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That wasn’t really an answer. Still, she threw a change of underwear, a t-shirt and a jacket into a bag, grabbing her toothbrush, hairbrush and some makeup from the bathroom. From the dining table she took her laptop and notebook, checking she had all her chargers. If she ended up on house arrest, Abby wasn’t going to sit around twiddling her thumbs the whole time.
Two minutes later, she and Scott were climbing into a white Hyundai Excel that had appeared at the top of their driveway. Dodge sat at the wheel, looking impatient. The car wasn’t new and didn’t have a rental quality about it. It certainly didn’t fit with her expectations of the sort of wheels a biker would arrive in.
No one spoke during the short drive to Rachel’s. Scott sat, ramrod straight, his gaze firmly fixed on the passing scenery, while Abby fidgeted in the backseat beside him. Once or twice, she caught Dodge’s eye in the rear view mirror. He looked straight through her. Frustration gnawed at her. It seemed neither man could be bothered with her. She practically leapt from the car the minute they pulled up at Rachel’s.
Abby was the epitome of self-control as she walked, rather than stomped, down her mother’s hallway. She placed her bags on the floor near the sofa instead of throwing them. And she ignored Zep, rather than telling him to go fuck himself. At least he was fully dressed.
“Hello, darling,” Rachel said, as Abby lowered herself onto the sofa beside her. She took her mum’s hand and squeezed it gently. Rachel gave Scott a wide smile as she greeted him.
Scott returned the smile, albeit not as wide, and nodded at Zep, who was leafing through a local newspaper as he sat at the island bench.
Well, isn’t this nice?
Scott helped himself to a bottle of water from the refrigerator. “Do I want to know where you’ve sent your men off too?”
“Doubt it.”
Abby bristled, but didn’t involve herself in the conversation.
“Out of interest, how did you break in here?” Scott obviously knew the whole saga of Abby finding Zep in the cottage.
“Side door.”
Scott grunted and headed in the direction of the laundry, and the side door. Abby guessed no one would be getting inside without a key by the time he’d finished doing whatever he was going to do.
As soon as he was gone, Abby hissed at her mother. “Why did you tell him?”
“Why didn’t you?” Rachel responded, an unimpressed expression on her face.
“Should I have hidden under the bed while your boyfriend checked in on your mum?”
Abby turned towards Zep. “This is a family matter.”
“Yes, it is.” He looked up from the paper.
She wasn’t prone to violence, but she really wanted to punch Zep in the face. He had some nerve, suggesting he was family.
“You should’ve given Scott more credit.” He was watching her through narrowed eyes.
“What are you talking about?”
“Abby.” Her mother placed a hand over hers. “Scott’s first and only thought was for your, and for my, safety.”
“He knows I can do a better job of that than the cops.”
She looked between her mother and Zep, her blood boiling. Everyone had it out for her today, it seemed. Maybe she should have talked to Scott sooner, but having this biker lecture her about her own boyfriend, and then her mum backing him?
Abby snatched her hand from her mother’s and stood. She refused to storm out and give Zep the opportunity to drag her back. Scott wouldn’t appreciate her company at the moment, and her mum… Abby took a deep breath and sat back down. Rachel gave her a tight smile, her eyes shining with concern. She took her hand and held it.
“I’m going to stretch my legs.” Zep folded the paper, the stool creaking as he pushed it back.
Rachel squeezed her hand.
“Mum,” she whispered. “Everything is falling apart.”
“Oh, darling, you’re in a rough spot just now. But it’s only a moment in time. It will pass.”
It was a moment in time she wanted to hang on to, as much as she wanted it over. Abby wanted Zep out of her life, and her relationship with Scott back to the way it was. But more than anything, she wanted her mother to stay with her.
