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“I’ll—” I stare at the door holding Gloria, whose soft, pitiful voice wheedles through, infiltrating my damn ears and making them ring. She’s crying inside, begging someone to believe her that she didn’t do this.
“Take your time, man. Are you—” I know what he’s asking without uttering a word.
“She stole from me.” My lips roll together. “After everything we’ve done for her. She stole from me, and I can’t…” I shake my head. “After what she did to River.” My eyes cut to Ly, who listens to our conversation, tilting her head like she’s soaking it in for later. “I’m done with her.”
God. She’s going to tell River everything that happened today. Not that I’d keep anything from her. But I know kids. They’re little blabbermouths. So, it looks like I’ll be having a good old-fashioned sit down with River about what’s to come. Especially with us taking custody of Cami and having her stay with us through the summer and being financially responsible for her, too.
“Okay. We’ll be here,” he says, kissing Ly’s cheek. “Why don’t you show me your favorite YouTube videos? You can use my phone.”
“Yay!” Ly claps her hands as they walk around the corner and away from me.
“Okay, I’d like to speak to her now.” And with that, the officer opens the door to the makeshift hell housing my distraught mother.
“Mr. Knight?” a tall woman with the name tag Angie on it, indicating she’s the store manager, asks as I approach.
“Yes, we spoke on the phone,” I say, giving her a curt nod.
“Oh, Kieran! Thank God you’re here! Tell them…tell them you let me use it! They don’t believe me. They-they took your card, and then the police showed up. Tell them, Kieran, that I’d never take something that wasn’t mine.” Gloria heaves a breath, watching me with tear-filled eyes. Metal handcuffs clink against the table she’s tied to every time she tries to reach for me.
“Sorry for the theatrics, Mr. Knight. We were alerted of fraudulent charges through our computer system. But we found this in her purse first.” I scowl when Angie holds up a pair of diamond earrings glittering in the low, fluorescent lights of the room. “We watched your mother through the cameras walking around. It was brought to our attention by a few customers that they saw her tossing these into her purse after removing the packaging.” She side-eyes Gloria, glaring at her with rage sparking.
Gloria thought she could pull one over on them. And if she couldn’t have, she thought I’d talk them out of taking her to jail by paying for the earrings she stole.
No chance in hell.
My jaw tics. “Do you mind if I have a word with her before you take her?”
“Take me? No! Kieran, tell them, sweet boy. I didn’t know those earrings were in there! I’m being framed!” she cries out, wrestling with her handcuffs again, trying to scurry away from the situation like the bug she is.
“Absolutely, Sir.” Angie spins on her heel and closes the door, leaving Gloria and me alone.
The air shifts as my anger rises, snuffing out the warmth of the room. Cold shivers run down my spine as my fingers curl again at my sides.
“I swear,” she breathes with big, pleading eyes filled with tears.
“You swear what? That you didn’t take my credit card? That you didn’t spend thousands of dollars of my money? Or that you didn’t steal those earrings. Tell me which one; I’m dying to find out.” I raise a brow, pacing in front of her as she hunches her shoulders, looking as small as possible in my presence.
I’m not buying her sweet little mouse act. She’s the fucking snake in the grass. And the orchestrator of my damn demise. Everything Gloria does is for herself. No one else matters in her eyes. We’re all pawns in her little game of chess.
Well, not anymore.
Gloria sniffles, rubbing at her nose the best she can. “You gave it to me.”
“Enlighten me, Gloria. When did I give you my card?” I cock my head when her bleary eyes meet mine, filling with more moisture.
She’s not sad because she thinks she hurt me. There are only tears present because she is upset I found out.
Gloria scoffs, shaking her head in disbelief. “You gave it to me, don’t you remember?” Fucking gaslighting bitch.
“Nope,” I say with as much indifference as I can.
I learned a long time ago not to give into my emotions around her narcissistic ass.
She rolls her eyes. “Get them to drop the charges. You and I both know you can just pay for those earrings yourself. I didn’t take that card. You gave it to me before you disappeared off the face of the earth. It hurt.” More tears fall down her cheeks as she looks away, twisting her expression into anguish. “It hurt that you left and didn’t even tell me about it. Did you go on another vacation? I could have come, too. You know?”
“Vacation?” I scoff, staring up at the ceiling. After a few big breaths, I look at her pathetic self again.
“Yeah. So, let’s just go, Kieran. You know I don’t belong in prison.”
