by J. E. Parker
Don’t say her name! Then it becomes too real.
Didn’t matter, long as she didn’t say anything bad about my girl I didn’t give a crap what she thought of me.
She called me obsessive. Check.
Called me pathetic. Double check.
It looks like Veronica nailed it. Somebody give the girl a prize!
“She was special, unlike the rest of you worthless bitches.” I sat back down, almost missing the bar stool completely. I pointed at her with the bottle of half-drunk Rum. “By the way, you should get a job with the FBI cause obviously you’re good at figuring people out.” Dumbfounded, she just looked at me. “Now,” I continued, “judging by the phone call that Maribelle just made, it looks like my night is about to get cut short. Here’s what I’m going to need from you.” I needed something stronger than rum.
“You’re crazy!”
Tell me something I don’t know. “Everclear. Shots. Now.” She just stood there, and I slapped the bar again. “Move it, Valerie.”
“My name is Veronica,” she said through gritted teeth.
I shrugged. “Whatever you say, Velma.”
Dear Ol’ Veronica—see, I did know her name—called me every name under the sun as she lined up three shot glasses and poured them until they couldn’t hold any more. “Bottoms up, Violet!”
“Asshole!”
I chuckled. One after another, I took the shots. The first burned, the second a little less. By the time I downed the third, I was numb. Hands, feet, tongue. Even my teeth.
Finally.
I placed my elbows on the bar and closed my eyes.
Finally fucking numb.
No more feeling. No more remembering.
The bar stool beside me shifted, the feet scraping against the ground. The smell of spicy perfume surrounded me. Not fruity and sweet like I craved. “You look lonely, honey.”
I cracked open my left eye. My vision was blurred, but I could still make out the person sitting beside me. Somewhat. “I do, do I?” She nodded. “So, what, you thought you’d come over here and keep me company?”
Cassie Jackson, biggest bitch to ever grace Kissler County, Georgia turned to face me. “Something like that.”
Something like that. This would not end well. I already knew. Still, I kept up with the charade, curious to see how far she’d take it.
Cassie placed a hand on my thigh. “How have you been, Hendrix?”
I smirked. “Right now, I’m feeling pretty damn fantastic. How about you, Cassie? Chew through your latest boy toy yet?”
Her smile faltered, but she recovered quickly. “Don’t believe everything you hear, honey. I’m not near as bad as folks around her make me out to be.”
Somehow, I doubted that. “Good to hear.”
My favorite bartender sauntered over to Cassie, the Queen of bitches, shooting me an evil glare the entire time. “What can I get you?”
“Patron Silver,” Cassie replied in a haughty tone that made me chuckle. “And hurry up about it.”
Veronica reached under the bar, grabbed the bottle and filled up a clean shot glass. “Little bit of advice for you, sweetie.” She bit at Veronica, “Don’t waste your time on this one.” She nodded her head in my direction. “He’s so hung up on his ex-girlfriend he can’t see straight.”
I perked up. “Who said she was my ex?” I didn’t remember telling her that.
Veronica rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. The entire damn town knows you dumped the little twit the minute she left for—”
I jumped up. Well, more like tried to jump up and stumbled but luckily caught myself before I tumbled head over ass. “Don’t you,” I spoke through clenched teeth, “dare.” My vision swam, a red haze covering everything my eyes touched. “You finish that sentence and I’ll fucking end you.”
Veronica, I found out, was not one to back down. Earlier, I would have thought she was a timid little thing. Boy, was I wrong. Leaning forward, she brought her face closer to mine and spit out, “You ever think of threatening me again, Hendrix Cole, and I’ll call the sheriff. I hear y’all have some history. I’m sure he’d love nothing more than to lock you up.” The bitch had the balls to smirk.
I was almost impressed. Almost.
I smirked right back. “Yeah. You go ahead and do that. But do me a favor,” I tapped my fingers on the bar, “When you call the Sherriff, tell that son of a bitch to bring me the hundred bucks he owes me from our last poker game.”
Veronica’s face dropped. Checkmate, skank. Then, she stomped off.
I sat back down, and Cassie, who I’d forgotten was still sitting beside me whistled. “She couldn’t get away from you fast enough.”
“Fuck her.”
“Have you?” Why was she still talking to me? Couldn’t she see that I was trying to drown a lifetime of memories? Goddamn, why couldn’t people just let me drink in peace?
“Have I what?”
“Slept with her?”
“Who?” I was confused. I don’t know if it was the alcohol drowning out the few brain cells I had left or if I was just that stupid. Probably a combination of both.
I heard her voice in my head. “You’re not stupid, Handsome. You just learn differently. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Mentally, I whispered back, “Miss you, pretty girl.” It’s all I would allow myself.
Cassie rolled her eyes. “The bartender.”
I jerked back. “I’m highly fucking offended.”
She laughed. “I’ll take that as a no.”
“That’s a big hell no!”
“Well, who have you been fucking?”
Never in my life… “You’ve got a mouth on you.”
Cassie licked her bottom lip, followed by the top. Evil wench or not, she had some nice lips—if you were into that whole duck face look. “You have no idea.” She squeezed my leg with her hand. “But I’ll be glad to show you.”
Purring, her hand moved higher. I looked down and watched its ascent toward my cock. “Yeah? And how ya gonna do that?”
Her hand kept moving north. “How about I show you?”
How about no.
Wrapping my fingers around her bony wrist, I ripped her hand off me. “How about this—you ever touch me again, and I’ll break your fingers.”
Cassie flinched, surprise and anger flashing across her face. It took her a minute to find her voice but when she did, oh hell. “Are you fucking kidding me?” She shouted. “What? Am I not good enough for you, Hendrix?”
“Fuck no you’re not good enough for me. I may be fucking drunk, but there isn’t enough alcohol in this world to make shove my cock into your rancid pussy.”
She shoved my shoulder as she continued to shriek. “You can’t talk to me like that!”
The hell I can’t. “Hey, Cassie, guess what?” Cheeks tinged red with anger, she glared at me. “I finally came up with a nickname for you.”
Stupid bitch smiled. “Yeah?”
I nodded. “Yeah, baby. I’m gonna start calling you doorknob.” I paused. “Because you know…. Everybody takes a turn.”
The bitch reared back and slapped me.
Couldn’t blame her. But once again, all eyes were on me.
Damn, man. I needed to start drinking at home—alone.
“What is it with you, bitches?”
Cassie’s repeated, “Are you kidding me?” Coincided with Veronica’s, “Dickhead.”
I looked at Cassie. “No, I’m not kidding you.”
Then, I looked at Veronica. “You’re damned right.”
In a puff of anger, Cassie got up from her bar stool and walked away. Thank God. It looked like I was stuck with V-girl though. “Yo, Vinnie! Shots! Refill! Let’s go!”
Three shots later and I was once again a resident of Numbtown, USA.
Thank Christ.
The night rolled on, and the patrons of the bar rolled out. “Time to pay up, Hendrix, it’s closing time,” Maribelle said from the other side of the bar.
“That I do.” Her heels clicked on the floor as she walked away and started speaking to somebody else. Who, I didn’t know since I didn’t bother to open my eyes and see. “He’s been here all night.”
“I’ll get him home.”
Shit.
I knew that voice. Of all the damn people…
Heavy footsteps headed in my direction, and I took a drawl of the beer I’d been nursing for the last fifteen minutes. I was about to set the bottle back on the bar top when it was snatched out of my hand. “What the fuuuuck?” I snarled, drunkenly swinging my head in his direction. The liquor in my stomach sloshed from the quick movement. I felt like puking.
Hey, maybe I could puke all over him. I’m sure he’d LOVE that.
“Get your shit together. It’s time to go.”
My face tightened. “No disrespect, Captain Davis, but fuuuuck you. We’re not at the station, and I’m not on shift. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
He slammed his fist down on the bar, much like I’d done earlier. “The hell I don’t. You’re wearing my department’s shirt, sitting at a bar in my town. I’ll tell you whatever I want too, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll listen.”
What? He’d lost his mind. “Exactly who do you think you are? You may be my boss, but I’m not at work. Want me to change shirts? Fine, but don’t think for a second you can come in here and talk shit to me. You’re not my goddamn father.”
Keith wrapped his hands around my shirt, lifting me from the bar stool. His face inches from mine, he spits out, “I may not be your father, but I am hers.”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut. He never spoke about her in front of me. Ever. “She has nothing to do with this.”
He clenched his teeth before releasing my shirt. I stumbled backward but thankfully didn’t fall. “You stupid little prick,” he said, forcing a humorless laugh. “She has everything to do with it.”
I had no idea what he was talking about. Blame it on the alcohol, blame it on my learning disability, whatever, but I was lost. “Yeah? How?” I crossed my arms over my chest as my body swayed from left to right. “What exactly does your little princess have to do with me? She’s not mine anymore, remember?” The words tasted like acid rolling off my tongue.
Hands balled into fists at his sides, Keith was about to charge when a couple of the guys from the station walked in and headed straight for us. They must have been waiting outside, listening for shit to get heated.
One look at my face and they knew it was about to go down.
They surrounded us.
Two men stood next to Keith and three took their places behind me.
Guess we know who they think the bigger threat was.
He shook his head, a hard smile on his lips. “You have no clue, do you?” I shrugged my shoulders. Disgusted, he said to the guys behind me, “Get him out of here. I can’t stand to look at him anymore.”
Eli, prick that he was, grabbed me by the arm. I jerked away easily. None of those assholes could hold me. I was bigger. Stronger. Faster than any of them. “I’ll leave, Cap, but not until you answer my question.” He looked at me, hate swirling in his eyes. Just like Pop. “What does she have to do with this? With me?”
“You can’t even say her name, can you?”
I refused to answer him. Instead, I lifted my chin in the air. Still defiant. “Answer my question.”
Keith shook his head. “Maddie.” I closed my eyes when he said her name. I couldn’t even pretend to be unaffected. “Made me promise to take care of you. To look out for you. To keep you safe.” His words hit me right in the gut. “Even when what you did almost killed her, even when it’s still killing her, she made me promise!” My Adam’s apple bobbed, and my throat felt like it was swelling shut.
Wait.
Hold up.
Still killing her? What the fuck was he talking about? “Keith—”
“I keep my promises… unlike you.”
Maddie
I hate fitted sheets. Literally, hate them.
At twenty-four years old, I still hadn’t figured out how to fold the dang things.
Puffing out an exasperated breath, I took the pile of sheets that I’d been wrestling with for the last ten minutes, rolled them into a makeshift burrito and placed them on the linen rack. To hell with it. They were just sheets. Who cares if they were wrinkled?
I jumped as the phone on the wall began to ring.
Ring… Ring… Ring!
Clutching my chest with a shaking hand, I turned around and eyeballed the twenty-year-old hunk of junk that served as the laundry room phone. “I hate you,” I hissed as I walked over to the stupid thing and picked it up. Placing the receiver to my ear, I said, “Toluca Women’s Shelter, this is Madelyn speaking. How can I help you?”
“Madelyn, this is Daisy Rivera calling from Toluca Memorial Hospital. How are you doing this evening?”
I leaned my shoulder against the wall. “I’m doing good, Daisy. How are you?”
Papers rustled in the background. “Doing great, dear, thanks for asking.” I wiped the sweat beads that dotted my forehead away with the back of my arm. “Listen, I’m calling to see if you have any beds available. I’ve got a couple of patients that I’m trying to find shelter for.”
A couple?
Reaching over, I grabbed my clipboard from the folding table where a couple of dozens unfolded towels still sat. “How many is a couple?”
“Three. One adult female and two minors. Both boys.”
I looked at the spreadsheet on my board. Crap. I only had one-bed open. “What’s their status?”
“Urgent. Mom is a DVV. Says she has no family in the area and friends are non-existent.” DVV stood for Domestic Violence Victim. My stomach lurched at the familiar acronym.
“Who was the offender?”
“Her husband.” What a son of a bitch. “He’s also the father of both boys.”
“Did they arrest him?”
“Fortunately, yes. Officer Fields informed us that they can only hold him for twenty-four hours before the mandatory DV hold expires. After that, he’ll be eligible to see a judge and have a bond set.”
“Does he have the means to bond out? Financially I mean.”
“Our patient says so. From the way she spoke, I don’t think money is going to be an issue.”
So, the abusive bastard was well off. Lovely. “I only have one bed left.” I bit my lower lip as I wracked my brain. “Have you tried Garrison County?”
“I called them and Kissler County before calling you. Both are full.”
Again, crap.
Lowering her voice, Daisy whispered into the phone, “Listen, Madelyn, I know I shouldn’t say this and believe me, I don’t want to put this on your shoulders, but if we can’t find a way to help them, CPS is prepared to take emergency custody of the boys.” I gasped in shock. “Apparently, this isn’t the first time this family has crossed their radar.”
“What?” I practically screeched. “But you said they arrested the father?”
“He’ll only be locked up for another day. After that, who knows what will happen.”
That didn’t make a lick of sense—not unless… “Do they suspect the mother is abusive too?”
Daisy was quick to answer. “Absolutely not. In fact, Dr. Wilson made a note in the mother’s file about the relationship that she seemed to have with her kids. I’m not a child psychologist or anything, but from the way everyone was talking, I’m ninety-nine-point-nine percent positive the father is the only abuser.”
“That means…” I dropped my head forward. “Oh, my God.”
“I know, honey, I just thought maybe…”
I know what she thought. She thought that I’d find a way to pull a miracle out of my butt even if I didn’t have any open beds.
She was right.
“Y
ou know what, just send them here. I’ll figure it out. Heck, I’ll make a couple of pallets in the hallway if I have too.” There was no way I would turn this family away and give CPS cause to jump into their business. As a social worker myself, I knew what a mess that would be. Whoever these people were, they didn’t need to deal with that on top of the issues they were already facing.
Daisy exhaled loudly. “Thank you, Madelyn. Thank you so much. I was worried…”
“Not a problem. I’ll figure it out.” And by figure it out I meant that I was about to forge intake forms and break nearly half a dozen fire codes since this would push us over capacity.
To hell with it.
Let them fire me.
Let them arrest me.
Daisy spent the next fifteen minutes giving me all the information she had on the family. By the end of our conversation, my blood was boiling. Swear to God, at that moment I was capable of murder.
How could someone be so evil? I would never understand!
“I’ll call First Defense and arrange for transport. Are you going to be at the shelter for a while?”
I nodded even though she couldn’t see me through the phone. “I’ll be here all night.”
“Okay. I’m going to fax over the discharge papers along with the medical release forms. If you don’t receive them within the next ten minutes’ call and let me know.”
“I will. Thanks, Daisy.”
She coughed. “No, thank you, Madelyn. You’re a lifesaver. Literally.”
“Bye, Daisy.” I hung up. Leaning against the wall for support, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Lord, I was tired.
Pushing away from the wall, I walked back over to the folding table.
“Shelby!” I called out to one of my team members as a bead of sweat slid down the back of my neck and disappeared beneath the collar of my tank top. Seconds later, Shelby walked into the room with a smile on her face. “I need your help.” I blew out an exasperated breath before continuing. “Daisy called. We’ve got a couple of new intakes coming in.”
Shelby’s smiled dropped. “How many?”
“One woman, early twenties, and two kids. Little boys, aged five and four.”