Page 68 of Truck Stop Titan

I scratched my chin, gave her a cold stare, eyebrow raised, ya know, in case she wanted to change her mind, backpedal with some of the crazy talk.

Lips pursed, she stared back at me, then blinked, then turned to Mim and whispered, “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

Hard? Hard? How about fucking impossible? But shit, how could I tell her no after I’d flown thousands of miles to beat the hell out of the last man who didn’t respect her wishes?

She wanted easy? Fine.

I gave her easy.

I snatched my bag off the floor, and I left, leaving my motherfuckingpussyassbleedingheart behind.

# # #

Three times around the block.

A detour to the gas station to replenish my smokes.

A breather and a piss at the park.

Two hours. That was how long it’d taken to decide I was not heading back to Whisper Springs alone.

True, I was not, and never would be dad material. Hell, I wasn’t boyfriend material. But for damn sure, I was not whole without those two ladies in my life.

Didn’t understand, not one bit, why I needed to take care of them. Went against everything I’d ever believed about myself. Made me itchy, to be honest.

But they needed me, and I needed them. There it was. The bare bones. I was taking them back with me, no matter how long it took to convince Moriah.

So, there I stood outside her house, studying the brick entryway, the wrap around porch, the droopy flowers dangling from the overhang, and I scrambled to find the right words, come up with the right argument, to convince her to take a chance on a scumbag like me.

“You fucking whore!” came a deep voice, followed by the sound of glass shattering. “One day? You were gone one day and already fucking that trash?”

I made it to the door in three heartbeats, found Moriah in the kitchen, Mim wrapped around her body, head buried in her hair, and Matthew standing in the corner, face swollen, fists clenched, chest rising and falling in rapid bursts.

“Moriah,” I said, straining to keep the violence out of my tone while I moved between Matthew and my girls. “Take Mim out of here, will ya?”

“No.You take her out of here. I’ll deal with this asshole.”

Before I could argue, Mim jumped into my arms, coiling around me, clinging tight.

Shit. Fuck. Shit.

I tried to set her down, and she tightened her grip. So, I turned to the dead man walking. “You touch Moriah, I’ll rip your fingers off one by one. Then I’ll ship them piece by piece to your mother in Pittsburgh.” Yes, I knew where his mother lived. His sisters, too. I leaned closer and whispered, so Moriah couldn’t hear. “And that pretty little receptionist you’ve been banging? She’s the boss’s daughter, right? Those videos you thought were safe in your phone will land in Daddy’s inbox.”

Matthew didn’t meet my eyes, but his Adam’s apple made a slow bob. I could’ve stopped there, but what would be the fun in that? Tito was a good man to have in your corner. “Oh, and that sexual harassment case you won last year? The bribes? Know about those too. Yeah. I know all of your dirty little secrets, piss for brains, so again, I’ll tell you, don’t touch her, or you’ll be praying for death by the time I’m finished destroying your perfect world.”

Instead of smashing his skull against the wall, I headed down the hall and took Mim into the bedroom because, apparently, I was the bigger man in the scenario.

Shouting started the moment I set Mim on the bed. I dug through Moriah’s desk and found a set of headphones. “Put these on, Little Lady. You don’t need to hear that shit.” I tugged my cell out of my back pocket, scrolled until I found the game app Rocky had made me install, and passed it to Mim. “I’ll be right back.”

She curled against the headboard, pointed at the door, silently ordering me to make sure Moriah was okay, and pulled the comforter over her head. God damn, that little warrior was amazing.

I stayed in the hall, out of sight, but only a breath away.

“What is it with that guy? What’s he gonna give you? Black eyes and Hep C?”

“You know what, Matthew? He’s given me more orgasms in two weeks than I got from you in four years. Hell. Now that I think about it, he gave me more in the first night than you ever did.”

“Ungrateful little cunt. I gave you everything. This house, your job, fancy dinners, social status in this town.”

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