Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41246 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 206(@200wpm)___ 165(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41246 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 206(@200wpm)___ 165(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
“I just left your office looking for you and that, that…spawn from hell was in there. Did she go home with you last night?”
What was she getting at? She knows Chloe went home with me she’d made a stink about it while we were leaving. “Yes she did you know she did.”
“So how did she get those marks on her neck?” She was mad enough to kill and I was about to make that shit worse.
“Wait how do you know she has marks on her neck?”
“And on her tits.” I was out of my chair before she was done talking. There was no way she could know about the marks on my baby’s tits unless she’d moved her shirt. As for the ones on her neck, I knew they were hidden because I’d teased her about that.
Ma followed me down the hall to the office. She was in tears, holding the shreds of her shirt together with her hands. There were scratches on her arms and neck and I saw red.
“Get out of here ma.” I didn’t turn to look at her. If I did I’d do something I’d never done before in my life.
“No, I won’t get out. I’m not going to let you throw your life away on this trash.”
If she wasn’t going to leave that we will. “Come baby.” I took her in my arms and kissed her hair before turning her towards the door. “Move ma.” She blocked the door with a look of fury on her face.
“You’d choose her over me? Over your own flesh and blood, after what her family did to ours?”
“That wasn’t her doing ma. She wasn’t there and neither was I, and you know what? I’m sick of this. Drexel is dead, let it go.”
I moved around her knowing my words had stung. She’d carried that hate for so long it was hard to let go. Maybe if I’d told her what I was up to all these years it would’ve been easier. It was too late for that now.
I carried Chloe to the restroom and cleaned her up. “It’s okay now baby stop crying.”
“I didn’t hit her back, I did that for you. You said I only get one chance well so does she. Next time I’ll hit back.”
“There won’t be a next time baby, I promise.” I hugged her close and waited for her to calm down.
Chapter 13
STONE
***
I took her back to the office and locked her in before heading out back to the workshop to get her a new shirt. From the way everyone was avoiding eye contact, I surmised they’d heard about the scuffle.
“Listen up.” I knew these women were all loyal to ma, and they’d follow her lead always. But I wasn’t about to let them pull that shit on Chloe. “Chloe Drexel is under my care and protection. Anyone, I don’t care who, fucks with her, will answer to me. Trust me, you do not want to test that.”
I headed back to her mad as fuck. I passed mad in the hallway and she opened her mouth to talk to me again. “Go home ma. You’re done for the day.” I didn’t stop or look back at her as I unlocked the office and walked in.
She was sitting where I left her and for whatever reason I really looked at her. Not at her amazing eyes, or the fall of her hair. Not the perfect form of her young firm breasts, but at her.
She was an orphan. She had no one left in the world. No one but me. Whatever obstacles stood in our way, I couldn’t let that stand. She needed me. She’d given herself to me, why?
Was it proximity? Was it fear of being alone? Or was it something else? Whatever it was for her, I knew what it was for me. Walking over I cupped her cheek and saw the palm print there for the first time.
“I’m sorry baby.” She just shrugged and took the shirt from my hand. “You wanna tell me about it?” She didn’t look too sure and I could well imagine why. That first night I’d all but choked her out for talking at ma. But how was I to know ma would lose her mind two days later and do this shit?
“It’s nothing, really.” She sounded pitiful and sorry for herself. “Look at me.” I used my finger under her chin to turn her head towards me. “You’re not alone. Two days ago maybe, but after last night I’ve got you. Do you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“Now look like you believe me.” She gave me a halfhearted smile. “Now tell me what happened.”
“Okay, she came in here looking for you. She didn’t say anything so I didn’t say anything. Then she started saying all this stuff about ungrateful uppity bitches and how she was going to get you to get me out of the house. I kept reading, or trying to, but she wouldn’t stop.”