Page 14 of Cook

“Absolutely she can stay here,” said Mom, nodding her head fervently. “I can make her whatever she wants. Or she can—”

“Mom, please,” I said, and she lowered her head. “I know your heart is in the right place, but I think she needs time to decompress and to have a shower and to have freedom.”

“Well, I can do that,” said Mom. “I did that with you all the time.”

“You did,” I agreed.

“So tell me what her favorite food is?”

I frowned. “I don’t know.”

With the way she acted with the taco, Maddie probably didn’t even know the answer. She clearly didn’t get many choices when held captive as a sex slave and punching bag.

“I’ll make a bunch of stuff, and she can choose.” Mom walked further into the kitchen and grabbed some pots.

“Can you get her some clothes, too? Help her with the shower if she needs it?”

Mom pulled up her head. “You say this like you’re not staying.”

“I can’t.” I glanced back toward the front door. “I have work in the Ridge.”

She gave me a skeptical look, pinching her lips and eyebrows together. Her look said as much as words did. After all the stupid shit I did today, I deserved a stern talking to, but I was also almost forty years old and didn’t need a tongue lashing from Mommy dearest.

“Don’t start, Mom,” I said, stepping away. “Can you just take care of her? I’ll be back later.”

“Where are you going?” asked Maddie. She had walked out of the bathroom as silent as a mouse. I took note of how silent she could be. She probably had to be quiet with Signora back at the mill.

I cleared my throat. “I’m going back to the Ridge.”

“I’ll go with you,” said Maddie.

“No,” I cut her off, and she pouted. I needed to hold my ground on this, though.

She stared up at me, like she might challenge me. Seriously? I guessed I should’ve been happy she was comfortable with me instead of cowering, but I couldn’t have her in the Ridge. She didn’t need to see the shit I or the MC dealt with on the regular.

She certainly didn’t need to be triggered, either. Others might have done unspeakable things to her, but in the way she hugged herself, I could see something innocent.

“You stay here,” I said. “Mom will get you some food and clothes. You can shower too. Mom?”

“Of course, Morris.” She hurried around me and looped an arm around Maddie, basically holding her in a headlock.

Maddie’s brows climbed up her forehead as she looked at Mom and back at me. I gave her, what I hoped was, a reassuring nod. Still, she didn’t pull away or act nearly feral like she had with the head shrink back at the recovery house.

“Don’t worry, Maddie,” Mom said. “I’ve got everything you want. Let’s start with some clothes and a shower. I’ll whip up a feast while Morris is out. Morris, what time do you think you’ll be home?”

I started toward the front door. “I don’t know. I’ll just be back later.”

After slipping out of the house, I fell to my ass on the front steps with my head in my hands, moments of cowering in corners flashing through my mind as I said, “Yes, Daddy. I’m sorry, Daddy.”

Daddymeant hate.Daddymeant blood and bruises and cuts and broken bones. I had to get her safe and settled, fed and dressed in decent clothes. Then, I needed to nip thisDaddybusiness in the bud once and for all.

Chapter 3

Cook

Iwas back at Mom’s houseby dinnertime, lugging plastic bags filled with clothes of all shapes, styles, and sizes. The woman at the department store had loaded me up with various things she’d insisted women needed. I declined some of stringy the underthings she’d pulled off the racks, unable to fathom how having lacy strings between my ass cheeks would be any kind of comfortable.

But the sight of Maddie’s ass in those...No way, Cook!I needed to shut down that line of thought. Some pairs of nice cotton granny panties would do, and maybe they would help me keep my thoughts from wandering into places they shouldn’t go.

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