AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Isn’t there something we can do?” I ask in a raspy voice. “Just a few more days to pay back the debt.” I sound like my stepmother as dread climbs over me that we’ll end up on the street.
The short, stocky man meets my gaze, eyes cold. “The notice was sent two weeks ago. You were given plenty of notice. And if the rest of the payment isn’t received by tomorrow, then everything else goes.”
My insides turn to ice.
I step forward, desperation clenching in my stomach, my attention on the third man who steps into our home, his attention on the ornate bookshelf.God, not my books.
Moving past the man, I’m out in the front yard in the morning sun, staring at the movers shoving our table into the back of their truck, being knocked about and getting scratched.
The third guy emerges from our home without the bookshelf, which is a small relief, but he turns to my stepmother.
“We’ll be back tomorrow. We’re taking these items now for collateral. If we don’t get the full payment by then, we’ll clear the rest out.” Then he jumps into the truck with the other two, and they drive down the street.
My stomach hurts, and I feel sick at how deep in debt we are, at how things have gotten so bad so quickly.
Taking a deep inhale, I rub the goosebumps out of my arm and meet my stepmother’s stare as she makes her way back up the pebbled driveway.
“Why are they here?” I ask. “I worked at the Luminary Soirée last night to help pay off some of our debt.” Just mentioning the name has me almost smelling Hawk’s masculine cologne, his intense glare on my mind.
My stepmother’s expression immediately flashes dangerously on me, dragging me out of my thoughts. Her mascara is smeared into panda eyes from her tears.
“Well, evidently, it wasn’t enough, now was it?” she sneers, marching indoors, and I trudge in after her. “You probably didn’t do a good enough job.”
That earlier ache in my gut deepens as I think about my encounter with Hawk last night. Of course, he’d find out who I was. This must be his punishment for me spying on him.
Fuck, what do I do?
Shutting the door behind me, my hands are shaking. I’m twisting my fingers over one another, my mind on fire with dread, with guilt.
“Well, don’t just stand there,” my stepmother snaps. “Go mop the guest room now that the furniture’s gone. Do something. You’ve always been such a disappointment. Maybe if you’d been better at something, your father wouldn’t have to travel so much to make more money. Maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
I frown at her, anger bubbling in my chest while tears roll down my cheeks. She always blames me for everything. Like the missing crystal glasses that vanished from the kitchen last week. Or the platinum silver jewelry box that once belonged to my mom.
Right then, the sharp yapping of her two dogs interrupts us. They race into the hallway, their paws click-clacking on the floorboards, snapping at my heels.
“Come, my darlings, Mommy will feed you.” She then shoots me a scathing glance. “I’ll be heading into town shortly. Maybe I can salvage this mess. Ensure my best dress is ironed and ready. And set my hair curlers out.” Her heels tap the wooden panels as she vanishes into the kitchen.
I clench my fists, biting back the scream in my lungs. Fighting won’t help. It always ends with me doing more work and being blamed. Plus, she twists my words to Father when he returns, making it seem like I don’t accept her into the family.
Slumping against the door, I decide I’ll try to give my father a call on his phone once she leaves for town. She hates me contacting him and butts in on the conversation.
Hope clings to my ribs that if he returns soon, he’ll help us find a way out of this disaster.
* * *
A sudden shake snaps me from my sleep.
My eyes flip open, and through the dim night, I can make out my stepmother bending over me, shaking me. Her face is contorted in irritation and urgency, and panic starts to curl under my rib cage because she never comes down to the basement unless there’s an emergency.
“Wake up,” she whispers, her voice cold. “Get your things, now!”
My heart’s on fire as dread sets in, and my mind’s firing in every direction.
Are we being evicted early? Are the men here to take more of our stuff?
Scrambling out of bed, I blink back the tears, unsure where to turn.
“What’s going on?” I murmur.
