Page 25 of Hell Bent

What she wouldn’t give to eat one more of his terrible meals. She’d even love to deal with one of his foul moods. Picking up a T-shirt she kept in her pillowcase, she held it to her face, breathing Tesh in. The scent was starting to fade, and one day, it would be gone.

She wondered if she’d recognize it if she smelt it on someone passing her on the street. Tucking it back inside the pillowcase, Sway got up and made the bed before walking out of the bedroom.

Anger was still a living, breathing thing but something she was learning how to embrace. She was learning how to hold herself together through the breakdowns, learning how to talk herself off the ledge.

It seemed like years since Tesh had died. In reality, it had been one month and two weeks. She refused to tell anyone what happened to her face. She let them think it happened while she worked late in the shop. If she told her employees that two men attacked her over paying protection money, they’d probably all quit.

Stepping into the small kitchen area, she poured a cup of coffee and stared into the dark liquid. Across the room, three folders sat on her table. The first one was everything Lottie’s boyfriend had gotten on Jerome Michel. The second was on the Bloody Scorpions. The third held information on the Royal Bastards. When Lottie had handed them over, she made Sway promise to be careful.

Scooping up the folders, Sway walked over to the far wall where she’d hung corkboards up in advance. Now, she would create her own detective boards. Staring down atthem, she promised herself if she couldn’t make any connections to Tesh’s murder, she would let it all go.

Setting down her coffee cup, she went to work pinning pictures up on the boards. When she was finished, one picture was still in the folder. It was a picture of a warehouse, and on the back, the word ‘Funhouse’ was on it. ‘Funhouse’ was the word written on the piece of paper she found with Tesh’s things. She’d have to do some digging into what it was exactly. Maybe she’d ask Dawson. That would make things easier.

When she was finished, Sway sat on the sofa and began going over all the information she had on the men in the photos. After a few hours, she tossed the papers aside, pissed at herself for wasting her morning on a witch hunt. “Get up. Get dressed. Go outside,” she told herself.

Every day off, she hid in the apartment like a damn hermit. Was she afraid to be outside? Why? She had someone watching over her most days. “Stupid. I’m so stupid.” Getting up, she got herself dressed and called Lottie to go shopping and grab lunch.

The diner was busy from the moment she walked in. Rubbing a hand down her arm, Sway wanted nothing to do with a crowded restaurant. If Tesh could see her now, he’d laugh his ass off. Covering her smile with a hand, she laughed softly, thinking about how hard her brother would laugh at her, the social butterfly, not wanting to deal with people.

The bell above the door had Sway looking over her shoulder to see Lottie come in. The girl was in head-to-toeblack leather, except for the hot pink fuzzy sweater she had on. “It’s about time you showed up.”

Lottie slammed her hands on her hips, shaking her head. “What are you talking about? I saw you walk in.”

Sway laughed and slipped her arm through her best friend’s. “Let’s see if we can find a table.”

“How many?” the hostess asked them.

“Two,” Sway answered. Stepping aside, she followed her best friend as the hostess led the way through the crowded room.

When they slid into a back booth, Lottie grabbed Sway’s hands. “I’m sorry I’ve been distant.”

Squeezing Lottie’s hands, Sway smiled. If she was honest, she hadn’t noticed Lottie being distant. She’d been too busy trying to find a way to prove Jerome had caused Tesh’s death. Sway hadn’t wanted to spend time with friends. That would have meant she wasn’t focused on Tesh. “I’m sorry I haven’t let you in.”

Searching for the right words to start a conversation, Sway wondered why this was so hard. They had been friends for years, had disagreements, dated guys who occupied their time and kept them from one another. Lottie had even gone away to college while Sway had to work to survive. But they had never lost their rhythm with one another. Death. They had never dealt with death together. “Where have you been keeping yourself?”

“I got a new job, and I moved in with Dawson.” Lottie waited for her best friend to fuss about her living with Dawson. She was surprised when Sway congratulated her.

“We’ll get to you moving in with Dawson in a minute. First, where is this job?” Lottie had gone to nursing school. After four years, she had gotten her RN license, and she’d been working for two years at a local hospital.

“Please don’t be mad, but I’m working at the clinic in the Red-Light District.” Lottie saw Sway shake her head. “Don’t shake your head at me. I can do good work at that clinic. People like you and me go to that clinic.” Well, she hadn’t in a few years, but she had in the past.

Rolling her eyes, Sway let go of Lottie’s hands and leaned back in the booth. “Why would you want to work there? They can’t be paying you enough.”

“It’s not about the money, Sway. It’s about helping people who need help.”

Sway searched her friend’s eyes and saw the pleading look for her to understand where she was coming from. “If someone hurts you, I’ll kick their ass.”

“Deal.” Lottie smirked as she looked around. “Now, where is our waitress?” Catching a waitress’s eye, Lottie waved the girl over. Before the waitress could get away, they ordered their food and drinks. When the girl walked off, Lottie directed the conversation toward Sway. “What have you been doing other than working?”

“Nothing. I’ve been living like a hermit.”

“I want you to tell me what happened to your face.”

She didn’t want to tell her. Tapping her fingers on the table, Sway decided to tell Lottie everything. When she got to the end of the story, she included that Vicious and a few of his friends were keeping an eye on things.

“So, you’re involved with the Royal Bastards now?” Lottie asked.

“No, but what if I was? Have you ever seen them? Some of them are hot.”

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