Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 52639 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52639 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
She laughs, “I didn’t lie. My life does depend on you.”
I glare at her, “explain how I could possibly help you mother dearest. You look fine, healthy, nice even.” The disdain drips off every word.
“You always have tested my patience. Daddy’s little girl.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask my frustration growing. “He didn’t go out of his way for me and neither did you.”
O’Leary steps up. “Fuck the childhood trauma chit chat. Tell her what you need, Mia.”
“Your father,” she looks to the sky, “God rest his soul. He had a unique skillset as you now know.”
O’Leary is losing patience as he steps closer to her. “On with it.”
“I knew about it. I knew about all the money he skimmed through Reigns Enterprises. Only, he didn’t leave it to me like he told me he would. My security for a life without him was ripped from me. He promised me I would always be taken care of.”
“What can I do about that? He’s fucking dead. You don’t come back from dead mom.”
She huffs and smirks, “I know very well just how dead he is. Because of him, I had everything and now I have nothing. He didn’t honor his commitment to me. The money is my concern. It’s in an offshore account in your name.”
“Fuck your money,” I tell both of them looking O’Leary right in his eyes.
O’Leary raises up backhanding me on my cheek so hard I fall into Dia. She takes the hit staying upright, keeping us both from falling since we can’t balance with our hands. I stand back up because they will not see me break. I refuse.
He can beat me, she can too. I will not give them what they want.
This has all be a game to get them something I didn’t even know existed.
My mother gives me the look. The one that in childhood would rattle me. In this moment, it infuriates me. She can glare all she wants. She can do her very best to intimidate me. All she’s doing is putting nail after nail into her coffin. If by some miracle I get out of this alive, she’s dead to me. No matter how many years she has left upright, she is dead to me forever.
“Give it your best, but I haven’t had anything to do with anyone’s money but my own. I’m not about to start now.”
My mother steps forward into my space. “You’re gonna get on the plane. Mr. O’Leary here is going to escort you to the bank. You will take your passport and retrieve the money left for you by your father. Mr. O’Leary will take back the portion your father took from him plus an additional twenty percent. The rest of the money I will get. I’ll get you back to your life of mayhem with your biker and all will be right in the world.”
“You expect me to go with this man to retrieve money that doesn’t belong to either of us so you can have money to fund your lifestyle. That was your life and death predicament? You had me leave my car behind. Always looking over my shoulder. Not knowing what comes next or when I would get a call. I had to live life one day to the next. I gave up school, my whole future, for you to get some money that isn’t yours? Did I get that right?”
“Your integrity is admirable, young lady,” Patrick O’Leary says to me with an almost proud smile.
“I want no part of this. It’s another scheme, mom. The last one got my dad killed and I almost died myself. How about get a job? That’s what normal people do for money, mom.”
She juts out a hip clearly losing patience with me. “When you say all of it like that it sounds awful. Emmalee, your father worked hard, and he wanted us to have the lifestyle we’re accustomed to. He’s gone, but I shouldn’t have to change because he left me with nothing.”
Exasperated, I have had enough. “He got dead, mom. This money, Mr. O’Leary’s and whatever other money you are talking about is what got him dead. It’s insane that you think this is okay. He didn’t earn this money, mom, you aren’t entitled to it, and neither am I.”
“I think you’re missing the point. The money is there, Emmalee. No one can do anything with it without you. If your dad was alive, I wouldn’t have to do this because he would provide for me. He’s gone and I’m in need of that money.”
“Need, no. Want, yes, and it ain’t gonna happen.” I try to stand firm.
“Bullshit, this is all bullshit.” Dia chimes in. “Lady, you’re fuckin’ crazy.”
O’Leary looks to her, “I like you, little Doll.”
At the reference to her mother, Dia’s face changes. She is livid now. Dia lives for family. He crossed a line.