Page 82 of Lucky Mother Pucker

My jaw unhinges in shock. What the fuck is the matter with this guy?

“Jesus,” I mutter. “This guy is a psycho.”

“He definitely gives off that vibe,” she says.

“What do you mean?”

She hesitates for a moment. “A couple times, I tried to come to the house and get my mom and dad’s things, but he threatened me. Said he’d kill me if I stepped foot on his property again without his permission.”

Rage pumps through my veins like hot lava. “What the fuck?”

Lucy holds up her phone and shows me a text chain between her and her stepdad. When I read the words, “I’ll fucking kill you,” I ball my hands into fists at my sides. This guy is threatening her like some unhinged maniac.

I grit my teeth. I can’t believe he’s outright threatening her.

“It’s fucked up that your stepdad was able to keep the house,” I mutter. “It belongs to you.”

She shakes her head. “He was married to my mom. When she died, legally, he was able to take control of everything. There wasn’t anything I could do.”

“Yeah, but the right thing to do would be to let you have the house,” I say.

“I wouldn’t count on Richard to do the right thing, ever,” she says in a defeated tone. “I mean, look at how he treated my mom. Look at how he kicked me out of the house after she died. Look at what he tried to do to Wally.”

I’m hot with rage when I think about what motherfucker did. He kicked his own stepdaughter out of a house that rightfully belonged to her, not him. He tried to kill her dog.

“Honestly, if he would just let me back in the house so I could get the rest of my parents’ things, that would be enough,” she says. “I could move on and forget about the rest if I at least had that.”

I shake my head and swallow back the outrage simmering inside of me. That piece of shit won’t even give her back her parents’ belongings.

I'm aching to fucking destroy that guy.

She pulls out her phone and taps the screen. “All I have are just a few pictures now.”

She shows me a photo of the front of a small, brick, ranch-style house with daisies in every color next to the porch.

“977 Pickett Street,” she says in a soft voice. “The best street in the whole wide world because my Lucy girl lives there.” A sad smile pulls at her lips. “My dad used to say that when I was little to help me remember our address.”

My chest throbs. “That’s really cute,” I say.

And then I feel like an asshole because I wish there was something more I could do or say to help her.

I hold Lucy’s gaze. “We’re gonna make this right for you, Lucy. We’ll figure out a way.”

Emotion flashes in her eyes. “It’s okay, Leo. You’ve done enough for me. You don’t need to do anything more. Especially not when it comes to Richard. He’s a loose cannon with a crazy temper, and I don’t…”

She trails off when I shake my head. “He’s not getting away with this. We’re gonna figure out a way to get it all back for you. I promise.”

I have no idea how. But I can’t ignore that urgency pulsing through me like adrenaline. Lucy has been through so much. She deserves this. And I’m going to help her get it.

Chapter 31

Leo

Iglance up and see my sister walk into the ballroom. She waves at me and walks over.

“Hey, little brother,” she says as we hug. “You look pretty good in that penguin suit.”

I roll my eyes. When we break apart, she smiles at Lucy, then looks at me. “I didn’t know you were bringing a date.” Her big brown eyes sparkle with intrigue. She turns to Lucy. “I’m Zoey. Leo’s favorite sister.”