Page 13 of In It for the Long Ride

I knew it as clearly as I knew I’d spend the rest of my life in prison for the choices I was about to make.

There was nothing left to say, I had to keep her safe. I had to make sure she stayed out.

I shot out of the chair and grabbed her bag. I'd never ventured into a woman's purse before, but I didn't hesitate to snatch her keys. Daisy hated motorcycles, so I felt confident she wouldn't attempt to take off on the beat-up bike that was still stored in the shed. It was too far to walk.

Shit, with the Valentino mob and the police sniffing around just trotting out to get the fucking mail was too far!

“Stay your ass put, Daisy,” I growled as I shifted gears and tore down the lane.

The car had to be ditched anyway. It was only a matter of time before the mob caught onto Crystal’s day job. Little Blaze would be target number one when that happened, and they had Intel to rival any sheriff. License plate numbers and addresses were easily accessible to Demetri.

I took a deep breath or two and managed to slow down the thoughts and fears a bit. There were things I had to do. Things I had to make right. I pointed her car toward my home address and turned the radio on. I probably flipped through every station twice before I shut it off with a disgusted grunt.

The neighborhood was quiet as it often was, when I pulled into the drive and shut the engine off. It had been a decent placeto call home, funny, after a few hours with Daisy, I realized what an illusion I had been maintaining.

I wasn't living, I was avoiding it.

A beer bottle flew off the front porch and beer slung across the windshield of Daisy’s car just before it struck the hood and shattered.

I startled hard and shot a look toward the porch just as Sue came into view. She reached down to the box, grabbed a full one, and pitched it full force. She was drunk, and stumbled as she did so, causing the bottle to land short. Unfortunately, it took out a headlight, and the shadows doubled, preventing me from seeing what she had picked up next. I didn't have long to wonder. Shit, I barely had time to remove myself from behind the wheel when a cinder block landed on the passenger side of the windshield, shattering the glass even as the brick lodged against the dashboard.

“Goddamn it, woman!” I roared, staring wide-eyed at the damage.

“You're lucky you didn't bring her. Oh, you’re lucky, Montana!” Sue shouted as she flew down the steps.

“Mom,” her daughter, Nikki, cried as she flew down the steps after her.

Nikki was only fifteen, but they were the same size and of similar strength judging by the way Nikki was wrestling with her.

A few of the neighbors stepped out onto their porches to see what the commotion was.

“Great.” I grunted.

I waved to the nosy ol’ hag that lived on the corner and stepped past the fussing women like I was immune to the curses that were raining over me.

“I hope you're happy with that boring bitch. You should be proud to stand next to someone that smells like cheap hairspray and old lady perms,” Sue continued to give it her best.

I sighed and emptied an overflowing ashtray from the kitchen table. There was laundry piled up in the utility room and spilling out in front of the dish washer. Beer bottles were everywhere.

“Christ, what time did you start?” I quietly wondered, not realizing they were already inside with me.

“You’d know, if you weren't out gallivanting with that washed-up bitch Daisy.” Sue bobbled her head and squinted until she looked like the devil.

I ran my hand over my face and fought the claustrophobia that was creeping up on me.

“I ain't got time to argue and neither do you. Get your shit. You and the girl. Go on, get your things together.” I started getting loud and directing her by the shoulder.

“You ain't got time for me!” she roared, lurching away.

I wiped my face with my hand again, focusing on the sensation of stubble against my palm. It didn't dissuade or diminish the urge to smack the fuck out of her, but it did keep me from giving in to it.

“The Valentino Mafia is on their way to Swanwick. When they touch down, they are going to systematically eliminate every disciple they discover. They will punish, maim, and traffic anyone who has contact with us. That the future you got in mind for your daughter, Sue?”

Her jaw dropped and her lips floundered.

“You're not even a man.” Her voice cracked. “You're just going to toss me and my daughter out on our ass so that you and that trollop can rut and play house?”

I was firing off a text to Easy, but I stopped typing long enough to process her insult.

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