Page 29 of Still Burning

I turned to look back at the water, not wanting Lick to read too much into my expressions. “It’s the right thing,” I assured him. “It’s his baby too.”

“He could give the bitch some cash and send her on her way.Fuck knows she’s not gonna be a headliner anymore onstage. Stretch marks and shit will mess up her body.”

I let out a laugh then, but it wasn’t a deep, full one. I couldn’t imagine how harshly my body would be judged if Nixie would be considered less than perfect once she gave birth.

“His dad walked out on him and his mom when he was a kid. He won’t do the same to his child.”

Lick snarled, “My pops beat the shit out of me and my mom before just not coming home one day. Never heard from him again. Don’t mean I’m gonna be some daddy to a stripper’s kid. Bitch was supposed to be on birth control. That’s a requirement for the dancers at our clubs. Condoms break. She was looking to get knocked up. Thought it would get Rome to make her his ole lady.” He shook his head and tapped a cigarette out of the container he’d pulled from his pocket, then stuck it between his teeth while he got his lighter. “Shit’s been done before,” he added, lit the cigarette, and took a long drag from it.

“Rome was raised to be responsible for his actions,” I told him, feeling the need to defend Rome even if Lick wasn’t actually attacking him.

Lick cut his eyes at me. “Was he raised to see a good thing when he had it and do all he could to fucking hold on to it? ’Cause the way I see it, he’s messing that up.”

I dropped my eyes back to the ground and turned back to face forward. “If you mean I’m the good thing, I’m not going anywhere.”

Neither of us spoke, and the sounds from the cars on the road nearby filled the silence.

When Lick cleared his throat, I jumped, startled.

“If he doesn’t treat you right, don’t go running off without letting me know first. Yeah?”

I glanced over at him. “I won’t run.” I’d just told him that I wasn’t going anywhere.

He smirked. “I heard you. But I also know things change. If they change, you let me know.”

This time, I did smile a little. Not because I liked having another man’s attention. It was just that everyone was so careful around Lick. As if he was someone you didn’t want to cross. But I didn’t see that at all. He’d always been so nice to me.

“Okay,” I agreed, not wanting to keep repeating the fact that I wouldn’t leave Rome unless he sent me away.

Lick winked at me and nodded his head back to the parking lot. “You sure you aren’t up for a ride? We can go to the beach.”

I shook my head. “I’m fine. But thank you.”

He looked disappointed, but his smirk stayed in place. “All right. I’ll go to work then. You remember what I said.”

I nodded, but didn’t say anything more.

As he started to walk away, I turned my attention back to the pond. Worry started to creep in the more I thought of what Lick had said. Did he believe I’d leave because he thought Rome would develop feelings for Nixie? I hadn’t known what they were like together. It had ended almost right after I got here. My sending him alone with her to the doctor could stir up things he’d forgotten.

God, I had to stop thinking about this.

Rome loved me. If I was going to survive this, then I needed to believe that what we had was strong enough.

Sighing, I began walking again. The roar of Lick’s bike was followed by the rumble as he drove away behind me. Once it faded, the quiet returned, and then there was the faint sound of a familiar song. One I’d heard. I couldn’t place it. I walked toward where I thought it was coming from. As I got closer to the far-left corner of the property, the music became more distinct. It was an Irish song. I didn’t see anyone, but there was definitely music. That, or I was hallucinating.

I decided to go investigate.

It sounded as if it was coming from a storage shed in front of a thicket of trees. When I tried to open the door, it was locked. Listening closely, I realized it was coming from behind it. How odd. Maybe the fence was really close, and someone was on the other side, listening to a radio or something. That was probably it, but my curiosity had me continuing my search to see if I was correct.

The shadow from the building blocked the direct sunlight as I walked behind it.

“And again. Nothing here,” I mumbled to myself.

The music stopped.

Well, crap. I waited a minute to see if it started up again.

The crack of a limb came from behind me, and I jumped and started to turn to see who had followed me out here just as a hand went over my mouth and an arm locked around my body.

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