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“Your friend’s dead because those punks wanted to make a quick buck.”
“They wouldn’t have come out of their apartment if it wasn’t for my car alarm going off. You were right; I mess everything up. Lizzie and Andy would have been better off if I had never spoken to them. I tried to make their life easier. Instead, I destroyed it.” As she cried into her hands, images of the couple sitting outside their apartment filled her with heartbreaking sadness.
Arden felt herself lifted onto Doom’s lap. She lay her head on his shoulder and gave full vent to her tears.
“Don’t piss me off by blaming yourself again. You treated them like you treat everyone—with kindness. Which is more than I can say about myself. That’s why Andy warned me not to hurt you, why he was standing outside your apartment that night to make sure you were cool with me being there. They were both brave enough to be willing to take me on if you needed them to. Just like you took up for them when they would have been evicted after complaining about the rats, why you were paying their rent for the last six months.”
Arden lifted her head. “How do you know? The office manager promised she wouldn’t tell anyone.”
“She wanted something I had for the information.”
“What? Money?” She had started paying the couple’s rent when she saw the eviction notice taped to the couple’s door after they had gone out. She took the notice, went to the office, took care of their back rent, and had been paying it ever since without their knowledge. She had asked the manager to tell them the rent had been paid with government assistance for renters with low income.
“My dick.”
“You had sex with…” Arden angrily started to throw herself off his lap, but his arm wrapped around her waist, holding her in place.
“Chill. I didn’t give it to her.”
The assurance had her calming down.
“Why not? Josie isn’t unattractive.”
“I don’t fuck around with married women.”
So, if Josie hadn’t been married, he would have had sex with her? Why was she not surprised?
Arden tried to get off his lap again. “I’m tired. I need to get some sleep,” she said stiltedly. “I called in today at the office, but I want to catch some sleep before I go to work at Mama’s. Thank Wizard again from me for convincing Andy to go to the club with him. I’ll call and check in with him before I go to work.”
Doom stared at her as if dumbstruck. “You want me to leave?”
“Yes.”
His face became etched in stone. “I’m not leaving. We don’t know shit about those punks. I can guarantee the two I left breathing are already out on bail. If not, it won’t be long. They could be part of a theft ring. If they are, their first order of business will be to take out witnesses. In case you have trouble figuring out who that is, it’s you, Andy, and me. You’re not staying here alone, and I’ll be taking you back and forth between jobs.”
“I don’t need you to stay here.”
“I’m not arguing. I’ll sleep on the fucking couch, but I’m not leaving,” he told her stubbornly. “Besides, how are you planning to get back and forth from work? Your car is out of commission until you can have it fixed.”
“Fine,” she snapped. “I’m too tired to argue.” Being reminded of her car being out of commission poured cold water over the jealousy she had felt over Doom. How could she have given in to the petty emotion when Lizzie had been killed before her eyes?
Pinching the bridge of her nose, she stopped herself from breaking into tears again. All she had to do was make it to her bedroom and shut her door, and then she could cry to her heart’s content.
She moved toward her bedroom closet to retrieve a blanket and a pillow, then returned to the living room and laid them on the couch. “Help yourself to what drinks and food I have in the refrigerator.” Arden reached out to touch his arm when he would have swept past her to go the kitchen. “I’m sorry. I should be thanking you for saving Andy and me. Instead, I’m being a witch.” Giving a disgusted sigh at herself, she tried to shed some light on her behavior to herself and Doom.
“I make a mess of everything. It’s no wonder my brother doesn’t like me. I shouldn’t have given the tickets to Puck and Buck for their votes. I’m never going to be able to keep my mouth shut. I shouldn’t have tried to join The Last Riders. Luc would really hate me if he found out The Last Riders only befriended him because I interfered.” She gave a bitter laugh at herself. “I can’t do anything right. It takes a woman being killed for you to want to stay with me, yet when we had sex, you couldn’t take off fast enough.”
