“Jackal wanted to make sure he didn’t leave anything behind, didn’t he?” she asked her silent apartment.
Casey went into her kitchen to get trash bags. The second one was almost filled when she heard a knock on her door. Fear flew through her veins at the thought that the Predators had come back.
Straightening her shoulders, she went to her door, trying to remember if she had locked it after Fisk had left. The moment she looked through the peephole, she wished she hadn’t bothered. Preparing herself mentally, she opened the door.
A sharp slap knocked her back a step before she was able to regain her balance.
“You stupid bitch! What were you thinking?” Renee stormed inside the apartment, her sweet perfume in stark contrast to the venom and coarse language spewing from her as she railed against Casey.
“You left me no choice,” Casey said, closing the door.
“Me? Don’t blame this shit on me! This is all you, because you can’t leave things alone.”
At that moment, Casey hated her mother. She wanted to strike back at her so badly she had to gouge her nails into her palms to prevent herself from strangling the woman who had never cared about anyone but herself.
“If you’re not going to help, you can leave.”
“Why should I help you? This is all your mess,” Renee snapped.
“My mess? This is all because you’ve never accepted responsibility for anything. What do you expect me to do?”
“I expect for you to straighten this shit out, or so help me God, I’ll take the responsibility you want me to.”
Casey paled. “You wouldn’t.”
“Then don’t test me, Casey. I love Mugg, and I won’t have another of my marriages ruined because of my selfish kids.”
“We’re done, Renee,” Casey told her. The last hope she’d had that Renee at some point in life would realize the consequences of her actions and try to make reparations died a silent death.
“Yes, we are,” Renee snapped, kicking a cushion out of the way as she went toward the door. She slung it open, only to barrel into a man who had been about to knock.
“What are you doing here? Ice send you over to make sure she keeps her mouth shut? I already took care of it. She’ll behave from now on.”
Max’s eyes went back and forth between them. “Mugg know you’re here?”
Renee’s face paled. “I was leaving.”
“That would be a good idea. Mugg told you to stay out of it, and I suggest you listen to him.”
Renee gave a sharp look in her direction before turning back to Max, patting him on his cheek. “You’re the perfect son.” With that, her mother left her alone with Max.
Hurt blossomed in Casey’s chest at Renee’s words, not for herself, but for Cole. She had to blink back tears as she bent and continued to clean the mess.
“Need some help?” Max asked casually, as if he hadn’t kidnapped her earlier in the day.
“No.”
Max disregarded her answer, taking a trash bag from the box on the counter. Casey ignored him as they both began stuffing the fragments of her life into the bags. When the living room was straightened and the bags were sitting beside the door, Max picked up several to carry them outside and was gone for a while.
Casey went to the bedroom, disheartened, and was just beginning to feel relieved when he returned, walking in the door with a pizza.
“Come and sit down. We’ll clean the bedroom after we eat,” Max said, taking a chair at the table.
Casey took two beers from the refrigerator and sat across from him.
“Why are you here, Max?”
He swallowed the large bite he had taken before he answered. “I figured you could use some help, and I had nothing better to do tonight.” He shrugged. “Renee left a mark on you.”
“I’ll cover it with makeup before I go to work tomorrow.”
“She done that before?” Max stared at her harshly, demanding an answer.
“Only a couple times when we were kids. Renee doesn’t like to discipline, but when she does, she gets her message across.”
“I’ll make sure she stays away until she calms down,” Max promised.
“Why do you care? I’m not a fool, Max. You don’t have to pretend to be nice. Ice has told you to keep an eye on me, so let’s not make believe you’re here for any other reason.”
“Whatever trouble you’re in, Casey, I can help if you just ask. You didn’t suddenly decide to take on the Predators. Ice knows that—we all know that—so until we find out why, yeah, we’re going to keep tabs on you.”
“Then I guess we’re at a stand-off, because I’m not going to explain why.”
“Then get used to my company. You want another piece of pizza?”
After they finished eating, they went to work again. It was midnight before the bedroom was finally cleaned.
“I should make Jackal come and help,” Max said, lifting the trash bags.