Page 74 of Bottles & Blades
My shoulders tense.
Christ, here come thosebiggerproblems.
“Chrissy, honey,” I begin quietly as she comes to a halt beside me, Rory beside her.
But my daughter isn’t done. “I’ve already called the police,” she announces and there’s not a single bit of vulnerability in her statement. She’s steady, icy cold.
I hate that for her, hate that her relationship with her mother is…this.
But I’m also so fucking proud of her strength—she’s been to hell and back and is the stronger for it.
“Are you asking me to leave?” Angela says.
Tiff’s hand flexes in mine and I brace, waiting for Rory to mouth off. She’s protective of me, but she’s even more protective of Chrissy.
Adding Tiff to the mix?
Well, I can feel that she’s primed and loaded, ready to snap with the slightest provocation.
Thankfully, she seems content to allow Chrissy to run the show—though I don’t miss that she’s surreptitiously pointing her phone in Angela’s direction.
Recording her, I realize.
Fuck, she’s smart.
They all are.
Including Angela.
“I’m not asking,” Chrissy says, drawing my focus, ratcheting up my pride. “I’m telling you to remove yourself and your vehicle from my property immediately, and if you don’t, I’ll have the police do it for me.”
Angela in handcuffs—yeah, I’d love to see that.
Of course, I don’t get that because she releases the most put-upon sigh that I’ve ever heard and huffs out, “Well, I know when I’m not welcome.”
“Do you really?” Rory asks, giving us a glimpse of her trademark snark.
I almost—almost—laugh at the outraged expression that crawls over Angela’s face.
Because this shit isalmostfunny.
Except, it’s not.
“Go,” I growl.
She does…albeit with all the speed of a sloth.
And she’s just backing out as the first squad car pulls up.
They block her from driving off, and she jumps out of her car full of piss and vinegar.
Of course she is.
Which means the next hour is filled with the police taking statements from all of us, Pascal showing up and working his magic, and finally—fuckingfinally—Angela leaving.
Unfortunately, it’s not in handcuffs.
She does it getting back into her car and driving away.
