Page 34 of His Property

Tension winds in my shoulders, and my ears heat. She has a soft smile on her face, and she doesn’t look the least bit serious. I tell myself this, try to let it go, but anger surges in anyway.

I roll my neck and take a deep breath. Calm down. Just calm down.

“What the fuck are you implying?” I ask, swiping the amused grin off her face.

“What?” Her mouth opens and closes, and she gives her head a shake. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” I laugh dryly. “It sounds a hell of a lot like you’re implying I have sex with my mother.”

Mae lets out a nervous laugh. “Jesus, no. I’m sorry, it was a joke.”’

“Hilarious.” I sneer the word like it’s foul and stand from the bed. I crack my knuckles and take deep breaths into my lungs.

“Victor, please. I’m—”

“It’s been thirty minutes,” I say, although I have no idea if it has. I turn and walk to the stairs, my muscles tense and irrational rage consuming me. My mind goes to a place I’ve promised myself I wouldn’t let it go, and no matter how hard I try to steer myself in another direction, I can’t.

Mae doesn’t say another word while I leave, and I’m grateful for it. I slam the basement door shut behind me and stomp into the living room.

Gabi is in the same place I left her, only now with a laptop balanced in her lap. She looks up and furrows her brow.

“Are you okay?” she asks.

I give a curt nod and head for the front door.

“Victor.”

“I have to go to work,” I say, not turning around. I hurry out of the house before she can try to stop me. When I climb into my car, I don’t have a destination in mind. Only away from this house and the two people I don’t want to kill.

I think about finding someone to take my anger out on, but I know right now I’ll break the rules the familia has for me. My sanity hasn’t completely left, so I decide against it.

Instead, I peel out of the drive and speed toward Florence McClure Women’s Correctional Center.

11

VICTOR

My hands shake at my sides as wind whips through my hair. My back presses against my car, and my eyes stay trained on the fenced-in building that has housed my mother since I was fourteen.

I’ve never been inside this building, and I probably never will. I’ve come here at least a dozen times, and never with the intention of entering. I don’t ever want to see Cora again. The idea of it makes my skin crawl.

I come here because… I don’t know. I haven’t figured that out yet. Something about seeing the enclosure, the fence, the reinforced steel put me at ease in the past. Now it does nothing for me. This building looks more like her past than her present.

It’s only a matter of days now.

I’m parked in the farthest spot away from the building with no other cars around, so when I hear an engine idling instead of humming past me, I break my gaze away from the building and settle it on the van that’s pulled up.Myvan.

Gabi’s eyes peer at me through the passenger window, and she gives me a ‘don’t even think about bolting’ look. I don’t get a good look at the driver until the young guy wearing a UNLV shirt steps out of the van and walks around it.

My eyes narrow at the stranger who gives me an awkward wave before opening the passenger door.

I look forward and count to ten in my head. I had hoped the drive would sober my anger, but that isn’t the case. It was only joined by crippling dread, which is another thing I don’t want Gabi to see.

Gabi mutters something to the guy, and he slides open the back door. I push off my car and walk the ten feet to the van just as the guy lowers the ramp.

“I’ve got it,” I say to him, putting a hand on his shoulder and ushering him to the side.

“Yeah, sure man.” He steps toward Gabi, making awkward conversation with her while I unload the scooter.

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