Page 23 of Addicted

“I’ll take the family room. Cleo should probably take the bathroom,” Hugh said, looking down at the broom in his hands.

Cleo brushed past me and headed towards the back. I grabbed a paper towel off the ground and noticed it was covered in fresh blood. Hugh met my eyes before plucking it from my fingers and throwing it in the trash bag next to him.

“I was hoping I could clean it up before you got back,” he said, his tone low.

I attempted a smile, but I knew it was a sad one. His hand cupped my cheek just as Cleo screeched from the bathroom.

“Bitch, I’m glad you packed what you did cuz, girl, that’s all you’re gonna have!”

I gave a mirthless chuckle and rolled my eyes. Hugh shook his head and dropped a kiss on my forehead before sweeping more glass into the dustpan.

The couch was covered in what had to be several bottles of red wine, and huge slashes across the back through the fabric showed the internal metal frame. Evenif I could clean it, there was no way I would be able to salvage it.

The worst, though, was my bookshelf. It looked like he’d tried to tear the metal from the wall and gave up. The LEDs were ripped and hanging. But the books, the ones I’d been keeping safe and secure for decades, were demolished. Some were torn in half, others soaking wet from whatever he’d poured across them.

Throwing off my jacket, I realized I was trembling. I took a controlled breath, closing my eyes to try and slow my heart rate down.

I had two people in my corner here, helping me pick up the pieces. Literally. And there was work to do. Freaking out wouldn’t help me. I headed towards the kitchen. Between the three of us, it wouldn’t take long to get the place cleaned up.

CHAPTER 11

HUGH

It was past twelve by the time we’d finished a cursory clean of the apartment. But it was still fucked. I’d spent the last half hour wishing I’d done more than make that stupid son of a bitch bleed. The amount of money it was going to cost to replace what he had destroyed was ridiculous.

Cleo may have been joking around in the bathroom, but she wasn’t lying. I’d walked around and taken photos before I started cleaning. The tub was full of clothes, covered in food and bleach. Nothing in there was salvageable. I shook my head as Cleo crossed herself, throwing a pair of thousand-dollar shoes into a trash bag.

Anything of value in the place was gone before I’d arrived, and guilt ate at the edges of my conscience. Denise didn’t deserve this. This was her place of safety,and no matter how clean we got it or how much shit we replaced, it was never going to feel safe for her again.

Denise stayed silent. She started by cleaning out the fridge, which was dripping in liquid makeup and destroyed makeup palettes. The freezer was full of smashed potted plants. All I heard from her were heavy, sad sighs.

Cleo worked on the living room while Denise moved to the spare bedroom.

Curtis didn’t do much damage that I could see but it was a mess from him haphazardly packing up his stuff. From what I could tell, it looked like he’d been sleeping in there. I couldn’t imagine having Denise lying next to me every day and choosing to sleep without her.

The girls were on their third trip to the dumpsters. Cleo had handed me a bag to stash for her to take back with her, and I put it off to the side. I was tightening the new knob into place when I heard Cleo talking at Denise.

Denny still hadn’t said much of anything, so Cleo and I bickered to drown out the silence. After she’d called me a damn Milk Dud, I’d called her Miss Cleo. It was clearly a sore spot because she’d scrunched up her nose and looked like she wanted to punch me in the face.

Of course, that meant spending the whole night talking with a horrible Jamaican accent and winking whenever she glared daggers at me. Milk Dud became Pudding Cup and then she’d settled on Fudge Pop.

Every so often, we would try to draw Denise into our conversation, but she just looked up at us and gave a fake smile.

“You’re staying with me tonight,” Cleo said as they walked back through the door.

Denny scrunched up her face and shot her a look of defiance.

Before she could argue, I stood from my crouch in front of the door.

“It’s her or me,” I said, crossing my arms. Denny’s eyes bounced from my bare biceps to my chest, and finally to my eyes. I’d lost the suit jacket and my dress shirt through the night and with the way she was looking at me, it seemed like I was the perfect distraction for her. I was ready to insist on taking her home with me when Cleo spoke.

“Oh, in that case. Den, I am gonna have to take back my offer. I’ll be right back with her shit, Fudge Pop.” Cleo gave me a smile and winked at Denny before grabbing her coat and the bag of trash I’d hidden, bolting out the door before Denise could even process what had just happened.

Her jaw fell open as she stared at the empty doorway.

I didn’t care that she was shocked because she was coming home with me, a place where I could keep her safe. Even if that meant having her in my space, breathingin the scent of her, and knowing that we had a deal that was half done.

“What a fucking traitor,” she whispered.

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