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“I’ll be in touch,” I tell Mr. Dobbs, dismissing him.
The man may suck at delivering unwanted news, but he sure knows when he’s being asked to leave.
Kincaid opens the door for him, nodding at someone standing out there. I know Mr. Dobbs will be escorted to the front door, and someone will watch and makes sure he leaves the property. Everyone who isn’t directly related to Cerberus is considered a direct threat to the club until proven otherwise. There’s even talk of acquiring the land the road that runs to the clubhouse is on and surrounding all the acreage with a fence and entry point a half a mile down the road. The gunman who was injured a few months ago during the attack on Lindell named Cerberus as the reason for a job they did in relation to Raul Cortez. It means that Cerberus isn’t safe no matter where they are.
I drop my ass into one of the chairs surrounding the conference table, my head falling into my hands.
“What do I do?” I mutter into my hands.
“I can’t really give that sort of advice.”
I’d ask what he’d do, but I already know what his answer would be. Kincaid, along with nearly every other person in the club, wouldn’t blink at taking in two young boys to raise. It wouldn’t feel like a burden to them. It would be an honor to be chosen for such a task by their friend.
“It’s a life-altering situation,” he continues. “But those boys are welcome here if that’s what you decide. There’s no shortage of people here willing to help. It may not be very traditional, but they’ll be well-loved and taken care of.”
As good as that sounds, I also have to consider Mila. She’s their blood relative, and despite the way she acted the other day, I imagine I’ll discover after some research that she’d be a great fit for them. It’s more likely she was just frustrated with everything. We did say goodbye to her sister and brother-in-law only hours before.
“It also doesn’t make you an evil person if you decide it’s not something you want to do.”
“We never discussed this,” I tell him. “I never had a conversation with either of them about being willing to take on this responsibility. If they had asked, I would’ve told them no. I’m not fit to be a parent.”
“I won’t argue that point with you right now, Stormy, but I know the kind of man you are, and I think you may be wrong about your abilities on this. What I do think you need to do is go to St. Louis long enough that those boys don’t end up in foster care. I think it’s important that you at least abide by your friends’ wishes long enough for that. They trusted you with this. You need to see it through.”
I look up at the man. He has never been secretive about his own life and how he grew up with an abusive father who eventually killed his mother. If he hadn’t had an aunt willing to keep him, he would’ve ended up in foster care as well.
I nod, knowing he’s right. He may not realize it, but he gave me the exact advice I needed despite him saying he couldn’t.
Chapter 6
Mila
I take a deep breath as I pull another box of cereal from the shelf and drop it into the shopping cart. I fight the tears that threaten to fall. I can’t lose my shit in the middle of the grocery store, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be able to stop it.
Is this how Carlen and Janet felt? Were they at the end of their rope, left wondering as they bought food for their boys if they were going to have to put some of it back once they saw the total at the register?
I’m completely drained of money. Even the basic funerals were too much. The director of the funeral home suggested just cremation, but it felt wrong to not have some sort of service. I’m left wondering if I made the wrong choice. Those thousands of dollars could really help right now.
Mr. Dobbs, the attorney responsible for the estate, made it clear that I couldn’t file for government aid for the boys because I’m not the custodian. It was also hinted at that attempting to could set into motion the removal of the boys. I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. The rock being the risk of losing those boys to a system I’ve never trusted, and the hard place being fucking Vincent Chilton because, in all their wisdom, my sister chose that man as the responsible party if something ever happened to them.
I’d thought after our little confrontation in the driveway that I’d be lucky enough never to see him again, but in some fucked-up twist of fate, he’s been thrust right back into my damn life.
“Mila?”
I cringe at my name being called, and when I turn around and see Amber Rogers walking toward me, my first instinct is to run away.
I give her a weak smile as she stops in front of me.
“Honey,” she says, her tone dripping that same level of false condescension as it did in high school. “I heard about Janet and Carlen.”
I remain silent. I know she expects me to give her all the details, but that shit isn’t happening. We weren’t friends in high school, and we aren’t friends since graduating. What I have learned in the middle of this tragedy is that people expect information they have no right to. I get that people are curious. Hell, I’m quick to go searching for answers when something piques my interest, but some are just downright disrespectful, and I already anticipate that from this woman.
“Murdered?” she asks, her head pulling back, her lips and nose scrunching as if just saying the word is distasteful.
Once again, I remain quiet, thinking maybe she’d take a hint, but she was never very good at reading a room.
“In Benton Park West?” She shakes her head. “I never would’ve guessed.”
It’s clear she has already made her mind up about what happened and who Carlen and Janet were to their core. I have no doubt it’s the same conclusion everyone else has drawn. It’s probably why the police still haven’t contacted me. I have no doubt they have chalked this up to another drug deal gone bad. I know they’re busy. There’s no shortage of crime in St. Louis, and murders in certain areas are always higher, usually related to some form of criminal element for both parties involved. I don’t doubt the police have other cases they deem more important because what’s the point of working hard to solve a case like the one Janet was involved in? I don’t doubt they just see it as trash taking the trash out, saving the city money on a criminal case Carlen or Janet no doubt would’ve been involved in had they not died.
