Page 20 of Mommy

“Uhm…” Abigail stretches out one of her hands, inspecting her long, blood red nails. “Yeah, maybe… it kind of depends.”

I hear her demand coming from a mile away and my eyes turn to slits.

Let’s drop the bullshit.

Leaning forward I place both my hands on the desk. Sadly it doesn’t have the desired effect and instead of intimidation I see interest spark in Abigail’s blue eyes.

Not powdery baby blue like Ivy’s, blue like lightning.

“What do you want?” I grind out, my voice low and jaw working to keep the annoyance at bay.

The winning smile that breaks out on Abigail’s face has my teeth clenching.

“I want,” she starts, leaning back in her chair with a large smile. A long line of demands follows and she’s about halfway through when I realize I’m not sure how I got here. How is this going so off the rails?

She came in here to make a statement and instead of telling me anything I want to know she is rattling down her wishes as if I’m Santa Clause.

Waiting for her to stop talking, I lean back in my chair as well. Only once her voice has ebbed do I get up. Placing both hands on the table I lean down to look at her face to face.

“Make a good statement and we will see what I can do for you.”

Surprise shimmers in Abigail’s eyes before she too gets up from her chair. Her smile, as bright and unconcerned as ever.

“I’ll be back with that statement, sir.”

Even without her finger trailing over my shoulder as she waltzes past me, that last word would’ve made her goodbye anything but innocent and I slump back in my chair as soon as the precinct door falls close behind her.

Peeling my phone out of my back pocket, I whip up a text thread and type out a message.

the girl u sent for a statement is a nightmare. thanks for nothing, asshole

Ezekiel reads the text immediately after I send it, and a second later a picture fills the screen.

He’s holding up his middle finger, grinning like a lunatic.

Yep. but she knows shit, so get it out of her

u sure?

100%

gotta go

call u later

Placing the phone screen down on my desk, I take a deep breath before I get back to work.

There’s yet another “graffiti case” that needs to be worked out. Over the last few months they have been popping up everywhere. Some new sprayer who thinks it’s amusing to smear the city with his tags.

In a few hours I’ll be picking up Ivory and dropping her off at home. Just to make sure she gets there.

Chapter thirteen

Ivory

I know something is off, the second my key turns in the lock and the door to my home swings open.

It’s in the smell of fresh food and the faint music echoing through the hallway in my direction.