Page 61 of Wolf

“If I find out that fucker, your dad, or the sheriff threaten the Abernathy girl, I‘ll skin ‘em myself. Sister or no fucking sister.”

Her mouth drops open as I rev my engine and peel from the drive. All the way back to the compound, I seethe. Not just over her petty words, spoken from a young woman whose only ever been told lies, but for the man who sacrificed everything for my brother and me.

Rose was not my dad’s blood. She was mine and he was the type of man to take that seriously. There were many times thathe could have responded to those squirrelly fucker’s threats, but he let it go, knowing it would only be worse for Rose and his ex-wife.

I know Rose has only heard the lies our mother fed her but fuck me, doesn’t she see how soulless and bitter that woman is? What’s it gonna take for reality to set in?

Fuck. I really hope I won’t have to fuck up her world because I have a feeling there really will be no hope with Rose if I do.

Chapter 17

Lilli

The following week, I went through the motions of class glumly. Mama was on a tear all weekend after I disappeared from the booth, and nothing I said could calm her down. I managed to keep her wrath from Rachel and Mercy, but I have a few new bruises to show for it.

Despite Wolf’s growly proclamation and insinuation, I have zero intention of telling him what happened. Not that I have much opportunity for that anyway. He doesn’t exactly want me around.

Other than questioning me about the sheriff, why did he come? Why kiss me if he doesn’t care? I’ve been pondering it since he walked away but I have no answers. Wolf does what hewants when he wants, a refreshing notion that I know nothing about, so can hardly figure it out myself.

Rachel, after the altercation with Maddox, has been even more distant. Although I’m saddened by it, I’m not surprised. She’s always been the hardest to connect with and I hope despite her anger, that she’s not planning to tell Mama about my insurrection.

On Friday, before school, I find myself at the back of the property, sitting on a bench and staring at the river that runs behind it.

I’ve had nothing but nightmares recently and my own parents star in many of them.

It’s hard to reconcile the two people I trusted to keep me safe with the man and woman who argued about killing an unborn life. I’m ashamed to admit at this point that I believed in their wicked fairy tales because how stupid does that make me?

“Hey.”

Spinning on the bench, to my surprise, I find Darcy holding out a “joint” like what I smoked for the first time just a few weeks ago.

“Darcy!”

“Yep, it’s me,” she says with a sigh before dropping to the bench.

I’m so happy that she’s free but on the wings of that, I feel shame for my relief because it’s born out of guilt and I’m not thinking about how this affected her.

Eyeing the circles beneath her eyes and her pinched lips as she exhales, I say, “I’m sorry about your mom…”

I hope Mrs. McCray was released too but since she did partake in prostitution, I doubt it would have been that easy.

Darcy drops her head and rubs her neck. A lump forms in my throat at her silence and I open my mouth to say somethingsoothing although I don’t know what when she says, “She was into bad shit. It was only a matter of time.”

“What kind of bad shit?” I ask.

Darcy whips around, her eyes wide and shifting on the hard bench, I finally say, “What?”

“Did you just say…shit?”

“Did I?” I ask before she chuckles and shakes her head.

After a moment she relaxes into the seat and says, “She’s fine. She’s weathered worse than this.”

“Oh.” I don’t know what else to say and turn back to the water, sitting with her while she finishes her joint.

When the bell rings, she rises, drops it to the ground and says, “Stay away from the sheriff. That fucker’s on a rampage.”

With a wince, I watch her go. I hope her part in this saga is over, but I have a feeling the sheriff plans to use us all to fulfill his vendetta. I just wish I knew why…

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