“Daisy?” mymother called from somewherein my goddammed apartment.
“Shit!” Ihissed. “Shit, shit, shit! Where’s my shirt?”
“I’ll stall yourmom while you find it,” Huck said, and walked out of the room.
In the end, muchlike the left sock in a dryer, my shirt had disappeared into the ether, so Ihad to grab a new one.
“Hi, Mrs.Carver,” I heard Huck say.
“Call me Dani,honey.”
“Right, Dani.”
Mom saidsomething, but it was too low to hear.
“Oh, yeah, she’sokay, I think,” Huck replied. “She’s back here.Resting. I was justgonna grab her some water.”
I rushed toscramble into the bed, taking several deep breaths to calm my racing heart, andregulate my breathing.
“Baby?” Momknocked on my open door and leaned in.
“Hi, Mama. Youcan come in.”
Mom made her wayto me and sat on the edge of the bed. “How ya doin’?”
“I’m okay.” Ipushed myself up and leaned against the headboard. “It’s all just so… gross.”
“Yeah, sweetie,it was.”
“Do you knowwhat Uncle Hatch is going to do with him?”
“No. I don’t askabout those things.”
I frowned. “Howcan you not?”
“Baby girl,you’ll find the less you know about club business, the better you’ll feel.”
“Oh my god,they’re going to kill him, aren’t they?”
Mom gasped. “No,they don’t kill people, Daisy. Lordy, you’ve been watching too much TV.”
Huck walked inwith a glass of water and set it on the nightstand.
I smiled. “Thanks.”
“Is somethingburning?” my mom asked, glancing around the room.
It was then Irealized I’d thrown my T-shirt over the lamp in the corner, and it was startingto smoke. Luckily, Huck saw it too and managed to grab it before Mom saw it,throwing it into the bathroom before peeking back into the lamp.
“Huh,” Hucksaid. “Looks like a fly got fried in the bulb.”
Mom sighed. “Youseriously need to use the LED bulbs, honey.”
“I use that onefor my wax melts,” I improvised as Huck covered his mouth, obviously trying tobite back a laugh.
My phone buzzedthree seconds before my doorbell pealed and I grabbed my phone to see mybrothers standing in the hallway. I let out a groan. “It’s the Kray brothers.”
“Will you stopcalling them that?” Mom begged. “The Kray brothers were evil nefarious killers.Your brothers, on the other hand, are only trying to protect you.”
