Incendiary (Inferno 4)

That can’t be right.

“Who’s your mother?” I ask Hailey as I reach for Skylar after another ten seconds of quick inspection and pull her back to my side.

“Adeline Chazen. Who’s your mother?” she shoots back in what she probably thinks is a flirtatious way.

I don’t know any Adeline.

“What about her mother?” I probe, sidestepping her question.

“Laura.”

I grit my teeth.

That fucking bitch.

“Laura what?” I press, trying to control my temper.

“Greene.”

“Hey! That’s our—”

I give Skylar a violent shake before she has a chance to tell Hailey our business and then give her a warning look when she looks up at me in confusion.

“That’s all I needed to know,” I say to her with a nod. “I’ll be seeing you around, Hailey.”

* * *

On the drive back home, we’re both silent.

I can tell that Skylar is apprehensive due to my newly acquired foul mood, and that’s to be expected.

But I feel like I have a new purpose now and as soon as I get these two set-up to take care of each other, I’ll see to it that I continue taking care of my own.

Something tells me that Hailey won’t require much work. Maybe a little nudge in the right direction, but with the way she fucks me with her eyes each time I see her, I feel like I finally have a good, respectable girl.

Regardless of what my prior thoughts about her were.

In a way, she’s family and that makes her my responsibility now.

“Daddy?” Skylar asks quietly.

“What, baby girl?”

“That girl’s momma has our last name.”

I nod.

“Does that mean she’s like us?”

I glance at her and chuckle before I turn my attention back to the road in front of us.

She will be soon enough.