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I pace in my bedroom for several minutes, trying to decide what to do. She’s high as fuck. There’s an overwhelming need inside my chest to go get her and save her from herself. I know I’m supposed to stay away from drugs and people who do them. It’s been fifteen years since I put drugs into my body. If I use it even once, that’s it. I’m done. It’s a slippery slope, one I’ll slide right down. At this moment, I can say no to it. I’m not even craving it. But when it’s sitting right in front of me? That may change everything. Can I simply leave her there?
Just like that, a decision is made. There’s no choice but to go to her, whether I want to or not. I won’t stay around the drugs. I’ll get her and leave, against her will if she refuses. Ivy needs help. I won’t sit by and watch her self-destruct.
I walk out to the living room, find my dad and Mercy, and a sick feeling forms in my gut. I have to lie. I can’t tell them where I’m going. Not yet, anyway.
“I’ll be back in a little while. I’m going to pick up a few things. Do you need anything?”
My dad instantly rises off the couch, “I’ll go with you.”
I sigh audibly, “I’ve got this, dad. I’m not going to use. I won’t destroy my life twice. Trust me.”
Mercy grabs his hand while still seated on the couch, “He’s right, Liam. It’s been a long time and he’s worked hard. Trust him.”
Thankfully, he sits back down beside her and nods.
I walk out to the garage, grab the keys to the range rover, and get in. It’s been a long time since I drove a vehicle, but it’s like riding a bike, right? You never forget. I pull up the GPS on my phone, so my dad won’t see the history and pull out of the garage, winding along the expansive driveway until I exit the gate.
According to the screen on my phone, it’ll be a thirty-three-minute drive. I’m not surprised that it’s in Stroudsburg, the mecca for drugs in this area. Especially heroin. I hate even the thought of going there. It’s where I took Mercy. There are no good memories for me there.
After taking my exit off the highway, I make a quick right turn onto a side street. I spot drug dealers standing around a basketball court. How could I possibly know they are dealers? When you’ve been a junkie, you simply know. It’s like the drugs give you some sort of sixth sense, or sick sense.
Two more left turns, and I’m turning into a small parking lot of what appears to be run-down apartments. I park the vehicle and step out into the blazing hot sun, making my way to the place where I’ll find Ivy and drugs.
CHAPTER EIGHT
NASH
Iwalk up to the door, stepping over trash along the way. My skin crawls before I even knock on the door. This place is a trash site. Food containers, drug paraphernalia, and empty liquor bottles all litter the ground. It’s disgusting.
I knock three times before the door opens, and I find Ivy grinning at me. I didn’t know she even knew how to smile, so it’s extra creepy.
“Come in Nash.”
Her eyes are watery and bloodshot. She appears to be disoriented, nearly crashing into the table as she backs up to let me through the door. I spot a spoon, drugs, and needles on the table, where an older blonde sits staring at us.
Ivy flashes me another big grin, “Come on Rapist. We have some for you.”
I grab her by the arm, “We’re leaving.”
She snorts, “Did you forget how to party while you were in the big house, bro?”
Arching an eyebrow at her, I say, “Don’t ever fucking call me that again. Now let's go.”
Ivy crosses her arms over her chest defiantly as she shakes her head, “No. I’m staying.”
That’s where she’s wrong. I didn’t come out to this hell hole to let her stay here. I’m leaving and taking her with me whether she likes it or not. I step forward and pick her up over my shoulder while the blonde is screaming at me, “Leave her alone!”
I ignore her. I have no idea who this woman in her forties is, but I intend to find out. Is she Ivy’s only supplier? With Ivy squirming against me and hitting me on the ass, I open the door and walk out of this woman’s crappy excuse for an apartment.
When I put her in the passenger seat and buckle her in, I realize I can’t take her home like this. What would Dad and Mercy say? I don’t want to put them through seeing her like this. I ignore her, screaming how much she hates me, and close the door before walking around to the driver's side and getting in.
“I don’t want to go home!” She yells as I back out of my parking spot.
“You aren’t going home, Princess. Do you think I’d let your parents see you like this? You’re a fucking mess.”
She scoffs, “It’s not like they care. I’m not even theirs.”
I glance over at her quickly as I turn onto the highway, “You can’t possibly believe that. You’ve been theirs since they adopted you. They loved you so much they wanted to make you part of their family, Princess. They chose you.”
