Page 104 of Pieces of Heaven

Flustered and feeling alone, I back away from them both. Of course, my sister is useless in this situation. Never in a million years would she view Hobo as anything more than a worthless beast. That’s why I focus my irritation on Tomcat who should know better.

“I’m sorry about Yagger and Dice,” I tell him. “I want everyone to be okay. But I can’t hear how Hobo only has minor wounds like it doesn’t matter. Those are new scars on his already terribly scarred body. It’s more pain to go with what he’s already suffered. I can’t pretend he’s lucky. Hobo deserves to never suffer again.”

Tomcat starts to speak until his blue eyes flash past me and toward the open door. I follow his gaze to find a bleached blonde woman dressed in designer clothes and painfully high heels. Behind her stands an armed man in a suit.

The woman’s feral gaze flashes across the four of us before landing on me.

“Kourtney,” Tomcat mumbles as if to warn me.

Enraged and needing a target, the shark goes in for her kill. I don’t hold my head up high. I have no rousing speech capable of soothing a predator. Scared and depressed, I only want to see Hobo.

Kourtney’s heels click on the hard vinyl floor, sounding like a countdown to my doom. As Hobo’s little sister, I ought to view her as family. Except Kourtney looks ready to tear apart her prey, and I’m the one she’s glaring at as she stops a foot from me.

“Kourtney, wait,” Tomcat says, going silent when she flashes him the palm of her hand.

Narrowing her icy blue eyes, she mutters to me, “You’re the cupcake lady.”

“Yes.”

Kourtney slides her hands back, pushing her luxurious hair from her shoulders as if preparing to brawl. "I prepared so many cruel things to say to you,” she sneers. “I was absolutely certain you would prove to be my brother’s undoing.”

To my shock, Kourtney throws her arms around my body and yanks me against her. “But you see him the way I do. You might be a basic bitch wearing mom jeans, but you love Hobo.”

Ignoring all the negative parts of her comment, I hug her back. “I do love him.”

After squeezing me, Kourtney cups my face and smiles softly. “He saved me.”

“Me, too,” I reply, tearing up.

Hugging me again, Kourtney refuses to cry. I feel her fighting the urge. “You’ll distract Hobo from the pain.”

We smile at each other before she glances at my sister.

“Unfortunately, I arrived here ready to kick your ass, Xenia,” Kourtney explains, eyeballing Quana. “Since you’re worthy of Hobo’s heart, I’ll need to focus my anger on someone else. That’s why I’m going to punch your sister in the face."

My eyes widen as large as Quana’s. I’m unsure if Kourtney is serious. Tomcat’s smirk doesn’t help. Does he know she’s full of crap or is he hoping for a chick fight to distract from his worries?

“Ladies, let’s keep this civil,” Glenn says, sitting in a chair and pulling out his phone. “Though if someone’s going to get busted up, thiswouldbe the place to do it.”

Tomcat glances at his father and then at Kourtney circling my sister. “No, wait, this isn’t good. If one of you gets hurts, that’ll distract the doctors and other staff. So, no fighting.”

Kourtney glares at him. “I don’t take orders from you, Nash Childs.”

“Yeah, but you take them from me,” Ruin says, pushing past the armed man who seems to work for Kourtney. “No catfights in the hospital.”

Shaggy hair wild, blue eyes enraged, and nostrils flaring, Ruin scans the room before pausing his gaze at me. I suspect he’s wondering about the timing of the attack. I did just move into the Pigsty. Am I the enemy?

“I had her checked out,” Kourtney says and steps closer to me. “She isn’t a threat.”

“If you say so, but who the fuck is that?” Ruin sneers while gesturing at Quana.

Intimidated by a man I’ve only seen in photos, I answer in a feeble voice, “My sister.”

“Why is she here?”

“She wants me to leave town with her.”

“No,” Ruin grunts. “Hobo wants you around. You’re staying.”

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