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Ursula’s face falls, and tears form in her eyes. “What?”
Paulie and Markus glance at one another, and I realize that Ursula had nothing to do with this. Fuck. It’s going to pain me to do what needs to be done, but I have no choice.
“Ask them where she is,” I snap, my voice low, but they hear me.
“What?” Ursula asks as she looks between them. “What did you do?”
Paulie shrugs. “It was two hundred dollars. We just told them about the shelter,” he says as though it’s no big deal.
Ursula shakes her head. “Oh, Paulie, that wasn’t nice.”
Nice? I scoff. It was beyond fucking stupid. “You’re going to pay for selling her out.”
Ursula throws her arms around me, clutching at me. “Please, Portia,” she whispers.
I move her to my side and hold her tightly. She’s in the perfect position for me. I don’t think too hard about what needs to be done. I reach for the knife in my boot and bring the blade to Ursula’s throat. I swallow hard as I slice across her flesh, hating every second of what I’m doing, but I know it’s the only way. If I leave Ursula alive, she’ll go to the cops, and that’s not something I can allow.
“You bitch,” Markus hisses as I drop Ursula to the bed and lunge for him. Paulie’s eyes are wide as he watches the lifeless body of the woman he loves. His stupor is giving me the time I need to deal with Markus. My knife slides into his side, and I twist hard over and over again. His eyes are wide as his face pales. I’ve done some serious damage to his internal organs. I pull the knife out and thrust it back in, this time pushing hard and piercing through his heart.
“I’m so sorry,” Paulie whispers, his voice hollow as he continues to stare at Ursula’s body.
“You fucked up, Paulie. You should never have given Tee away. For that, you’ll pay. Had you any idea about what that girl went through, you never would have done it. Then again, you probably would because you’re a selfish bastard.”
Just like I did with Ursula, I slit his throat from ear to ear. He doesn’t put up a fight. He knew his time was up the moment I killed his woman.
Tee and Nell are safe from them. They’ll never sell them out, nor will they sell me out either. Those fuckers deserved what they got. I’m just saddened that Ursula was with them. She didn’t deserve to die, but I had no choice. I made my decision the moment I decided to kill them for what they did to Tee.
I move in the shadows as I get away from the abandoned lot. I need to clean my knife or get rid of it and get another.
I never thought I’d be this person, but I’m a lot more like my papa than I ever thought.
I’ll kill anyone who hurts my family.
I’ll do it without a second thought.
SEVEN
PORTIA
ONE MONTH LATER
Over the past month, a lot of things have changed. Nell and I now live in the apartment complex Tee moved into. Being able to live in an apartment without worrying about having to pay for things has been a huge weight off my shoulders. I was very skeptical about moving in, but Nell wanted to. She’d never lived in a home before. My girl has grown so much since we moved in with Tee. She’s come out of her shell even more, and she’s got a job. One she loves. I’m so fucking proud of her. I know she’s dreamed of this her entire life. Of finding the courage to get a job and find a home. Tee has given her that, and I get to watch both my girls live a happy life. Especially today, when Tee gets married.
My body hums with the feel of Dario’s stare on me as I take a seat on the pew. The church is full of people and yet it’s him who has my attention. He looks handsome. I can’t take my eyes off him. I should be watching the bride and groom as they say their vows, but Dario has my rapt attention, as always.
“She looks so beautiful,” Nell whispers. “God, Elio’s a lucky man.”
I nod. Oh, he has no idea just how lucky he is. If the tables were turned and I was forced to marry a man I didn’t love, I wouldn’t be happy, but over the past month, Teagan and Elio seem to have grown closer. When my girl looks at her husband, it’s no longer a gaze filled with pain and suffering. There’s a little hope in her eyes.
“Black suits her,” I comment, loving the fact she didn’t go the traditional route of having a white wedding dress. Instead, Teagan turned everyone’s head and wore black lace with matching veil. No one can deny just how amazingly breathtaking she looks.
“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Nell asks. I know she’s worried about her. We both are.
“She’ll be fine,” I say easily. “She’ll have us no matter what happens.” My words seem to ease her worry somewhat. She turns her attention back to the ceremony and watches Teagan and Elio continue their vows.
My heart skips a beat as my gaze collides with Dario’s. He gives me a wicked grin that lets me know he’s watching me. Over the past month, whenever I’ve met him, he’s made it his mission to try and make me uncomfortable, whether that be asking how he remembers me or telling me how pretty I look. I’m not used to the attention. Unlike Nell and Teagan, I don’t stand out in a crowd. I’ve made it that way since I left home. I needed to blend in, to assimilate myself with the rest of the homeless people around me. All I wanted to be was another person no one would care for. That’s what I’ve become. So having Dario ply me with attention, it makes me anxious. It’s like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop to see what he’s actually up to.
“Sooner or later, you’re going to have to just fuck him and be done with it,” Nell mutters quietly so no one can overhear her.
