Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
“I have a right to see my children,” he said, taking a step toward me. His stance was anything but friendly, and it suddenly occurred to me that maybe I shouldn’t be picking fights when there weren’t any witnesses.
Little late for that now.
“Hannah has a lease from your parents,” I reminded him. “It’s all official. You’re trespassing, and if you don’t leave I can call the sheriff and have you thrown out.”
“The sheriff spending a lot of time here these days?” he asked, the question a snarl. “I hear things. Hannah’s fucking a deputy, isn’t she?”
“Hannah’s working hard to support her children,” I countered, his visit suddenly making sense. He didn’t want Hannah, but he didn’t want anyone else to have her either. Typical. “And what she does in her private life is none of your business. You need to leave. Now.”
“Or what?”
“Try me and find out,” I bluffed, because I had no idea what the hell I’d do. Bite him, maybe? You’d probably catch something. Randy locked eyes with me and I held my ground, praying desperately he’d back down. Finally, he shook his head slowly, laughing.
“You’re fucking pathetic, Mandy,” he said. “But I was leaving anyway. Tell Hannah not to bother changing the locks again. There’s nothing she can do to keep me out of here. Those kids are mine, this house is mine, and she’s mine, assuming I want her fat ass, which I don’t. Make sure she knows it, too.”
He started toward the door and I held my breath, praying he’d actually leave. When it shut behind him I ran over and tried to lock it, only to discover he’d broken the deadbolt. The metal had held, but the door frame itself was so weak and rotten that it’d crumbled like cardboard.
Fucking hell. At least I hadn’t forgotten…
Pulling out my phone, I sent Hannah a quick text.
Me: We got a problem. Randy was here. I made him leave but I think he’ll be coming back soon. He broke in
Hannah: Shit
Me: Pretty much. I fucking hate this town. For the record.
Hannah: We’ll figure it out. Heath might be able to help
Me: Sure and I’ll just give Shade a call too. Maybe Rebel. If we get enough men here that’ll totally solve the problem.
Hannah: Don’t be such a bitch
Me: Sorry
Hannah: Its ok. We WILL figure this out. Just hang in there. Love you
Me: Love you too. Gonna go check on the kids now. Be careful walking home.
Hannah: I think Heath is giving me a ride
Of course he was. I still didn’t like the idea of the guy, but better him than Randy. Of course, best of all would be us figuring out a way to get through this on our own.
Yet another thing to add to Future Me’s to do list. Poor thing was going to be crushed under the weight of it at this rate.
Chapter Eleven
It was almost a relief when I clocked in at the bar that night. I’d been dreading going in to work for two days because I didn’t want to see Shade.
Randy’s visit had offered me some perspective.
Shade I understood. He was a bad guy, definitely. A threat. But he was a threat to me and me alone—I didn’t need to worry about him hurting my sister and her family.
I couldn’t say the same about Randy.
Me and Hannah had talked more once she’d gotten home, trying to figure him out. We were both confused about why Randy had come to the house because he sure as shit didn’t give a damn about her or the kids. Her theory was that he’d hidden some money there, which made as much sense as anything. I had a bad feeling, though. The same kind of feeling I’d gotten while I was waiting for Trevor in the liquor store parking lot, when the cop knocked on my car window.
The fact that she was all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed about Deputy Hottie didn’t make me feel any better, either.
I’d seen his kind before.
Heath was a good guy, but he walked a straight line. He’d follow the law, and I knew all too well how easy it was to find yourself as an accessory to a crime, especially with a guy like Randy hanging around. It’d been one thing for me to get wrapped up in that, but if Hannah got arrested, what would happen to the kids? They’d probably haul me off with her, seeing as I lived there and was already on probation. That left Randy’s parents to watch the girls, and they weren’t exactly qualified.
Loving grandparents they might be, but they’d created him in the first place. Throw in the health problems and they were essentially useless. Sad but true.
Randy needed to go away. Preferably Heath, too, because the last thing we needed was a lawman sniffing around. I didn’t care how cute he was.