Charlie had stepped from the shadows where he’d stood guard and physically removed his sister from the room. He’d warned her I was no longer her concern, and that he would be taking care of her if we ever heard from her again.
Maybe she’d wanted to insult me, but I was sure being that stupid girl had ultimately saved my life. Even though there’d been no proof Martin was involved, just like Austin had said, I’d still raised the question. There was now a permanent record in a file with his name on it. I was certain that’s what had held Martin’s vengeance back for all these years.
Unrestrained tears broke free when I pulled into the lot of the worn-down apartment building. Two stories of dreary, faded white brick walls faced out to the parking lot. Cheap black metal railing ran the length of the second floor and exterior steps.
Impoverished and destitute.
Easing Ash’s car into a vacant spot, I cut the engine and frantically wiped the wetness from my cheeks, sniffled as I tried to compose myself to face a woman I both loved and hated.
I grasped the handle and slowly released the latch. Every cell in my body thundered with anger, resolve, and determination. My spirit was a floundering mess, ruminating with the echo of a little girl’s dreams and a trusting heart that had so badly wanted to believe. That had so mutely trusted.
I lifted my chin and forced my feet forward. My hands shook as I clung to the railing for support, when I climbed the exterior steps. With every step I took, my heart felt like it might explode in my chest. Pressing. Pressing. Pressing.
Uneasily, I glanced once more at the rumpled piece of paper.
2706.
Gulping over the knot in my throat, I raised my fist. My eyes squeezed in a moment’s indecision, hand hovering in the air, before I pounded on the door.
There was rustling behind the thin wood, and I braced myself for what I would find. I knew the address was old and Austin had only been here a couple times, but I had to take the chance she still lived here.
Hinges creaked and wood scraped when the door cracked open an inch. A thin metal chain secured five inches from the top kept it from opening all the way. Through the gap, brown eyes narrowed on me.
That knot at the base of my throat throbbed.
She expelled a resigned breath, before the door closed and metal dragged as she completely freed the latch. It swung open to her back as she strutted away. It was as if my presence didn’t affect her all that much.
She plopped down on the couch that faced where I stood aghast in the middle of her doorway.
Groping for the pack of cigarettes on the end table, she cocked her head to the side and lit a cigarette, brown gaze never wavering from me the entire time, lines around her thinned lips, legs and arms haggard and frail.
Sadness engulfed me. My mother appeared as worn down as the building surrounding her.
She inhaled deeply, held it, before she lifted her face toward the ceiling and slowly blew it out. A thick cloud of smoke lifted in a haze above her head.
“Been a long time,” she finally said as she flicked ash in a tray.
“It’s been a long time?” I couldn’t keep the anger from trembling through my voice.
She laughed a hollow sound. “What did you expect, Shea? A welcome party? Balloons and confetti and a goddamn cake? You always did have your head in the clouds.”
“You’re right…I guess I should have expected the worst.”
As if amused, she shook her head, words fueled by sarcasm. “Heard you went and snagged yourself a rock star. That’s my girl. I always knew you had it in you.”
The mention of Sebastian cut through me like a knife, and I grasped for the courage to speak.
“You don’t get to do that.” I took a step forward as my brow pinched. “You don’t get to demean what’s good in my life.”
And God, everything surrounding him was so good and so very, very bad. My beautiful, beautiful man.