’d spent a few years in where I’d learned to block out the sounds with my fists.
The cries. The gurgles. The sound of the rain echoing in the sewer.
And with each fight, the pain had subsided until all that was left was a cold, numb stillness.
Macayla
“Okay, I want every detail. Don’t leave anything out,” Addie shouted as she strode across the bleach-stained linoleum floor of the laundromat. The smell of gasoline and oil wafted off her gray coveralls and mixed with the lavender detergent and the baby powder perfume the elderly lady on the other side of the laundromat was wearing.
“Hey, Mrs. Pitt,” Addie called to perfume lady, who was wearing a knitted turquoise shawl with an orange, calf-length dress.
She glanced up from folding her clothes at the counter along the far wall and smiled at Addie. “Hello, dear. How are you? And how is that darling brother of yours? I haven’t seen him in weeks.”
I smiled. I wouldn’t exactly call Jaeg a darling. More like a gritty, sexy-hot womanizer.
“I’m fine, thanks. Just got back from an auto show. And Jaeg….” Addie stopped and sighed, looking at her. “To be honest, Mrs. Pitt, I think he’s lonely.”
I frowned. Lonely? Jaeg? He was virtually a regular at Zero Crow on Saturday nights, and he never lacked women vying for his attention.
Addie peered over her shoulder and winked at me. “You know, come to think of it, he mentioned going on one of those dating sites.”
I almost burst out laughing and had to cover it up by coughing.
Mrs. Pitt clucked her tongue. “He’ll never find a good, proper lady on those things. You know, my granddaughter Heidi isn’t seeing anyone. She’s such a darling, and you know she was prom queen two years in a row. I’ll tell her to drop in at the shop.”
Addie grinned. “Oh, he’d like that.”
There was no chance Jaeg would like that. And he was going to kill Addie.
My chest tightened as I thought of Ethan.
We’d missed this. Even though Ethan was a lot older than me, we’d been close before he left to live with Dad and his whole focus became hockey.