Page 19 of Shameless

My mother and her husband whisper something to each other, their voices too low for anyone else to hear them.

Evan sets down his empty glass on the coffee table in front of him but his eyes are fixed on me. This time when he smiles, his grin is wide.

I instinctively seek refuge in Stefan’s arms.

“Lula!” Dad’s tone is sharp. “We’re getting ready to leave. Let’s go.”

I reluctantly pull away from Stefan, dreading the two hour car ride with Dad and Arianna.

“Tom, would you mind if Lula rode with me like she did on the way here? My dog Napoleon is a nervous traveler and Lula seems to be the only one who’s able to keep him calm aside from Rikki.”

Dad’s brow furrows in confusion. “Talking about your dog, where is he? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“I went to check on him before the sheriff started talking to all of us. The staff was taking care of him in the kitchens. I was about to go get him, so we can leave.”

Dad sighs. “Fine with me. But once you hit Star Cove, come straight home, no detours. Am I clear?”

Crew nods. “You got it. Let’s go, Lula. Stef, do you mind starting to load my Jeep?”

As I follow Crew out of the living room, my skin prickles with awareness. When I turn around, Evan is tracking my movements with that smile still plastered on his face and that dead stare in his eyes.

6.Clearing The Air

Stefan

If he even so goes near Lula, I swear to fucking God the stable massacre will look like motherfucking child’s play.

I’m itching to wipe that smug grin off Evan’s face and give him a real reason to be shocked.

Because let me tell you, for someone who just lost his girlfriend to a violent crime, the asshole looks more than fine to me.

I clench and unclench my fists, fighting to get my temper under control.

If I do what’s swirling in my mind, it’s not going to help Lula. Realistically, I can’t kill Evan with my bare hands and beating the crap out of him would just be a temporary fix. All it would achieve in the long run is that his father would press charges and I’d be unable to protect Lula from jail.

Evan isn’t the only person I need to watch out for. Tiffany is a snake, a complete waste of space as a mother and as a human being. She doesn’t care about her own daughter and fuck knows she’s already tried to destroy my relationship with Lula once.

When Lula’s stepfather decides that his wife and son should come to Star Cove, I want to scream and smash everything in sight. Preferably over the judge’s head.

I want to yell at Tom and Jules for making it easier for the people who have made Lula’s life hell to come into our midst.

It’s unfair though, I know they’re just trying to choose the lesser of two evils. If they hadn’t helped Tiffany and Evan find a suitable accommodation in Star Cove, Lula could have been forced to follow her stepfather on the campaign trail. Then it would have been impossible for me to protect her.

I know all this but that doesn’t help me calm down and accept the circumstances.

I hate the fear I see in Lula’s eyes and I hate how powerless I am to do anything about it other than be by her side and watch over her.

The thought of running far enough away that our families will never find us crosses my mind, but what kind of life would I be able to offer Lula? She’s still on probation, so we’d have to hide. We’d also be penniless, since I can’t access my trust fund until I’m twenty-five.

Eddie’s team would have helped me be financially independent, but with his death, who knows what will happen to our jobs?

It feels like the walls of the room we’re in are closing in on me as I can’t see any solution to all my problems.

When everyone starts filing out of the room, eager to get their belongings and get the fuck out of here, I barely notice.

I nod, on autopilot, when Crew asks me to grab our bags from the bungalow we stayed in last night and leaves the room with Lula in tow.

A part of me wants to go with them, but maybe walking down the hill to the cluster of bungalows designated to the owner’s guests will help me clear my mind and get my temper under control.

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