I realize he means what he says, and thoughts of rehab flash through my mind. I have a feeling I’m about to enter hell—well, Sainte’s version of it anyway. Surely it can’t be as bad as rehab. I reluctantly hand him my keys—both sets—and my phone.
“You do nothing, and I mean nothing without me. We are glued at the hip.”
I can’t help but chuckle. “Even if I have to use the bathroom?”
“Yes, even then. You no longer have privacy. You are no longer in control of anything. I am.”
Holy shit, he means it. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to get through this, but it beats the alternatives. One, I don’t want to be a junkie, and two, I don’t want to go back to rehab. More importantly, I don’t want to lose my family. I hate myself right now for letting this get so outta hand.
“Now tell me, when did you have your last hit?”
I look at my watch. “About fifteen minutes ago.”
“You’re starting to crash, aren’t you?”
I nod.
He shakes his head. “Okay, you can get through this.” He takes out his phone and sends a text. Placing the phone in his pocket, he says, “I’ve called in for reinforcements.”
A few minutes later, there is a knock at my door, which Sainte opens. “Hey,” he says. “I need you pick up some things for me a-sap.” He pauses, and I try to look around him to see who is at the door, but I can’t tell. He continues. “Two cases of water, some fruit and veggies.” He pauses and then says, “Oh, and protein bars.” He turns back toward me. “What kind of fruits and veggies do you like?”
“Anything really,” I answer.What in the hell is he doing?I wonder.
He turns back toward the door. “Okay, pick whatever looks good. We need vitamins.” He pauses. “Thiamine, zinc, magnesium, and folate. Vitamin C too,” he says. “Oh, and get some vitamin B and fish oil too.” He stops and thinks. “Imodium or Pepto, green tea, and melatonin. You got all that?”
“Yes, sir.”
I recognize that voice. It’s Tiny. I should have known he would rope a prospect into helping him.
“Oh, and I’m gonna need all my things moved into here.”
“Got it, Sainte.”
“Good. Thanks, Tiny.” He closes the door and turns back toward me. “We have a long road ahead of us, darlin’. You ready for this?”
“Do I have a choice?” I reply sarcastically.
He shakes his head. “Nope, afraid not.”
He pulls his phone out again and sends another text. “Forget something?”
“No, just sent a text to Emma. She’s gonna have to take care of the boys for a while. In a few hours, you will be in no shape to take care of anyone, even yourself.”
I get up from the bed. “Sainte, maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”
“No turning back now.” He puts his phone back in his pocket and says, “Now, let’s go pay a visit to Slash.”
We make our way downstairs, and without a word to anyone, we leave. With Sainte driving, we head toward McDonald’s in my car. When we get there, we wait fifteen, maybe thirty minutes before Slash pulls into the parking lot.
He parks next to me and then notices Sainte. Sainte doesn’t even give him a chance to get out of the car. Sainte is out of the car, opening Slash’s door and pulling him out. He grabs him by the collar and slams him against the car. “You fucking piece of scumbag shit. If I ever catch you selling drugs in this town, I’ll fucking kill you. You got me?”
Slash is terrified and just nods.
“This town is run by the Knights of Silence MC, and we don’t fucking want drugs in our town.” He releases his collar and turns to leave.
Slash frantically tries to get back in his car when Sainte turns back and throws him a solid punch to the left side of his face, knocking him to the ground.
“That’s for fucking around with my girl!” He waits as Slash struggles to get back up. “Now go back and crawl into the hole you came out of. I don’t ever wanna see you in Edinboro again.”
