Page 17 of Charity's Torment

“Oh, weird. You looked so familiar.” I shrugged. “Thanks,” I said to Jose.

He nods and takes another hit off his pipe, passing it to the girl.

“What was your name again? Mary, right?”

“Morgan,” she said.

I snapped my fingers. “Gotcha. Wow, I was way wrong.” I laughed nervously, tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and walked through the door. I hopped down the stairs, washing away the false nerves, and hustled out to meet Max.

When I took my seat and threw the baggy at him, I said, “He’s selling my brother’s favorite, but he said he hasn’t been around in years.”

My blood boiled, and I needed to release like a teakettle on the stove. Being in there affected me more than I thought it would. How was I supposed to keep to my pact now? I wanted to bust in Jose’s face and demand he tell me the truth. I could see myself chopping him up while he screamed bloody murder until he told me my brother’s whereabouts.

Piece of shit.

“Why did you buy it?” he asked.

“I had to be certain. Besides, I got rid of the bill Tom paid me with.”

Max, my personal chauffeur for the day, drove far from the roach-infested abode. “Where to?”

“I need to burn these clothes and scrub my body from this filth clinging to my skin. You do not understand how hard it was to not bash him in, Max. He was right there. I could have easily done it.”

“I know, but you did the right thing.” Max turned onto the interstate toward my home. “You know if he is selling, I’m going to have to tell Luca.”

I scoffed; nothing that I did was considered the right thing. I knew where this conversation was headed, though, and I didn’t like what I was about to hear. “Come out with it, Max.”

“We have to find out who he is dealing for. That means someone is coming into our territory. Luca’s going to want to know who.”

I looked out the window and played with my bottom lip. I’m scared for my brother. My chest hurt just thinking about him lying in one of those houses, doped up, and throwing his life away… again. I blinked back the threat of tears. “I don’t want to talk about it. Business comes first, right?”

“Come on, Charity. It’s not like that. We’ll find your brother, I promise.”

“I’ll find my brother. You focus on work.”

Max growled in frustration and pulled into my driveway, then turned off the car. We sat in silence for a moment, and it became too much to bear. I jumped out of the car and went into the house with Max on my tail.

“I’m going to take a shower.”

I stripped off my shirt as I walked down the hall.

Modesty went out the window a long time ago. It wasn’t something I had the luxury of experiencing. I didn’t have enough fingers or toes to count on for how many times I exposed myself in front of a mark. They can use a woman’s sexuality against her, or she can use it for herself. I never went further than showing my skin—I wasn’t a whore, but I used it to my advantage.

I tossed my bra on the floor when Max croaked, “Um...”

I snorted, realizing why. He’d never seen me naked.

I kicked off my boots and shorts and set my gun on the counter, as I have done a million times before. My water dial squeaked as I twisted it to my desired warmth, then stepped under the water and let its soothing heat run down my frame.

Lilac-scented wash permeated the steam-filled bathroom, and I took a deep lung full of the aromatic smell. I used to joke that my first love was my discovery of the shower—the relaxing massage of the water as it pelted your skin, the calming sound of droplets on the tile reminded me of rain, and the aroma of shampoo and conditioner took me to a land of blossoms and sunshine. I had a nasty habit of taking showers that ran ridiculously long until the water ran cold, and my muscles would freeze up. I didn’t think I had the convenience of doing that today, but I’d be damned if I didn’t try.

Steady streams of water ran down my face, and I held my breath, seeing how long it would be before I had to move away. A knock at the door startled me, and I inhaled the water, causing me to cough so hard I was sure my lung would come with it. I beat on my chest, forcing the water to break free.

“What?” I said with a hoarse voice.

Max poked his head in the door. “Someone is here.”

I wrapped the towel around my body, all while Max stared with a look of starvation I recognized. “Keep it in your pants.” Max shook his head, and I walked to the window to look at the driveway.Shit. “It’s my dad.” I dropped the towel and ran for my closet. I pulled a baggy shirt over my head and moved for shorts when I noticed Max not moving, just staring. “Pick your jaw up from the floor, Max.” To say I wasn’t enjoying this would be a lie.

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