Page 5 of Hot For Her Ex-Con

“I don’t think that’s smart, Carol,” I caution her. I’m tempted to out her in front of Allison and shame her for her bullshit story to her friends that I was her man.

But I don’t even want the thought to even be in Allison’s mind. Not even once.

Taking an extended breath in, I’m not sure if Carol’s about to scream, shit, or both. But I remind her of a couple of things before she can do either.

“Cops here, with me on parole and you with an unregistered firearm in the house?”

Not to mention the bigger crime of telling people I’m your man when I never even grunted more than ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’.

Carol goes limp, and her face drains of color. Allison’s eyes widen at the ‘P’ word, and she joins some dots in her mind.

I know for a fact, too, that Carol here has a little side hustle involving a baggie or three, here and there, to make ends meet. She needs the cops right now as much as I need that hole in my head she was sure to give me if I’d let her keep the gun.

I think I can find a better use for it, for now.

I hear Allison gulp behind me, for real sounding and not just for effect, which makes it all the harder for me not to smile.

She’s not only pretty as a peach but she’s got real talent. She sure can put it on when she has to. I like that in a girl.

But cops or no cops, there’s no way we can stay here. Not now. Carol has served her usefulness, and I can see now it’s destiny that brought me back from the bus station just in time.

Plus, I still have something to take care of myself. Nothing like checking off the to-do list all in one day.

Finding Allison so easily was worth the wait, but killing Trap will be the cherry on the cake of my day.

“Carol? I need you to stay here. I’m gonna go find this piece of shit.”

My announcement makes Allison gasp, and I hear her leaping off the edge of the bed she’s been gripping, moving so close to me I can feel her body an inch from mine.

“I’m going with you,” she says, touching the small of my back and making my lip twitch as I feel her fingers lightly clawing me.

“You're not going anywhere, young lady. This is messed up! Killian? We have to call the cops. Call someone… My damned door’s off its hinges!”

“I’m the only one who knows what that creep looks like, Mom,” Allison whines.

Keeping my back to her, I lift my brow. “She’s right. And she’ll be a lot safer with me.”

“Then we’ll all go,” Carol decides out loud, not wanting to be left behind, convinced there really was an intruder that wasn’t me. “Which way did he go?”

“Who’s gonna watch the house?” Allison reasons, moving out from behind me, reassuring her mom it’s better if she stays, playing her part so well without any coaching.

That’s my girl.

She must want it as bad as I need it from her if she’s as desperate to get out of here as I am.

“I need a drink…” Carol murmurs weakly. She helps herself to three fingers of bourbon and then another from the bottle tucked under the sink.

“You’ll be okay?” Allison asks her mom, who’s bought everything so far.

“Sure. We can talk when you get back.” Carol sighs, sliding the bottle closer to herself, already looking like she’s made a few choices of her own.

Allison doesn’t know it, but her mom’s been sober the whole time I've been here. Until tonight, I’m guessing.

Carol gives me a knowing look. She knows as well as I do that I have no intention of coming back tonight. Not until I’ve claimed what I know is already mine.

CHAPTER 4

Allison

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