Page 7 of Last Resort

Chance had come back staring at her, even more grumpy with her than usual. No explanation, just a demand that she pull everything she could on the real estate tycoon and his company.

It had been all Maci could do not to tap her heels and salute. She was trying her best not to pick fights with Chance. Jabbing at each other at the office had been fun at first but now had taken a turn for a little more bitter since she’d snuck out of his bed.

She took her shower and got ready for the day, washing the memories of Chance down her drain like she tried to do every morning. Some day she hoped it wouldn’t be necessary. But she wasn’t holding her breath.

By the time she was ready to go, she was already half a coffee pot into her day and desperately in need of some food before the shakes took over. Still, it was nice pulling into the lot of San Antonio Security as an employee. She loved her job. Loved sorting the guys’ paperwork chaos into systems that were tidy and manageable. Loved taking things off their hands and greeting and helping customers.

It was nice to be needed and feel like she wascapable. That was definitely a first.

She turned off her car and glanced at her cell phone. Swiping away the notifications from her calendar and news apps, she froze. Two missed calls and a text, all from her mother. She stared at the phone, wishing she could toss it out the window.

Delete. She didn’t listen to the voice mails. Nothing good came from her mother’s mouth before eight in the morning.

Nothing good came from her mother’s mouth any time of day.

She glanced at the text from her before deleting it also.

Need to talk to you.

“Of course you do.” Maci tossed her phone back into her bag, yanked her keys out of the ignition and opened up her car door.

She fought not to let the text ruin a day that hadn’t even started yet. Her relationship with Evelyn had beenstrainedfor years. Suffering from addiction her whole life, Evelyn treated Maci like a glorified ATM, showing up just long enough to get cash for her next fix before leaving again.

Taking a fortifying breath, Maci got out of her car, holding the handle up—the only way to get the door to stay closed on this vehicle that had seen better years. Evelyn wasn’t her problem today.

“Hi, baby girl.”

Or...maybe Evelynwasher problem today. The sound of her mother’s voice was enough to snap Maci’s spine straight. Turning quickly, she put her back to the car and stared at the slightly older reflection in front of her.

Evelyn Ford had once been the type of beautiful that people gawked after. Long blond hair that hung in silky waves, icy blue eyes rimmed with thick lashes and an hourglass figure that didn’t care what she ate.

Back then, she’d been movie star beautiful. Now, she just looked tired. Almost thirty years of addiction did that to a person. Her hair was still long, but fried and stringy, her eyelashes sparse around dulled eyes. Now her body was thin with scabs from itching. It was like the disease had eaten away at her.

It was everything Maci was terrified of becoming. Everything she’d come way too close to becoming.

It was Evelyn who had sent Maci into such a horrific tailspin that she’d ended things with Chance. A single text threatening to show up had been enough to send Maci packing.

Chance didn’t need someone like Maci dragging him down. He had a good family, a job he loved and a great life. There was no room for a high school dropout who’d spent her formative years following in her mother’s footsteps. The drugs, the men, the mistakes. Not exactly the type of daughter-in-law Clinton and Sheila Patterson were used to.

No, Chance was better without her and her messy history. No matter how painful it was for Maci.

“You can’t be here.” Maci leaned against the car door, blocking her mother from view of anyone coming into San Antonio Security. The office wasn’t open yet, but the urge to keep this part of her life hidden was stronger than ever. The Pattersons—Chance especially—didn’t need to know what Maci came from and who she had to fight not to become.

“You didn’t answer my calls.” As if it was normal for Maci to be on the phone at 3:00 a.m.

“I was sleeping.”

Her mother huffed. “Well, I need your help.”

Maci stared at her. If Evelyn wanted help in the form of rehab or counseling, Maci would do whatever was in her power to assist. But that was never the case.

When Evelyn saidhelp, she wanted funds to feed her habit, to drown herself in her current drug obsession. “You need money.”

Evelyn nodded. She didn’t even seem ashamed. Why would she when Maci had been cleaning up her messes since she could hold a broom?

“How much?” It wasn’t how Maci would normally handle this but she needed to get Evelyn out of here now before someone saw her and started asking questions. That was the problem with working for a bunch of highly-trained security guys.

Her mother shifted on her feet, now looking sheepish. It was an act, one Maci was all too familiar with. Gritting her teeth, Maci wished she could just walk away from Evelyn. But she would follow. Telling her she shouldn’t be here would just ensure she showed up again.

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