Hissing an expletive under my breath, I stew from her words. I knew Murphy would find a way to twist the knife just a little bit. I told the whole lot that I wanted to go back home assoon as the deed was done.
“Fine. I’ll rent a car and drive home,” I growl.
“No, you won’t, Son! We can’t have any unnecessary paperwork to clean up. I know you seem to think everything can be wiped oh so easily…but it’s a pain.”
“What’s the big deal? I’ll use my fake driver’s license and credit card.”
“Oh, the same one you used at the restaurant? Yes, son, that’s so smart! Lead a trail back to your condo,” she replies sarcastically, huffing a laugh before she continues.“Quit being an impatient lovesick fool. Dolly is just fine! I’m sure she’s sleeping peacefully. Just wait a few hours. Have a drink or two. You’ll see her soon. Your Papa cancelled all the meetings on Monday as a gift to you for a job well done. Take Dolly out and go furniture shopping or something. Better yet, go ring shopping.”
Gritting my teeth, I lift my hand and rake my fingers through my hair. Nodding my head, I bite back my annoyance. She’s right, there’s no need for me to make any rash decisions. Dolly isn’t even expecting me home until ten. Even with traffic, I should be back at the condo by eight at the latest. She will be so surprised, I can’t wait to see her face light up when I show up with that lollipop ring.
“You’re right, Mama,” I reply.
“Of course I am. I always am! Now. Give me five minutes and then get your butt to the airport.”
“Yes, Mama.”
Gathering my few belongings, I look around the ransacked room. It’s only now that I realize how much of a fight this woman put up. I am shocked that I’m not showing any physical signs of her attempt at survival.
“Oh, and Sutton?”
“Yes, Mama?” I ask, righting an overturned armchair.
“I am so very proud of you, Son. You have turned into an amazing man. You know you’re my favorite, right?”
Her words make me pause. I can’t help but smile, her praise fills me with a radiant warmth that calms every worry I’m harboring in the depths of my mind.
“Thank you, Mama…and I know,” I say, my voice almost a whisper.
“That’s my good boy. Alright, bring Dolly home for dinner. I want to start doing family dinners every Saturday. Like we used to before your brothers all moved away.”
I hum softly, loving the idea of rekindling this Douglas tradition. I only hope that one day my brothers will return home, and we can be the family we once were. Only this time, with our own wives and children in tow. Really flesh out our chaos. Rule the southern sector like we were all born to do.
“Yes, Mama. We will be there at six sharp. Just like old times.”
We both sigh and hang up almost in unison, neither of us needing to say another word.
Smiling softly to myself, I put my cell back in my pocket. My mind wanders back to happier times with my brothers. Before we all were lured away in different directions by our own sadistic beasts. As much as I try to deny it, I really do miss them. I hope that we can do some sort of family reunion someday. I’m dying for them to meet Dolly, though I know I will have to watch Griffin. He’s on the rebound after his girlfriend fucked him over and is not in the best place mentally. I wouldn’t put it past him to make a move on her, especially with a few drinks under his belt.
Blinking back to reality, I remind myself that I don’t have time to dottle. I grab my wallet from the dresser, closing two open drawers as I move. Flipping it open to make sure that nothing is missing, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror hung directly above. It’s then that I realize that the bitch did do some damage. Fully pulling my attention to my reflection my mouth falls open when I see deep, bloody claw marks along the side of my cheek. I suppose I wasn’t the one who purposefully broke her nails off, after all.
Spitting a dark curse, my skin starts to burn. It’s always a bitch when your brain registers a wound. I’ll never understand why you’re perfectly fine until you physicallyseeit.
“Oh, fuck,” I say to my mirrored image, my voice hard and cold as ice. “How the hell are you going to explain this?”
CHAPTER twenty-two
DOLLY
Staring at the front door to my apartment, I hesitate putting my key into the lock. I barely slept at all last night, I’m a bundle of nerves to find out what Sam wants to tell me about Sutton. I still haven’t heard from him, so that’s compounding my anxiety. I’m trying not to dwell on it too much, I’m sure he had a very late night with the negotiations and wanted to crawl into bed as soon as he could. Still, I would have expected him to have sent me a text, even if it was three in the morning. He made me put ‘do not disturb’ hours onto my phone, he knows he wouldn’t have woken me up.
Pushing out a sigh, I pull back my hand for a moment to tug on the hem of my oversized tee. I’m purposefully wearing Sutton’s shirt and sweatpants to visually signal to Sam that whatever he has to say won’t sway me. That, and I didn’t want to wear anything too revealing. I know how he feels about me, I don’t want to lead him on in any way, shape or form.
Jumping a little in place to let out some of my energy, I ready myself enough to shove my key into the knob. Unlocking the door, I quickly force it open before I chicken out. To my surprise, Sam is standing only three feet away. Hunched over with his hands in the pockets of his pajama pants, he looks like he’s been chewed up and spit out. His left eye is black and blue, as is his swollen jaw. He gives me a lopsided smile that lifts his sutured cheek, the expression highlights his split lips and missing canine.
“Hey, Dolly.”
Gasping in shock, I throw my keys into my tote bag and step into the apartment. Closing the door, I lock it out of habit before clearing the space between us.
