AllFreeNovel
Share Us
In his haste, Ezra left his backpack. I opened my mouth to yell his name but forced myself to hold it back as Crystal sauntered forward, looking exceptionally pleased with herself.
“Nice try,” she said with a smirk. “But that money’s mine, asshole.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“The social security checks from Ezra’s dad? I know it’s easy money to you but I fucking earned it.”
“By spreading your legs?”
Her hand flashed out, cracking against my face, right on top of the bruise I was already sporting. My head snapped to the side. Wincing, I refrained from making any sort of noise. It wasn’t much but denying her the satisfaction was a game I’d played to survive. Old habits died hard.
“Hey!” the cop bellowed from the hallway. “You got what you wanted, lady, let’s go!”
“You hit harder when you were on meth,” I said, my lip curling. “Looks like you’re losing your touch.”
She glared up at me, hatred oozing out of every pore like the cheap alcohol lurking under the stench of her perfume. “I should have fucking aborted you when I had the chance.”
“I wish you would have.”
“You’re a real piece of shit, you know that? Just like your father.”
“At least he was smart and got the fuck away from your crazy ass. Whoever he was.”
Crystal opened her mouth to say something but the cop beat her to it. “Enough! Unless you want to get arrested, I suggest you get your ass out here and take your kids to school.”
She gave me a scathing look before slithering out of the apartment.
The cop lingered in the threshold until Crystal was out of earshot. “Dan Butler,” he said quietly. “Family lawyer. Look him up if you’re serious. Tell him Romero referred you.”
“I will. She didn’t even bother picking up his backpack, by the way. Literally just walked by it, in case you had any doubts what kind of mother she is based on this little family reunion.”
“Listen… I know it’s hard and this shit takes forever in court. Don’t get discouraged.” He grabbed the backpack, giving me a sad nod as he walked away.
I whistled for the dog and closed the door behind her before I turned and slumped against it, pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes. My fucking head was still killing me from the night before and thanks to Crystal’s slap, my cheek was on fire again.
The second my hands dropped from my face, Nadia nosed around underneath one, trying to flip it up until I sank to the floor and started petting her. It might have been strange but I liked her ears the most. They weresofucking soft. Like suede, or velvet. She didn’t seem to mind where I was petting her, as long as she was getting some kind of attention.
According to everything I’d ever read, petting animals was supposed to be calming, but after several minutes of stroking her ears, I didn’t feel any better. Not by a long shot.
Getting to my feet again, I stormed into the kitchen. I grabbed the bottle of vodka out of the freezer and twisted the cap off viciously. Not even bothering with a mixer, I guzzled it straight down until my esophagus was frozen and fiery all at once.
Then I kept drinking.
16
MISHA
Knocking quietly,I listened for some sign of life inside my old apartment. Nadia barked a couple of times but nothing else sounded behind her. I checked my watch. Marek should have returned from dropping the children off at school. It was always possible he went back to bed. Preferable, even, but I wanted to make sure he was doing alright and that his concussion hadn’t worsened.
After waiting and waiting some more, I keyed myself into the apartment. Nadia was there to greet me, tail wagging. Scratching her behind the ears, I made it another two steps before I saw the disaster.
Normally the apartment was spotless, even with three people and a long-haired dog living there. Marek seemed to have an obsessive need for cleanliness, which I appreciated. But now? It was in shambles.
The living room furniture was pushed to and fro, the end table knocked over and its contents scattered on the floor. In the midst of it all, he’d dumped a pile of clothing on the carpet.
Brows furrowed, I moved closer. Not a pile of clothes—it was Marek, crumpled in the middle of the floor, an empty bottle of vodka lying next to him, looking like it had rolled out of his hand at some point.
I guess that explained the mess.
