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“I’m sorry, Lucy,” he pleads, his words slurred as he pulls his wallet out from his back pocket. I watch as she escorts him to the door, with one hand out as he leafs through a wad of cash. “I didn’t think that you had any hard limits.”
“I didn’t until you did what you did.”
I watch the man as he hands Grace a stack of bills. Grace tightens her robe as she counts the money. The man grabs a few more bills and slides them into her hand. “I hope you’ll forgive me and still see me again.”
“I’ll think about it,” she replies gruffly as she pulls open the door and waves him out. She slams the door behind him, locking the deadbolt before turning around with a huff. I lift my head, watching with an amused look on my face as I cock an eyebrow at her. “Don’t even start with me, boy.”
“Lucy, huh?”
Grace pushes off the door, puffing on her cigarette as she tucks the wad of cash in her robe pocket. “I needed an alias and I Love Lucy was playing on TV one day when I was fucking a client.”
Ainsley stirs beside me, wrapping one of her frail arms around my torso. I glance down at her and a smile touches my lips as I study her delicate features. When she’s asleep, she doesn’t look so sad and so sick. When she sleeps, she looks angelic.
“Killian, we need to have a talk.” Grace’s voice is clipped as she breaks through my thoughts. “It’s about the two of you staying here…”
Dread fills the pit of my stomach as I roll over to face her. “You want us out?”
“It’s not that I want you guys to leave, but shit’s gotta change.” Her tone is harsh as she drops down onto the arm of the couch as she flicks her ashes into a cup. “I thought this was a temporary thing. The same with your girl dipping into my stash. If you guys stay, you’re gonna have to pay. And she’s gonna need to find her own plug.”
The dread lifts, but reality sinks in. We’re down to our last few dollars, after spending whatever cash we took when we left the house. Ainsley hasn’t touched her bank account, mainly for the sole purpose of staying hidden. Unless we want to take that risk, we’re both going to have to get jobs.
“I’ll figure something out. I’ll pay you back for all the dope.”
“Don’t bother. Just know it stops now.” Grace purses her lips as she stubs her cigarette out in the cup. “I hope you can both figure your shit out. I’d hate to see her end up like me, fucking John’s to make ends meet.”
My jaw tics and I swallow hard as my blood boils. Ainsley will never end up like Grace. Grace is a lifer, Ainsley is just temporarily indulging in the drug epidemic. I won’t ever let her be this far gone.
“She won’t end up like you, Grace. As long as she has me, she won’t ever need that.”
Grace clicks her tongue. “I hope you’re right, because I know you’re not a damn fool. I know the things that you lived with when you were with your mother.”
Her words strike a nerve—a nerve that I typically stay as far away from as possible. I don’t like thinking or talking about the past. I don’t know what all Grace saw or thinks that she saw, but she can keep all of that shit to herself. I came here for a place to stay, not to dig up dead bodies.
I give Grace a frigid stare. “I said that I will figure something out.”
She opens her mouth as if she’s going to say something but instead she shakes her head and shrugs. Her tired, old body creaks and her joints pop in protest as she climbs down from her perch on the arm of the couch. She wraps her robe tighter around her body as she strolls through the apartment, disappearing back into her bedroom. The door slams shut behind her, leaving Ainsley and me in the dark silence.
Ainsley’s warm breath tickles the back of my neck as she moves her lips. “I don’t want to stay here anymore, Kill.”
“I know,” I murmur, placing my hands over top of hers as I lace our fingers together. “I can find somewhere else for us to stay. I need to call Courtland in the morning anyway. Even if we don’t stay here, I’m still going to need to have some kind of money coming in.”
“You think that he can help you out?” she muses out loud.
“Yep.” My word is definitive and thankfully, she leaves it at that. Nothing that Courtland does is legal. Anyone who lives like we are living has to subject their morals and values at some point. Especially when you’re hooked on poison. You will do some of the grimiest shit just to get what you want.
I know what Ainsley wants and I won’t let her resort to any of that. If anyone is doing shady shit, it will be me.
“Fuck it,” I mumble, pushing Ainsley’s arms from me as I climb out of the bed. I’m restless and can’t lie here any longer. We can’t be here. “I’m gonna go see if Grace left her phone out, so I can call Court now. I don’t want to use mine in case your parents are tracking it.”
Ainsley sits up, pulling the sheet over her bare legs as she watches me stalk through the apartment. I don’t bother being quiet as I sift through the mess that Grace left across the counters and the table. I dig through her belongings but come up empty-handed, feeling more stuck than I’ve ever felt before.
I walk back into the living room, grabbing a half full pack of cigarettes from the side table as I glance down at Ainsley. “I’m going to go outside and smoke a cigarette. I need some fresh air.”
“You didn’t find her phone?”
Shaking my head, I lean down and softly press my lips to her forehead. “Go back to sleep, baby. We’ll figure it out in the morning.”
Ainsley chews on her bottom lip, mulling over my words before she follows suit and climbs out of bed too. She doesn’t speak a single word, taking the pack of cigarettes from my hand and replacing it with her hand. She slides her fingers in between mine and gently squeezes me before leading me toward the door that leads outside.
