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He stops me from pushing past him. “I’m assuming you’re both running from Ray?” I nod and shift my gaze to the floor. He was going to find out at some point anyway. “If she wants to use me for protection and get on her feet, she needs to hear me out. Period.”
“Can’t you wait a little? Just until she gets settled?”
“Not happening. This is a deal breaker, Vivi.”
There’s no plan B. We have to make this work so that at some point, Mom and I can live a happy, Ray-free life. If I’m being honest with myself, I’ve been treating her with kid gloves for years. Maybe she needs to be confronted so she can own her mistakes and take charge of her life.
At least that’s what I tell myself as Colin leaves the room.
“I’ll bring the rest of your stuff soon. There should be hangers in the closet, and you have a private bathroom through the door next to the bed,” he says before disappearing down the hall.
Instead of dwelling on what’s happening outside, I pull out my phone and shoot a quick text to Olivia. She’s not happy I’ll miss this week’s get-together but is beyond thrilled I’m getting us out of that house. I don’t go into the specifics of where I am, but I mention that Colin’s back in my life and helping me. In her eyes, that makes him a saint. I wonder if she’ll still feel that way when she finds out I’m living at the brothel his motorcycle club owns.
That’s another problem for another day. After letting her know I’m safe, I sit on the edge of the bed, tuck my hands between my knees, and take what feels like my first calming breath.
It’ll be okay. Everything will be okay.
CHAPTERNINE
RIGGER
Ihead toward Vivi’s piece of shit car to find Laura still sitting there, spaced out.
Not until I see the state she’s in do I understand how bad things have gotten. She’s more of a vegetable than a zombie now. That doesn’t change the fact that my rage for the woman hasn’t diminished. The first time Ray raised a hand to her, she should’ve picked up and left with Vivi.
She didn’t. She stuck around, defended him, blamed his anger on Vivi being too loud or not cleaning up after herself. I’m not perfect and made my own mistakes, but I was a teenager. I did all I could to keep Ray in check after I left, but the more I see of Vivi’s life, the more I realize I was the only one who held up my end of the deal.
I don’t know what’s happened, but I’ll find out, and Ray better start praying to whatever god he believes in because his death is coming sooner than he knows. I don’t give a fuck that he’s my dad.
“Laura,” I say in greeting after opening the car door.
“Good to see you, Colin,” she says, keeping her eyes trained on the desert surrounding the Honey Pot.
“You stayin’?”
She doesn’t move. “I don’t think I should.”
“Why not?”
She ignores the question. “It looks like you’ve done well for yourself. Even if you’re running a whorehouse.”
“We don’t say shit like that around here. This is a brothel.”
“You’re right. I have no room to judge. You left home with nothing, and from what Vivi’s told me, you’ve come a long way.”
“And you’re still nothing but a pathetic waste of space.” I don’t react to her sharp intake of breath. It was harsh, but she needs some tough love right now. “Tell me I’m lying,” I say.
She weaves her fingers together. “You’re not.”
“I know I’m not. So, what are you gonna do about it?”
She doesn’t look me in the eye when she answers. “I’m worried what both of us leaving will do to your dad.”
“Don’t call him that. He’s never been a dad to me, not for one second.”
“Maybe not, but he is my husband.”
I scoff. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m VP of the Sons of Erebus. Ray doesn’t scare me anymore.”
