Page 45 of All Jacked Up

“She didn’t know that.” Her response came out just above a whisper. “If she had, she’d have wanted money. Well, more than she’d already asked for. And the truth of the matter is, I didn’t want her approval anymore by the time all that happened. I’d wanted it when I was a kid. A lost, lonely, little girl who lived every day feeling as if she were an annoyance. So, I never told her. She hadn’t earned the right to know.”

Shit. That made my chest ache. I’d not realized it was that bad. I knew her home life hadn’t been great, but fuck. She’d felt like she was an annoyance? Fucking hell.

My hands tightened on the steering wheel as I thought about the girl in the library. The one who had been so unsure and nervous that first day. She’d tripped over words and been awkward as fuck.

I’d liked her. She was witty when I hadn’t expected it. Once she relaxed around me, her smart-ass remarks were fucking hilarious. Girls had never spoken to me like she did. She was who she was, and she didn’t give a shit what I thought. It was refreshing. I wanted more of it. So, when the assignment was over, I had continued texting her.

How had her mother not been proud of her? She’d been an excellent student. Never got into any trouble. She’d gotten a full ride to college on her academics. Her mom should have been beaming with pride.

“A mother who wasn’t proud of the student and person you were—are—doesn’t deserve to be mourned. Fuck her.”

A small chuckle caught my attention, and I glanced over at her. She was smiling at me, her eyes dancing with amusement.

“What’s so funny?”

She pressed her lips together, then let out another giggle. “We are going to the funeral home so I can tell them what to do with my mother’s dead body, and you just saidfuck her.” Another laugh bubbled out, and then she shook her head. “I’m going to hell for laughing about this. We both are.”

I smirked. “Shakespeare, I was headed for hell long before now. But you’re welcome to join me.”

She rolled her eyes while continuing to smile. The woman made it hard for me to keep my eyes on the road. Her expressions were fascinating. Thankfully, I was pulling into the parking lot and would be free to watch her all I wanted. Which seemed to be constantly.

Not very friendly, Ransom. Fix that shit.

“You know what you want to do with her?” I asked as I parkedand turned off the ignition.

“I’m doubting she had insurance for this. It all depends on cost really. If cremation is cheaper, then that’s what I’ll do. But then I’ll be left with the ashes.” That thought seemed to bother her.

“Cremation is the cheapest route. Burial requires a plot too. Does she have one of those?”

She shrugged, then shook her head. “Again, I seriously doubt that.”

“What about your other family, relatives? Have you called any of them? They may have some burial lots for family members you don’t know about.”

She looked out the window toward the building in front of us. “There is no family or relatives. It was just us.”

“No grandparents?”

She shook her head. “Never met them. She said they were dead before I was born, and she was an only child. I have no idea who my father is. He knocked Mom up and left town. Her stories on him were always conflicting. She said she never looked for him, and then once, she mentioned his other family, the one he had wanted, to Dick—her boyfriend at the time. She said he didn’t know I existed, and then another time, she said that he got one look at me and bolted.” She sighed and shrugged. “Who knows? I gave up caring about that long ago.”

Fucking bitch. She’d deserved to die. Damn her for saying that shit to a kid. Especially one like Noa. She’d been so damn nice and polite.

“Then we burn the witch,” I said, grabbing the handle and shoving my door open.

“What did you say?” she asked.

I glanced back at her. “You heard me, Shakespeare. I said, let’s burn the witch. Then I’ll take you wherever you want to dump the ashes.”

“She’s dead, and you just called her a witch.” She wasn’t upset;she just looked shocked and slightly amused.

“Yeah, I did. Would you prefer bitch? Either fits.”

“Are you trying to get us both sent to hell?” she asked.

“Already told you, I’ve been headed there for a long time. It’s your soul that’s in danger,” I replied with a wink, “Let’s go.”

Fifteen

Noa

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