AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I sighed because the defeatist talk was starting to irritate me. “Look, if you want to give up on your son, then fine. You do you. But I’m not. I’m going to call whoever I have to and do whatever it takes to make sure it’s not over for him. He helped the girl, even though no one knew it. That counts for something.” I stood and delivered my last words, saying, “And when you’re ready to get up and do the work, you know where to find me.”
And then I left.
On the way out, I saw Kuzo with a cup of coffee, pacing the hallway. The worry showed on his face when I approached.
“How is he?” he asked.
I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I just shook my head. “Keep watching him. I’m clearing all your duties for the rest of the week, so your main duty is to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself. And have Hardy dig up everything he can on the boy. Also, contact the best lawyer you can find.”
The best thing about Kuzo was that he didn’t ask questions. He only nodded. “You’re going back?”
“I have to.” Despite what Tillie said, I didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone at night. I didn’t trust Brenda to be able to help her with her sleep or with her safety. But to be honest, I didn’t trust anyone with her.
Besides, I couldn’t scratch the bad feeling in my gut.
So I flew back on the earliest flight and immediately headed to the address Tillie sent me for Brenda’s house. My anger began the minute I got there and saw the party going on, full of loud music and half-naked people yelling out windows.
What the fuck?
What was Brenda thinking? How was Tillie supposed to sleep with this mess going on?
I immediately walked in, searching for Tillie, but she wasn’t among the mass of bodies in the living room. Eyes flew to me when I walked in, and one girl by the entrance scanned me, gave me a coquettish grin, and asked, “You a cop?”
I ignored her, moving to the other side of the house.
It was when I reached the kitchen that I finally found her.
Although, it was not how I expected to find her.
“Get off me, Brenda!” Tillie was screaming from the floor with her hands covering her face, dodging the other woman’s claws.
Brenda was on top of Tillie with her hands buried in Tillie’s hair, twisting and pulling for all she was worth. Tillie began doing the same, and their expressions were twisted like two hissing cats.
“Whore!” Brenda cried out harshly.
“That’s rich, coming from you!” Tillie bit back.
My eyes flickered over to the lanky idiot of an ex-boyfriend who was leaning against the counter and watching the fight with interest. His smile fell at my glare, and he immediately slipped out the back door.
Coward.
With a grunt, I walked over to them and pulled Tillie off. She continued swinging her arms wildly until her hands met mine. Then her body went slack.
“Ezra? What are you doing here?”
I glanced toward Brenda, who was still stumbling to her feet, clearly drunk. I shook my head.
“Taking you home.”
TWENTY-FIVE
TILLIE
The walk back to Ezra’s car was filled with humiliating silence. I didn’t even suggest driving my car back, figuring he wouldn’t be keen on that too. Besides, I didn’t quite have the boldness to ask any questions right now.
Ezra looked pissed.
I wasn’t yet sure if his anger was directed at me. I might never get over the embarrassment of the position he’d found me in, fighting with Brenda on the floor like drunken college girls. It was so uncharacteristic of me, and I had no clue what had gotten into me to even do that. Maybe it was because Brenda’s words had struck a very painful chord inside me, and I’d reacted without thinking.
