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“Get to safety then we’ll talk about that.”
“Fuck. Yes.”
With my urging, he finished the journey, Finn diving into his arms the second he rolled up. The rest of our crew made the trip, Jackson locking the gate behind us followed by the one on our side.
We had no bags, no possessions, but we were safe.
For now.
Chapter 20
Mia
I stared at my phone in shock, my banking app open and…wrong.
“What’s the matter?” Daisy asked from my couch. We’d shared dinner and a chat after work this evening, the cottage busy as Tobi had begged for a sleepover with her new best friend. They were in her bedroom now, giggling and high on sugar despite it being past eight PM.
“I’ve been paid child support.”
Daisy cocked her head. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
I refreshed the app. The figure was still there. I’d assumed the last lot of money I got from the Winchesters had been my final payment. After Greg Senior died, Vanissa, his wife, paid it from the ongoing business profits, griping about how it wiped out any income they had. I’d felt bad but equally didn’t turn it down. By that point, I was caring for my mother and Tobi full time and couldn’t work.
“It’s not a bad thing. Just unexpected. Vanissa always made it clear they’d only support me if I was under their roof.”
“Do they get to decide that? Surely you’re owed that legally.”
“Maybe if Tobi’s dad was alive, but dead people can’t owe money. It’s up to his executors.”
I kept my voice low, not that Tobi could hear.
“Did you think any more about talking to Scarlet? My opinion is you need to lawyer up and get Tobi’s rights worked out. Yours, too.”
“I got her number but… I’ve just had such a mental block over this.” For more reasons than I wanted to confess.
Both Greg Senior, the father, and Greg Junior, the son, had screwed me over. No one knew how except for me, and exposing that would also expose me to some pretty unpleasant memories. Facing off against that in a meeting of some kind would be horrible.
But Mama didn’t raise no coward.
Daisy gave me a sympathetic look. “Call Scarlet. Let her help. At least in telling you what those papers mean.”
“You’re right. I’m doing it.” I took a deep breath and dialled Scarlet’s number, introducing myself when she answered.
Her tone was bright, her reply no-nonsense. “My daughter already filled me in. I have a houseful of grandchildren this evening but I can have Ally swing by on his way home from work. He’ll pick up the papers, and I’ll call once I’ve read them through. Sound good?”
I agreed and thanked her, even more impressed ten minutes later when her husband—a seriously gorgeous older man with a blond beard—knocked on the door and collected the papers Greg had left me.
I handed them over with more profuse thanks, putting my hand to my heart when I closed the door.
“See?” Daisy said. “Doesn’t that feel better already?”
“Actually, yes. As well as scary.”
Daisy’s phone chimed with a text. She read the screen, her smile dropping in a rush. “God.”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s Ben. They’ve had an incident this evening.”
