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Sadie nodded as nimble fingers rolled in an up and down motion until there was a perfectly rolled joint positioned between her fingers.
“Thanks. I know you don’t approve, but it can’t be helped.”
It damn well could but that was an argument I wasn’t prepared to have at the moment.
“Anyway, it’s done, and I submitted an anonymous donation to have a crime scene crew come in and clean the place up.”
“You continue to impress me.” Her words were slightly muffled as she clamped down on the joint in an attempt to light it. Sadie let out an exhale and flashed a severe look at me.
“Your girlfriend is sleeping upstairs, has been since about an hour after you left, minus a few nightmares. Her friend hasn’t left her side all evening.”
I nodded my thanks, unsure what else to say for everything she’d done to make Maisie feel comfortable and safe.
“Are you cool with the Reckless Bastards thing?”
I’d just started getting used to the idea that I wouldn’t have to walk away from Maisie when this was all over, but if there was another obstacle, I wanted to know now before I crawled up the steps and fell into bed beside her.
She nodded slowly and held the joint out to me.
“The Reckless Bastards pose no threat to us. Cross and your father go way back. Before you were even born. And if the time ever comes and we need an ally or muscle, they could be useful. Our swords, as they say, don’t cross so don’t use it as an excuse to run away from her.”
I frowned and shook my head, the denial on the tip of my tongue before I swallowed it down. “I’m not looking for an excuse.”
“Bullshit, Virgil. I know you better than you think. I know that you think you have more of your father in you than me, and you’re wrong. Everyone knows you do what needs to be done, but I know you get no joy from it.”
“I don’t hate my job, Ma.”
“Of course not, just don’t go thinking you’re like him. You’re not. You spend too much time fucking and no time at all getting to know women and we both know why. We know who’s to blame.”
“Ma.”
“Yes. Fine. All right. Just don’t rush to kick this one out of bed is all I’m saying.” Ma accepted the joint and took a long pull, leaning back in her desk chair with her eyes almost completely closed. “Anything else to report?”
“No sign of Brendan in the wreckage of the house, at least not by the time I left, but there were bodies everywhere. Maybe he was there, in the debris, or he’d already left.”
“According to Maisie, the explosion was quite a sight, so I imagine he didn’t get away unscathed, and I’m okay with that for now.”
At my stunned look, she rolled her eyes. “Tonight they feel as if they’ve gotten away with something. Bested those Ashby fucks. Let them drink and whoop it up, whatever they need to do to feel like smart men with big swinging dicks. Then we kill them.”
Some days I wondered if the sadistic streak in Ma came about as a result of all the beatings our father unleashed on her, or if it was always there, waiting to get out.
“Do you ever resent marrying Dad?”
She shrugged and let out a big plume of smoke on an exhale.
“No. He wasn’t always horrible. When we first met, he was handsome, fun, and smart. I figured if I had to get married to fulfill my role in the family, it was worth it. If I had known how bad he would handle failure, I might have reconsidered.”
“At least granddad got to live long enough to see that he was wrong about women running things.”
That brought a smile to her face as I knew it would.
“And that was worth every fucking thing I went through. His belief, his endorsement was the last piece of healing I needed to become the woman you see today.”
“Maisie thinks you’re a certified badass.”
She let out a low laugh. “Well, I know the people who raised her, so I consider it high praise.” Her smile faded. “Did she tell you about the drugs?”
My jaw clenched and I nodded, wishing for the hundredth time that I’d get the chance to kill Brendan fucking Rhymer with my bare hands.
“She says they didn’t touch her otherwise.” And I was choosing to believe that until I had a reason not to.
“I know she’s special to you, Virgil, and that you’re still coming to terms with what that means, but I need you not to be stupid here. Yeah?”
“Yeah, I got it.” I wouldn’t do anything stupid to get Maisie hurt, and I wouldn’t let her do anything to stop me because this wasn’t just about her. It was about all of us.
