I wonder why she was limping slightly before sitting down, and is that a dragon tattoo on her lower back?
“Why are you here?” Franco demands, pulling me out of my musings as he stares down at Tillie.
For some reason, the thought of him killing her doesn’t sit well with me and I can see I’m not the only one as Tey finally sits up from the floor, looking tense. Logan doesn’t fool me as he stares out the front windows, but I can see his trigger finger twitching. This is bad, very bad and I’m really glad Dalton isn’t here. The man sees something he likes and just takes it without asking. He’d eat this girl up and spit her out without breaking a sweat. I could be wrong because the hard glint in this girl’s eyes says a different story. She pushes her shoulders back and flickers her gaze over to a quiet Diana without looking away. My gaze swings back and forth. I’m missing something here.
“I was sent here. I was told that I’d be able to find something to help me,” she says, clenching her fist tight in her lap.
“Who told you that?” Diana finally speaks, her voice has a small tremble and she leans heavily against Franco.
“I told you already, Doris did. She didn’t give me any details. Just shoved your address into my hand and told me to get away until I ended up here. How do you know her? Were you a sweetbutt too?” Tillie asks softly, her shoulders stiffening as Diana wavers on the couch.
“I-I don’t know how this is possible. It can’t be,” Diana whispers under her breath and stands, making her way towards a stiff Tillie who eyes her warily.
She doesn’t trust easily and is as fidgety as a rabbit as she leans away from Diana when she drops to her knees at her feet. I shoot Logan a look that asks what the hell is going on but he’s staring down Tillie with an unreadable expression crossing his face.
“I wasn’t a sweetbutt. I was an old lady.” Diana’s lip wobbles and she reaches her hand out to touch Tillie’s face but she dodges away and scoots along the couch before she stands up quickly and jumps over the cushions to put as much distance between a distraught Diana and herself.
“Who’s old lady?” Tillie asks, breathing heavily and her gaze looks faraway.
“Shit, Diana! I didn’t know you were part of Hell’s Angels! Dalton’s gonna freak the fuck out when he finds out,” Tey announces and stands up quietly, edging towards the front door to block Tillie’s path in case she makes a run for it.
Everyone seems to freeze at the expression on her face as if she senses danger in the room… Only people who know what to look for, experienced the same thing in life, know that everyone in here is a killer.
“Who’s Dalton?” Tillie asks frantically in a raspy voice, her eyes darting to Tey and flickering behind him for an escape exit.
She’s going to make a run for it, I just know it. She looks like a scared, trapped cat in the back of an alley but I’m feeling like this kitten has claws. I’m going to easily catch her before she knows what happened. It’s the thrill for me and I’m a junky.
“He’s the Hell’s Angels president's son. You’ll meet him tomorrow when you start school, I won’t tolerate not having an education in this household. You’ll finish high school and catch up quickly even if it’s the middle of the semester. Right?” Franco doesn’t wait for her to respond, he won’t take no for an answer. “I’m going to just get to the point because I have other important business to attend to,” he mutters offhandedly, glancing down at his phone with his brow scrunched, distracted.
Whatever he has to say, I have a feeling it is going to turn this girl’s world upside down. I study her closely, having the need to know everything about her and itching to get to my computer to see what I can dig up. She’s a mystery to me, she looks afraid but has an air about her that she’s flipping everyone the finger with a big fat fuck you.
“What is the point, Franco?” Logan asks impatiently, looking like he wants to wrap his hands around his father’s neck to get answers.
“Tillie, Diana is your mother and for now you’ll be under my care until… we can get more answers.” Franco stares down at a very pale Tillie, her arms wrapping around herself as she shakes her head back and forth.
Her wide brown, expressive eyes stare in shock, and the grip on her arm is bruising enough that it makes my own fist clench onto nothing. I don’t like that she’s hurting herself, I’d rather cause the pain for her if she needs it that badly.
“You're lying! My mom is Lorrie-” She cuts off at Diana’s cry of dismay.
I sneer down at the pathetic woman balling her eyes out on the living room floor instead of trying to comfort her daughter. Tey shuffles on his feet, repeatedly glancing at Tillie while sucking on his lip ring. He hates the high emotions in here just like me but he hardly knows this girl and looks like he wants to pull her into his arms.
Tillie sways on her feet, her fingers digging into her elbows as she frantically looks around for a way out. Logan makes a frustrated noise in the back of his throat, glaring at his father who acts like drama isn’t unfolding right in front of him. I say fuck it and push off the mantel to leap over the couch before this beautiful girl can notice I’m right beside her. Gently grasping her elbow, she glances up at me with lost, chocolate eyes and a shake of her head in dismay. I think of the best way to push myself when I’m lost in my own head and that’s anger.
“So, this girl shows up out of the blue and suddenly she’s part of the family? I don’t know Franco… kind of convenient to me. What if she’s a spy? Didn’t we just have some shipment go missing? Timing seems off to me and I don’t trust her.” I stare down at her as I say this, seeing the tightening of her facial expression and her lip drawing in a stubborn pissed off line.
That’s more like it, baby, give me all your anger. I can absorb it like a sponge, practically thirsty for it.
“I’m leaving. This was a mistake coming here. I’ll disappear another way instead,” she mumbles under her breath.
An interesting turn of events, I glance at Tey and Logan to see if they caught that mishap of hers. They did. Seems we are all on the same page. She’s not going anywhere until we have some answers. She caught my attention.
“No. You’ll be staying here,” Franco commands, dismissing her as he bends forward to kiss Diana’s forehead before turning towards Logan as he heads out of the room. “She’s under your wing, don’t let her out of your sight.” He leaves after dropping that bomb with Logan chasing him out of the living room.
Ah, so he thinks the timing is off too. Looks like she’s not going anywhere and for some crazy reason that excites me. Time to trap the little bird and claim some answers past her sweet lips.
“I wouldn’t bother with any lies. We’ll find out everything and there will be consequences if you stab us in the back.” I threaten her, her jaw clenches as she yanks her elbow out of my grasp.
“Si-sit down, Til, and I’ll explain everything, please,” Diana begs, grimacing as she picks herself up off the floor and takes a seat on the couch, patting the spot next to her.
