Chapter 19 #2
“She’s up to something.” I whisper as he hands me my shoes back, and I slip them on.
“Yeah, seems that way, doesn’t it?” he leans over, putting his shoes back on before righting himself. “I’ve met her once when we were kids…” he trails for a moment. “I’ve arrested her twice as well.”
“What!?” I laugh out loud as we cross the street back to his bike.
“Yeah.”
“Does she remember?”
“Meeting me when I was a kid? Nope. The rest? I have no idea.” He shakes his head as he kicks over the seat, holding out his hand for me, and I slide up behind him.
We’re almost back up the canyon to the house as I tap him on the shoulder, motioning behind me, but he nods his head without even looking, telling me he saw and is aware.
When the car rolls up next to us, I half expect her to veer us over the edge, but she doesn’t. She just nods to the side before pulling in front and braking, so we have no other choice.
I mean, sure we have some other choices, but it’s this, or she follows us back to the house and figures out where we’re staying.
Eli slows the bike to a stop before he stands. He doesn’t turn it off, but reaches for me. We both take our helmets off as she gets out of the car and walks back towards us.
“You know, you look familiar.” She says to Eli as she closes the distance to us. “Have we met?”
“Maybe.”
“Terri…” I’m warning her.
“Oh, that’s right.” She laughs out. “You were the cop who arrested me a few years ago.”
“Well, you got into a bar fight and smashed someone’s head through the window… for taking your chair.”
She says nothing to that, only looks at me and leers. “Drew, does my grandson know you’re dating a cop?”
My lips part, finally able to see where this is going. Finally realizing she’s going to use this as leverage to get the money she’s been desperately trying to get for years.
“Terri.” I’m not even sure what I’m trying to say.
“I’ll take your surprised expression as a no.” She laughs again.
“Go figure, my son, the felon, would have one child follow in his footsteps and one who will take down the entire family.” She laughs. “I don’t know who would be more of a disappointment.”
Somehow she’s able to read me like a book and use the wound that hurts the most.
“Ash wouldn’t be disappointed in either of them.” Eli snaps out.
She turns, looking at him, and steps closer. “So you knew Ash?” she pauses. “Now why would my son have a cop speaking highly of him at all? Unless you were on his payroll.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I gasp out.
“No. You’re right, but I’m smart enough to put some things together.”
She’s right. She may be flaky and not have a goddamn maternal bone in her body, but she’s right; she’s never been stupid.
“So, it’s either you were on my son’s payroll, and now on my grandson’s, or not. And either way, I don’t see how he would appreciate you fucking his sister.”
She’s quickly pissing me off. “Cut the shit, Terri, why do you care?”
“The money I’m rightfully owed.”
“Money!?” I laugh this time, shaking my head. “Terri, I’m a broke-college student. I don’t have any money.”
“Oh, is your brother keeping it all from you?”
I can’t answer her question. Z and I came to an understanding years ago.
While I was still in school, my tuition and rent come out of his account.
He has always set me up with some money every month as well.
And every year he’d send me the forms to do taxes, so on paper, I’ve had a job for years.
He told me about the accounts our parents left, but we all agreed it all should stay in a shell corporation so the money is much more difficult to track back to each of us.
And specifically so Terri’s hands stay the fuck off it.
“I don’t think that’s the case, though. He may be closed off, but he cared enough about you to drop out of school and change his entire life so you wouldn’t be inconvenienced.”
“That’s not why he did it.”
I can tell as I look over at Eli how he had no intention of saying what he did.
“What?” she snaps back at him.
“Nothing.” He shakes his head. “What do you want?”
“I’m thinking 1… 1.5 should be enough to keep my mouth shut.”
“You are kidding me —”
“Okay,” Eli agrees, cutting me off.
“What?” I shout at him.
“I can’t get it all at once, though.”
“Okay,” she thinks for a moment, glancing over at me with a shitty smirk of her getting her way. “250 quarterly for a year and a half.”
“Eli, no!” I gasp, looking between them.
“As long as you can make the first payment now.” She stands firm.
“Okay.” He nods.
I stand back, staring from one to another.
“I have to get it.”
“Well, I think it’s only right that my granddaughter stays with me while you do.”
“No.” he shakes his head.
“No deal.” She smirks as she pulls the phone out of her pocket.
“We’re staying up the road.” He nods in the house’s direction. “Leave your car outside the gate, and I’ll take the keys with me.”
“Fair enough.” She nods her head and walks back towards the front seat.
“Eli,” I call out to him, but he just shoves his head back inside the helmet, kicking over and looking at me to follow. “Eli!” I shout at him, but he shakes his head and only lifts his visor for me to see his eyes.
Groaning out, I finally move to the bike.
It only takes a couple of minutes before we’re turning into the driveway again.
Kicking over the seat, I pull off the helmet and look at him.