I finished my food and cleaned up, then made my way downstairs to look for Doom. Lucky for him, our door was now unlocked. I found him in Doc’s office, and I was granted access, greeted by two very angry looking bikers.
“I’m gonna come back,” I said, pointing to the exit.
“You’re gonna sit your ass down,” Doom growled.
“Uh, no, I’m not,” I countered. “I won’t be spoken to that way, and you well know it.”
“Lyric, wait,” Doc said. “Will you please explain this deal you made with Tammy?”
“Why, yes, Doc, I’d be happy to,” I said, and stepped further inside, scowling up at Doom. “That’s how polite people get information, Lincoln, in case you want to take notes.”
He dragged his hands down his face and paced the room.
“It’s pretty straight forward, Doc. I told Tammy I didn’t want anyone touching my house again, and I felt kids and wives should be off-limits and she should figure out a way to make that happen. If she did, I told her I’d represent her brother. Honestly, he’s gotten a raw deal. He’s young and I think he’s being railroaded. It’ll be an open and shut case, but the public defender he pulled is kind of an idiot, so he’ll lose and Tammy knows it.”
Doc crossed his arms. “It’s an interesting tack to take, Lyric, but I’d rather you not have done that without clearing it with Doom first. You don’t know what you’re dealing with here, especially with Tammy. She’s bad news and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t have any further contact with her.”
“Well, I can’t do that, considering I might be representing her brother.”
I heard Doom growl deep in his throat but he didn’t form words or sentences.
“As much as I wish we could,” Doc said with a sigh, “we can’t put the genie back in the bottle, but you cannot meet with her alone, Lyric. If Tammy manages to make some kind of deal with her old man, and they guarantee no more hits on families, then, yes, you represent her brother, and we’ll have your back. But I need to know you won’t meet with her alone. Ever.”
I glanced at Doom who looked like his head might explode.
“I can do that,” I promised.
“Thanks, babe,” Doc said. “I’m gonna let you two… ah… talk. We can deal with anything that comes up tomorrow. Try and get some rest.”
“Is Olivia okay?” I asked.
“She’s fine.”
“Where is she?” I asked.
“Upstairs.”
“In your room?”
“Yes.”
“Lockedin your room?” I pressed.
He smirked. “No.”
I glared at Doom. “Okay, I’ll see you in the morning.”
I made my way upstairs and into the bathroom. I debated locking the door before Doom could follow me inside, but I figured he’d just break it down, so I decided against it. I stripped down to my T-shirt and panties and brushed my teeth, pulling my hair into a ponytail and then took my anti-nausea pill.
When I came out, Doom was back in the chair, his head in his hands, looking like the weight of the world was on his shoulders again.
“Do you not trust me?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a pretty straightforward question, Lyric.” He met my eyes. “Do you not trust me?”
“None of this has anything to do with trust.”
