Edge shook his head. “You can’t leave until after the hearing.”
“Tell you what. I’ll drive from here straight to the sheriff’s office. If he wants to put me in jail until the hearing, I’m fine with that.”
“You’d rather go back to jail than talk to me?”
“Damn straight. It’s what I’ve wanted since you bailed me out.”
I watched as he clenched and unclenched his fists and then reached behind and rubbed the back of his neck. “Please, Rebel. Let’s just talk. I’m begging here.”
I set the box on the floor and folded my arms.
“Can we sit? Please?”
“Sure.” I walked back over to the chair I’d been sitting in before, plopped myself down, and waited.
“Somehow, things went terribly wrong last night. I’m still unsure of exactly what I said that set you off, but whatever it was, I’m sorry.”
He looked at me as though he expected me to say something. I had nothing.
“Was it that I suggested we go away?”
I looked out the window. “In part.”
“Explain why.”
“You may be independently wealthy, Edge, but after everything I’ve told you, how could you assume I was?”
“I didn’t assume anything of the kind. I’ve told you time and time again that the money doesn’t matter to me. I thought that, after what you’ve been through, you’d appreciate getting away for a while.”
“Just like that? The murder charge is dropped, and suddenly, I go ‘back’ to living my fancy life?”
“You’ve nothing to worry about any longer, Rebel. You’re free.”
“Nothing to worry about? I still don’t have any money, even though you said I’ll get paid for my job at the dining hall. I don’t even know if my car runs, and I have no place to live.”
“You can stay here.”
“Stay here? As what, Edge? Your lover?”
“For now.”
“As in, I can stay here until I get back on my feet?” I shook my head. He was so far out of touch with my reality, I wondered why I was even trying to explain my feelings to him.
“If you want to look at it that way. How many times do I have to repeat that I don’t care about the money?”
“What if I care about it?” Did he think I had no pride at all?
“I don’t know what else to say to get through to you, Rebel. You’ve no reason to worry about things between you and me.”
“Until you’re done ‘taking care of me.’ What happens then?”
“I don’t know. We’ll figure something out.”
We’ll figure something out? It may be that simple for him, but I’d already lost almost four months of my life, more if I was honest.
From the time my mother overdosed until now, I’d been going through the motions. I’d put one foot in front of the other, but I wasn’t really living. Had I ever done more with my life than exist paycheck to paycheck in a crappy job? The most money I’d ever made was as a bartender. Edge was suggesting that we go away for a month or two, come back and then, again, figure something out. My life would never be so carefree or simple.
It was pointless to even try to discuss this with him. It was obvious he didn’t understand, and that meant he couldn’t relate to the kind of life I lived and likely never would.. I had to get out of here. “Where are Susan’s keys?”
“Your car?”
“Yes. My car. Where are my car keys?”
“I have them. Why?”
“Can you please give them to me?” I stood and held my hand out. “Just give me my fucking keys, and you’ll never have to see me again.”
“What about your job with Tee-Tee?”
“You’re concerned about that now? Last night, you had me taking ‘a month or two’ off like it was nothing.”
“We certainly would’ve discussed it with her.”
I closed my eyes and counted to five. It didn’t help. When I opened them again, the expression on Edge’s face almost made me give in. He looked sad. Really sad. Devastated sad.
“Look, I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I don’t know where to begin to repay you for your kindness and generosity. But…you and I are nothing alike. We have nothing in common, and I have no clue how to make my way in your world. What’s more, I don’t want to. I’m my own person, Edge. I’m independent. I rely on myself and no one else. Like I said, I don’t know how to repay you, but I will. Somehow, I’ll repay every penny you spent on me.”
“I don’t want you to repay me.”
I shook my head. He wasn’t even listening to me. Once again, he was focused solely on money. This was about so much more than that. “I need to go. I can’t stay here, Edge. If I have to, I’ll walk, but I’d much rather you just give me the keys to my car.”
He stood, walked into the kitchen, opened a drawer, and pulled them out. “Here.”
“Thanks.” I grabbed them, picked up a box, and took it out to my car. When I turned to go back inside for the other, Edge was behind me with it in his arms. He set it in my trunk and slowly walked over and opened the garage door.
“Rebel?”
I had my hand on the car door. “What?”
“Do you have your mobile with you?”
My cheeks burned. “I forgot. I’m sorry.” I pulled it out and walked over to hand it to him.
“No. I want you to keep it. I want you to be able to reach me.”
I sighed, knowing that, as it was with so many other things, I didn’t have a choice. I’d need some way to communicate with Tee-Tee and maybe even the sheriff. “I’ll return it as soon as I get another one.”
“I wish you wouldn’t do this.”
“I have to, Edge. I can’t stay here.”
He closed his eyes and nodded. “Be safe, Rebel.”
“I will.”
“If you need anything—anything at all—please come to me, call me.”
“I can take the clothes back to Shadow if you want me to.”
He shook his head. “She said they’re yours to keep.”
“I don’t want them.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you. Thank you for everything.” Before I burst into tears, which I was close to doing, I got in the car and put the key in the ignition. I had no idea if it would start. If it didn’t, it would make this whole overly dramatic exit pretty lame.
It started, thank God. I backed out of the garage, not allowing myself to look to see if Edge was still standing in it or if he’d gone inside. If I did, I might lose my resolve.
I parked Susan near the dining hall and walked up to the door. Like whether my car would start or not, I wondered if I’d still have access to this building. When I put my palm on the pad and looked into the reader, the door clicked open.
Tee-Tee was sitting at the desk in the kitchen but stood and rushed over to me. “Mija? What are you doing here? I heard what happened yesterday. ¡Ay, Dios mio!” She crossed herself.
“I need to talk to you, Tee-Tee.”
“Come and sit.” She led me to where she’d been sitting and pulled another chair over. “Tell me what happened.”
God, I was going to miss this woman. Being around her after so many years, even for a short while, had been so comforting. She was the mother I wished I had. Loving, direct, tough as nails. I could add forgiving and generous now too. Although she’d always been generous. Even when she had little to nothing, she shared what she had. That was how I met her after all, when Blanca shared her lunch with me.
“I want you to know how much I appreciate the chance you gave me…” I blew out a deep breath, trying my damndest not to cry. “I’ve never been so appreciative of anyone in my life. Just that you believed I could do it meant more than anything.”
“You’re not telling me what happened. It sounds like you’re saying goodbye. Why?”
My shoulders slumped forward. “Because I am.”
“I don’t understand.�
�
“The murder charges against me are going to be dropped. It might happen as soon as today. I won’t be living on the ranch any longer.”
“I’m very happy to hear that, but it doesn’t answer my question about why you’re leaving.”
“Edge has been so kind, so generous, but I can’t take advantage of him any longer. I’m sure when he agreed to be my custodian, he didn’t realize what he was getting himself into.”
“What I don’t understand is why you’re leaving your job here?”
“I just told you, I won’t be living on the ranch.”
“So?”
“You gave me this job as a favor to Edge. Don’t try to deny it, Tee-Tee.”
“Maybe, but you earned the chance to stay.”
Argh. I didn’t want to get angry with Tee-Tee, but she wasn’t even trying to understand my situation. She, of all people, should understand how difficult the next few months would be for me. Her life had been damn hard at one time too—I’d seen it firsthand.
“I don’t like this, Lucy.”
“If you think I won’t pay him back, you’re wrong. It isn’t like I’m just going to walk away and not pay him back for all the expenses he incurred on my behalf. I will as soon as I can find a job and get back on my feet.”
“Where will you live?”
I hadn’t gotten that far. My car would probably have to double as my home until I could save enough money to get a place.
Before I could come up with an answer, she stood. “You’ll live with me.”
I stood too. “What? No. I can’t do that. I appreciate it so much, though. I can’t tell you how much.”
“No arguments. You’re living with me.”
“Tee-Tee—”
“No, not Tee-Tee, Tía. You’ll show me the proper respect.”
I smiled. “Tía, I truly appreciate what you’re trying to do, but—”
“¡Siéntate!” she shouted and then softened her tone. “There’s something I need to say.”
I sat down like she told me to, and she did too.
“I owe you an apology. It’s something I’m ashamed it’s taken me this long to do.”
“Tía, you don’t have to do this—”
“¡Silencio!”
I folded my hands in my lap. “Go ahead.”
“I accused you of something you didn’t do, because I didn’t want to believe what was right in front of my eyes. Blanca…” Tee-Tee stopped talking and crossed herself. “She was my baby girl. I didn’t want to believe…maybe if I had, she’d still be alive.”
I reached over and covered her hand with mine.
“You didn’t steal that money. I know that now. I knew it then, if I had been strong enough to be honest with myself. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“It isn’t ‘okay.’ Do you accept my apology or not?”
I smiled again. “I accept your apology.”
“Good. Then you’ll let me make it up to you. You’ll come and live with me.”
“That was a dirty trick.”
She leaned forward, got right in my face, and scrunched her eyes. “If you don’t live with me, I’ll tell Edge you’re living on the street. He’ll find you, you know.”
“What makes you think I’ll be living on the street?”
“Because you have nowhere else to go.”
We had a stare-down until I finally blinked. “If I do this, I’m going to have stipulations.”
Tee-Tee smiled. “Always the rebel.”
“I’m serious.”
“And I’m listening.”
“I’m paying rent.”
“Yes. You are. What else?”
“Edge can’t know.”
“That one’s more difficult.”
“Why?”
“Because he used to be a spy, Mija. I think he still might be.”
I patted her hand. “Yes. He still is. And if he finds out on his own, I can’t do anything about that, but if he asks you, I want you to tell him that if he wants to know anything about me, to ask me himself.”
Tee-Tee tapped her lower lip with her finger. “Okay. What else?”
“That’s it. No, wait. How much am I getting paid?”
“Twenty-five dollars per hour.”
“What? No. That’s way too much.”
“Twenty?”
“That’s still a lot, Tee-Tee. I don’t have any experience.”
“Tía, and yes, you do. We work long hours here at the ranch, and the Alexander family pays us well. You’ll be no exception. Quint will fire me if I underpay you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Sure, he will.”
“Then he’ll give you my job. Is that what you want?”
I laughed, but she didn’t look away. “Of course it isn’t. Don’t be silly.”
“So, what are you waiting for? Hug me and then decide what you’re making for dessert this week.”
“You’re a slave driver.”
“Which is why I’m paying you so much money.”
“I love you, Tía.”
“I love you too, Mija.”
“Oh! Where do you live?”
“Here on the ranch.”
“I know that, but where on the ranch?”
“On the other side of the ranch manager’s house.”
I inwardly groaned. “The house Edge lives in?”
She winked. “That’s right.”
32
Edge
Grinder set his beer on the breakfast bar. “She just left?”
I took a swig and set mine down too. “Asked for her car keys and drove away.”
“Just like that?”
I sighed. “As I said…yes.”
“What did you do?”
“Drank a couple of pints and then rang you.”
“No. What did you do to make her leave?”
“Thanks a lot, mate. You can right sod off.”
“She wouldn’t have left with no reason, Edge. Even you would have to admit that. Walk me through it.”
I pulled another beer from the fridge and sat next to him. “If you want another, you can get it yourself.”
“Wanker,” he muttered, standing. “Talk,” he said when he sat back down.
“She asked what would happen next, and I told her there’d likely be a hearing to officially drop the charges against her.”
“That’s it?”
“Pretty much.”
Grinder shook his head. “What else, Edge. Come on, fess up.”
“I suggested we take a vacation to celebrate.”
“You didn’t?”
“What of it?”
“You’re a bloody idiot.” Grinder got up from his stool and walked over to the window.
“What is so wrong with a vacation? I thought I was being nice.”
“What about her job at the dining hall?”
“I told her we’d talk to Tee-Tee about it.”
“Is it your job now?”
I walked over to where he stood. “I’ll say it again. I was trying to be nice.”
“Right, but you failed miserably. Is she a puppy? You’ll keep her fed and watered, take her out to play?”
“It isn’t like that.”
“No? Unless you’re leaving a lot out, that’s how it seems to me. Did you even ask what she wanted?” Grinder pointed to something outside; I followed his line of sight. “At least she’ll be close by.”
I watched as Rebel carried her boxes from her car into the house Tee-Tee lived in, and waited for her to look this way. She didn’t.
“Come on, then, Rile’s pissing vinegar that we aren’t over there yet.”
I nodded and followed Grinder out, but not before I took one more look over my shoulder. Rebel was angry, but like the other times she was, she’d get over it. She might even be back later tonight.
When I rubbed my hands together in anticipation, Grinder shook his head. “Like I said, you’re a bloody idiot.”
By the time w
e finished the hotwash of the job, I was more bladdered than I had any business being. One thing continued to eat at me. Lynch. We still had no idea who he was.
“You stayed yesterday, Rile. Did anyone mention the name Lynch after I left?”
He shook his head. “No one affiliated with the ABT, past or present. As I said, could Rebel have heard the name wrong?”
It was possible, but since she wasn’t speaking to me, I’d have to wait until tomorrow, or maybe longer, to ask. In fact, it was probably time I went home, just in case she showed up there. I had no idea what bloody time it even was. All I knew was it looked like it was getting dark.
I stood from the table and was about to walk out when Casper put her hand on my arm.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Always,” I answered, draping my arm around her shoulders.
She waved her hand in front of her face. “You’re drunk. Maybe I should wait until tomorrow.”
“I’m not that drunk.”
Casper laughed. “You are.”
“Come on, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“I was wondering…I heard Rebel left, so…I thought maybe, if you wouldn’t mind…maybe, could I stay with you for a couple of days?”
“Uh, okay. I mean, yes. Of course you can. Can I ask why?”
“I’m thinking about giving up my place in Florida. It’s hard, ya know?”
“I do know.” I shook my head, more to clear my thoughts. I was handling this badly and only because I had a few too many pints. “I was just about to walk over. Come with me?”
“Thanks, Edge. I really appreciate this.” She kissed my cheek. “I have to talk to Rile, but after I do, I’ll grab my stuff and meet you over there.”
With every step I took from Grinder’s place to mine, the feeling that this was a terrible decision grew stronger.
I’d never thought much about window coverings until Grinder mentioned not wanting to see me starkers, but with Casper staying here for a couple of days and Rebel staying over at Tee-Tee’s, I wished I could put draperies over them all.
Was it even close enough that she’d be able to see into the house? I thought briefly about running over to check how much could be seen from there. Terrible idea. What if Tee-Tee shot me for trespassing? Blimey, what a stupid thought that was. Why had I gotten so pissed? What I needed right now was a clear mind, and mine was bloody foggy.
Edged (The Invincibles Book 2) Page 15
