The commissioner’s head snapped up. A slimy, pervy smile branched over his face.
“I’m sorry my son offered unsolicited advice, but the way you talked to him was not okay,” I said, balling my fists at my side. It didn’t matter how sick I was, how crappy I felt. This shit didn’t stand. “You don’t make a child feel dumb. Ever. Especially when they’re sharing information with you.”
The man’s top lip curled as he watched me. “You came out here to yell at me?”
“Damn right I did,” I snapped. “No one makes my boy feel stupid and gets away with it.”
The commissioner pointed a finger at me. “You’re crazy.”
It wasn’t hard to imagine the way this looked. Me, looking like a zombie and yelling. Not my finest moments. But the memory of Brady’s hurt face made my jaw clench tight. I couldn’t remember a time when I felt such scalding, deliberate rage.
At that moment, it dawned on me. It wasn’t the commissioner who I was so mad at. It was the boy’s father.
He’s next,I promised myself.
“Maybe I am crazy, but you’re a bad man for sneering at a child.Mychild.” I huffed, forcing back a cough. “I hope you have a terrible rest of your day.”
I turned, knowing it wasn’t the best line I could have delivered. My performance hadn’t gone unnoticed either. A sweet-faced mother with three kids piled into a cart filled to the brim watched me march to join Rayko.
“Mhmm, you got him good.” She smiled at me. “That’s some big mama-bear energy, right there.”
My voice wobbled. “Thanks.”
“Hey, mama, you’re doing a great job.” She opened her arms and tried to hug me.
“Oh, no!” I yelped, pulling back. “I’ve got a cold and—”
“It’s alright, I’m a nurse. I work in the cold-flu factory and haven’t been sick yet this year,” she argued and wrapped her arms around me. “Come here, mama bear. You’re doing a good job. Okay?”
“Okay.” The adrenaline from yelling was fast slipping away, and in its place, a wave of emotions threatened me.
“We moms need to stick together, ya know?” she added, giving me another squeeze before releasing me. “I was ‘bout to murder someone the other day and ended up crying in the staff bathroom.”
I blinked at her, tears threatening to spill over from her warm kindness. “You’re doing a great job too.”
“I am.” She winked. “But thank you, girl. I appreciate that.”
We shared another moment before I moved on to join the stunned mobster and my son. Rayko was a little less surly in the five-minute drive back to the house. He kept shooting glances at me, as if he thought I might bite his head off too. I made the decision to bring him a bowl of mashed potatoes later that evening. Really throw him for a loop.
Chapter 14 – Ivan
Mancini:Update.
Me:Fuck off.
Mancini:Update. Or I’m marching on your house.
Me:I do not respond well to threats.
Penelope:Please, Ivan.
Me:Poppy made another batch of cookies. Brady is obsessed with basketball.
Penelope:Thank you.
Penelope:I miss them.
I pulled the band from my hair, shaking my head like a dog. Blood and sweat sprayed on the already stained mat. The canvas displayed a garish Rorschach design, fanning from edge to edge, with spirals curling into a mass in the center. Stooping,I wiped the knife across the unconscious man’s chest. I’d been uncharacteristically merciful tonight. He was still breathing.
