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“Because you are,” I cut in, handing her the glass. This time, she takes it without staring at me accusingly and drinks a large mouthful.
“But I taught her everything she knows,” she slurs.
“That’s not something to be proud of.”
She narrows her eyes, drinking back the rest of the glass. She swallows then frowns and looks into the glass, seeing the remnants of powder. “What have you done?” she hisses.
“It’s time for you to sleep,” I say, taking the glass and placing it on the table.
“Jesus, I don’t give out freebies,” she snaps, fighting me off when I try to grab her wrist.
“And I don’t fuck whores,” I mutter, getting a firm grip and hauling her to her feet.
“You fucked Luna,” she says, giggling and almost falling back into the chair. I swoop down and scoop her into my arms. “Call her. We can do a two-for-one deal.”
“Jesus,” I mutter, shaking my head in disgust.
“Who doesn’t love a mother-daughter duo?” she demands, laughing again while running her hand over my cheek. “In another life, you’d have been my type,” she adds thoughtfully. I kick the bedroom door open and dump her on the bed beside Nate’s body. “We can’t fuck here,” she gasps.
“We ain’t fucking,” I snap, shoving her back so she’s lying down. She blinks a few times. “I really tried,” she whispers to no one in particular, “to be a good mum. I wanted to love them, I just didn’t know how.” Her eyes drift closed. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles. I wait a few minutes before prodding her arm. She doesn’t respond, and I sigh in relief.
There’s a knock at the door and I go to it, pulling it open slightly to find the clean-up team. “Am I pleased to see you,” I say, letting them in.
Once Nate’s body is gone, I move Luna’s mum into a half-sitting position. I place one of her cigarettes between her lips and light it, watching as it slowly burns, occasionally dropping the ash down her front. When it’s halfway down, I place it between her fingers and rest her hand beside her. I take the empty bottle of tablets and give it a wipe before placing it on its side on the floor.
I wait patiently for the sheet to catch fire. It burns quickly, catching the curtain beside the bed as well as the mattress beneath it. I step from the bedroom, closing the door behind me and wiping the handle with a towel I took from the kitchen. I straighten the cushions where I sat then go back to the kitchen and clean the glass she used. I dry them and put them away, and when I return to the living room, smoke is beginning to come under the bedroom door. It’s my cue to leave, so I head out, dropping the latch on the door.
LUNA
I jump in fright, opening my eyes and staring up into Grizz’s. His hand is over my mouth and he smells of whiskey. “Why are you in my bed?” he asks, then he removes his hand so I can answer. I lean up on my elbows and look around the bedroom he once said was mine.
“I wanted to be closer to Ivy,” I admit. I insisted Duchess let me put Ivy to bed, even though she watched my every move.
“I left Duchess in charge.”
“She was here,” I tell him. “I must have fallen asleep.”
He goes over to the Moses basket to check on Ivy, who is sound asleep. His eyes are full of love whenever he looks at her, and it warms my heart that she’s got a father who will do anything for her. “I’m sorry I called you to sort out Nate,” I mutter, dragging my knees to my chest and resting my chin there.
“Only you didn’t call me,” he says, not bothering to look at me.
“It was just another thing,” I say. “I didn’t want to be more of a problem.”
“I never said you were a problem,” he snaps, this time turning to me. “You went to Reaper?” he adds, moving closer. I can see the anger burning in his eyes.
“You stink of smoke,” I mutter.
“Being in that shit pit with your mother for hours has gotten into my clothes,” he snaps and begins to strip. He keeps hold of his kutte but places the rest in a bin bag. “So, Reaper?”
I stare at the ground. He’s completely naked now, and I’m not sure where to look. “I wanted a loan,” I say, shrugging.
“I know. He said. What for?”
“That’s my business.”
I see his feet as he steps closer. “You’ll give me answers now or you’re out of here.”
“Out?” I ask, bringing my eyes to his. “You’ll kick me out?”
