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There was no hesitation in his voice as he answered, “I’m on my way.”
Della Ray
I had never ridden so fast through the night.
In fifteen minutes, I was at Della-Ray’s door. A car was parked outside in the driveway, but to my relief it didn’t belong to anyone I knew from the club. I pounded on the door and it was pulled open almost immediately by her roommate. I spotted her as I left Della’s bedroom the last time I was here. She was sitting in the kitchen and our eyes met, but not a single word had been exchanged between us.
“Where’s Della-Ray?” I demanded.
She jerked her head towards one of the doors. There were two others sitting on the sofas and staring at me, but they weren’t my concern. I headed straight for Jess’s bedroom, and they both jumped up to come after me.
“Hey!” the woman called.
“What the—?” the man said, grabbing my hand and pulling at it, as I reached her door.
I was in the worst mood I could possibly be in so at the rude contact, I looked from the place on my arm that the scrawny brute who was holding back to his face.
“Who the hell are you to just barge into someone else’s house?” he asked.
I then noticed he took a step back at the icy look in my eyes. “If you touch me again, you’re going to lose that hand,” I stated quietly.
His hand dropped off as if I had electrocuted him. Calmly, I turned to tap against the door. “Della-Ray!” I called out.
“Bone!” she answered immediately. The relief in her voice was palpable. “You’re here.”
“Yeah, open the door.”
I could hear her rushing to it, fumbling with the key before she was able to pull it open. The state she was in made my heart slam against the walls of my chest. Her eyes were red and her face was streaked with tears. Even her hair looked disheveled as Jess was asleep in her arms.
“What happened?” I asked, taking a step inside. “Did anyone touch you?”
She shook her head, but gave the audience behind me a dark look. Carefully placing the child on the bed, she came to the doorway. After ushering me out, she locked the door behind her, and turned to me. “Thank you so much for coming, Bone.”
“What’s going on?”
“That’s my sister and her man. They want to take Jess away—”
“That’s right. I’m that child’s mother, and I’m calling the cops,” her sister threatened. “You’re going to be in real trouble today. The both of you!”
Irritated by the racket, I focused on her sister. I would never have thought she was Della’s sister. Harshly bleached hair, heavy make-up and dressed like a slut, she was the exact opposite of Della. She looked like she had lived a hard life. “Can you not see that your sister is upset? Where’s the sisterly love, lady? Can you please give her a bit of time to calm down?”
She gave me a sulky sour look in return, but shut her trap.
I turned back to Della-Ray, but the tears wouldn’t stop running down her eyes. She was so visibly shaken that I wanted to hurt her sister and that excuse for a man she had brought with her. I pulled Della into my arms and held her close to my body.
“I’m so sorry,” Della apologized for her outburst, but when I saw that she couldn’t stop, I tightened my hold on her and rested her head on my chest to calm her down.
I rubbed her back gently. “It’s okay,” I said softly. “I’m here now.”
She settled into my embrace and I ran my fingers through her hair. I turned to her friend whom I found watching us with deep interest and surprise. “What’s going on?” I asked.
She immediately snapped to attention to explain, “She wants to take Jess away with her and dump her in an orphanage.”
Della-Ray started sobbing again.
“It’s nobody’s business what I do with her! I’m sick of fucking do-gooders and busy bodies trying to tell me what to do with my own daughter.”
“What makes her your daughter?” I asked. “Where have you been for the last four years? As far as anyone with a brain can see, Della is more of a mother to her than you’ve ever been. So how dare you barge in here unannounced and attempt to just take her away? How can that be good for your daughter? Della is all she’s known since the day she was born.”
She was shocked and wide-eyed at my accusation. “Who the hell are you?” she asked.
“That’s none of your business and not what should concern you tonight,” was my response.
“Wow,” she went on. “Della-Ray, you have someone to fight your battles for you now? I suggest you be careful. He looks like he could slit your throat in the middle of the night.”
