12. Willow
Chapter 12
Willow
Leah hadn’t taken the news of being banned from Abel’s shop very well at all. She was defeated, and it was glorious. We weren’t on the best terms right now, which didn’t hurt my feelings, but it was just something else for her to whine about.
The bitch almost blew my entire plan, and if Abel hadn’t stopped her, I would have. He was much nicer than I would’ve been. Granted, I was the real reason why we were both banned, but she’d never know that. She was starting to question my actions, as of late, which wasn’t good.
He thought kicking me out of his shop was going to solve this mess? Think again, lover boy. Although I loved him, he needed to pay for his misstep. I decided a little revenge was in order, but I needed some help with it. I enlisted the help of that little fuck, Marty, who’d delivered the bouquets of roses for me. I told him and his buddies the plan and gave them their payment. I explained I just wanted a little graffiti art and maybe a busted window or two. Easy, right? Nope. Not for these dummies.
Everything should’ve gone smoothly, but it didn’t. The dumbasses got caught by that meddling cop, Noah, and now I just prayed they weren’t complete fuck-ups and narked on me. I’d gotten sloppy and hadn’t had my hoodie on when I’d met with them, and it might just bite me in the ass.
I sat around the corner, watching the dumpster fire they’d created. One ran off like a little pussy, and then Max threw a brick at Noah, hitting him in the head. Shortly after, he was cuffed and thrown into the back of a squad car. I guess if I wanted things done the right way, I should’ve done it myself!
Fearing I might be spotted, I didn’t stick around to see if Abel showed up. I was sure I’d hear about it from one of the old blabber mouths in town, anyways. They had nothing better to do than gossip about others. It was a small town, and people stuck their noses where they didn’t belong all the time.
“Well, look who it is. Our long-lost daughter, Beth. Why don’t you stand up and give your momma and daddy a hug? We’ve missed you so much, it’s been unbearable at times.”
I hear the shrill voice of that bitch, Martha, and I must have been having a nightmare. No way in hell had they found me. I’d made sure that no one could track me here. Or so I’d thought. I pinched myself to see if I was awake or not. When my arm stung from the pinch, I knew it wasn’t just a nightmare.
“What in the hell are you doing here? How did you find me? Never mind, I don’t care. I’m leaving, and don’t you dare follow me.”
They’d caught me out in public, so I didn’t want to make a scene. I got up from the table I had been sitting at, just enjoying my vanilla caramel mocha when they’d rudely interrupted me. I tried to walk away, and it was Donald who grabbed my upper arm.
“You ungrateful little bitch! You owe us, and we’ve come to collect. Thanks to the mess you’ve made with that friend of yours, we got a call from a piggy, asking a lot of questions about you. Willow, this time, is it? You didn’t think you could get away that easily, did you? Stupid, girl.”
How in the hell had Noah, I assumed, put one and two together? I’d been so careful. Where did I screw up? God dammit!
“Let go of me now, unless you want your remaining front teeth knocked out of your mouth!”
That got him to let go of my arm. Last time he’d put his grubby sausage fingers on me, I’d knocked two front teeth clean out of his mouth. He hadn’t had them replaced, I saw. He looked like a backwoods deliverance freak!
“Now listen here, daughter of mine, you’ve put me and your momma in a tight spot since you abandoned us. All we want is what you owe us, and we’ll leave you alone. Then you’ll be free to wreak havoc on your next victim. Seems you’ve got yourself in a pickle with that brainless friend of yours. Leah, is it? I don’t know what she ever saw in you.”
So that was why they’d dug into my past? I knew that bitch was going to get us both fried. I shouldn’t have stayed here, but Abel had made my black heart skip a beat. I’d turned into one of those girls. The ones I despise. Shame on me. Everyone in this god forsaken town was going to pay for this.
“Fine. I’ll get you your fucking money, and then I never want to see you losers again. Just forget about me. Deal?”
They both snickered. It wasn’t like they’d ever cared anyways. I was just a meal ticket to them. A means to an end. Martha hadn’t let me forget that she should’ve aborted me when she had the chance. No wonder my heart was black. Not that I’d change who I was. That was the problem with most people. They crave the desire to be someone else. Look better. Be skinnier. I said, be who you fucking were. Screw what others thought. Changing my name and putting on my acting shoes didn’t count. That was all part of my game. There was a difference, and I stood by that.
“You better come through, you little rat. Here’s where we’re staying. You have until tomorrow to bring us the cash, or we go to the pigs. I’m sure they’d love to hear what you’ve been up to the last few years. Don’t test us, Beth, because you’ll lose.”
I took the piece of paper with their information on it and flipped them the bird as I walked away. They must have thought I was really stupid, like them, because they weren’t getting a cent from me. I needed to get to my place and rethink my whole situation. Everyone had turned Abel against me, and he was falling for their lies.
Maybe if I got rid of Brenna, once and for all, he’d come running straight into my arms. I’d make him forget who she ever was. I’d ‘borrowed’ Leah’s hand gun the other day when I was at her place. The idiot left it loaded in her bathroom cabinet.
They all thought I was playing childish pranks? We’d see what they thought when Brenna got a bullseye, right through her heart.
Sounded perfect.
Noah
“Hey, man. How’s it going?”
I looked up to find Nick coming into the room. The curtain behind him did fuck all to keep out the noise in this place. My head was pounding. A brick to the head really fucked up your day. My knee was sore, and I had cuts along my arms and on the back of my legs.
“Fucking peachy,” I groaned, moving to adjust the way I was sitting.
He put his hands on his duty belt and sighed. “I’ve talked to Abel again. He took Kelsey to Dana. She’s fine there as long as y’all need her to be there. Abel said they’d be here in about ten minutes. And to tell you, Mara is handling things.”
“Meaning?” I was afraid to ask. I knew my wife. She had two modes: freak out and murder.
“His exact words were, ‘I think she’s broken.’ Apparently, she’s shut down, just going with the motions. Once she sees you, I’m sure she’ll be okay. They all have the fear of getting that phone call or a knock at the door.” He shook his head and closed his eyes.
“Where is that little prick?”
His eyes opened, and he met my gaze. “Two rooms down. He’s being treated for cuts to his face, a sprained wrist, and a broken finger.” He shrugged.
I hopped down off the bed. That was my bad ‘cause the whole building tilted to the side. Nick caught me by the arm, cursing.
“Where are you going?”
“To see why he was there.”
“No, you’re not.”
I pulled free of him and did just what I wanted. I weaved down and right past the deputy outside.
“You can’t do this, man.” Nick followed me into the curtained-off room.
The kid laid on the bed, his scowl firmly in place.
“Get out, pig!”
There wasn’t nearly as much venom in his words this time. Outside of Abel’s shop, he was like a pissed off rattler, ready to take on the world. Laying in this bed, his arm cuffed to the rail, he looked as bad as I felt. The right side of his face had fine cuts on it, bruising where he’d probably hit something. There was a lot going on, and even I had places that hurt and I had no clue as to what I’d done.
“Maxwell Eugene Miller!”
At the sound of the voice, he sat up, trying to jerk away from the bed. An elderly woman, possibly early seventies, walked in. Her scowl had Nick and I taking a step back. She was tiny, real skinny, wrinkles at her eyes, but boy did she look mad enough to take on Satan himself.
“Me-Meemaw…what?”
“Shut the hell up. Don’t you ‘Meemaw’ me. What in the world has gotten into you?” She whacked him with her cane.
I looked away. If I didn’t see it, I didn’t have to report it. Plus, it’s not like he didn’t deserve it.
“Meemaw, it’s not?—”
“Boy, you’re testing the little bit of Jesus I have left in me.”
“Deputies, excuse my rudeness.” She turned, her hand coming out to us. “I’m Callie Miller. This ingrate’s grandmother.” I took it and shook. Nick did the same. “I received a call that my grandson had been brought in for assaulting a cop…” Her words trailed off when she got a good look at my face. The spark of anger and hurt that ran through her features hurt my heart.
She spun on her heels. “You tell me what happened, all of it, right now, or so help me?—”
Her tone was soft, but when I tell you the hairs on the back of my neck rose…I mean it. She looked ready to take him out of this world.
“I’m sorry.”
“You will be if you don’t answer me!” she countered.
He broke then. The mask of righteous anger was gone. He looked beaten down; broken. That might have had to do with the fact that his grandmother was ready to give him a WWE smackdown.
Nick stepped in, reading him his Miranda rights. With his grandmother’s permission, Nick started asking questions.
“Why were you on the boardwalk? Why target the tatt shop?”
“I was hanging with—” He looked at us and shook his head. “We were out by the boardwalk.”
“Were you with that little punk, Marty?”
“Meemaw, I’m not a nark.”
“Kid, let me give you some sage advice.” Nick moved to the bedside, keeping the room’s curtained entrance in sight. “You need better friends.”
“They’re okay friends.” He sighed and turned to look at the wall.
“If you think those kids are your friends, you’re wrong. They left you behind to take the rap for everything. Vandalism, destruction of private property, assault with a deadly weapon…”
“I told you and that no-good mama of yours, if you came up here, you would behave. I won’t have a delinquent in my house.”
“It wasn’t—I didn’t know it was going to happen. His head got in the way…” He muttered that last part. “I panicked. She told us to do it. Well, she told Marty… He made us go along.”
“Repeat that? My head got in the way? Is that what you said?”
His face turned a shade of red that worried me before he nodded. I could see tears welling up in his eyes. “I panicked. They said you’d kill me, so I had to defend myself. I’m—man, I hate myself.”
“Wait,” Nick stopped me before I could step in, “She? Who is she?”
“I dunno, some redhead. She came up to us and pulled Marty to the side. He got a big grin on his face. She handed him a stack of bills and told him to ‘mess the place up.’ That’s all I know, I swear. I wanted to go home, but I couldn’t.”
“Is that why you were so mad at being confronted?” I asked, my hip leaning against the end of his bed.
“Yeah, look, seriously, I’m sorry. I never should have snuck out.” He looked at his grandmother, who kept her composure until he started to cry. She sat beside him, wrapping a protective arm around him.
“Deputies, he’s a jerk sometimes, but he’s only thirteen. His parents are the worst kinds of humans alive. My son’s in federal prison, and his mama, well, as soon as I picked him up, she disappeared. He’s not right in the head yet, but I’m working on it. He’s never had anyone stand up and fight for him other than me.” She let out a frustrated breath. “I’m not making excuses. He needs consequences for his actions, but please know, he is better than all of this.”
I nodded, ready to get more information on this redhead he’d mentioned, when I heard Mara scream for me. I jerked, causing myself to wobble at the sudden dizziness that ran through me.
“Mara, dammit.” I pushed the curtain open and stepped out. “Baby, I’m okay.”
She ran to me, and I pulled her against my chest. Her sobs were like a knife to the heart.
“You see what you did?” I heard the older woman say.
To add fuel to the fire, or to make the kid really get a feel for his actions, Nick said, “They have a three-week-old daughter. You could have caused her to never know her dad, kid.”
The world around me started to rock, and I did the only thing I could. I went to my knees, keeping Mara against me. She yelped. I heard my brother’s shout of surprise, Brenna trying to console Mara, and then silence.