“I didn’t fuck her, but she had no cash like she told us she did. So, her and our contact went back to your trailer tolookfor it. But methinks they got it on because our contact came out and gave us the stash, you know? That all happened yesterday afternoon. We didn’t see her after that.” He shrugged. “Just assumed she was getting high alone. Which obviously she did.”
It didn’t make sense. Mom had never been interested in drugs. What had changed and how did I not see it? I scrubbed my face. “All right. Who’s your contact?”
Manky shot to his feet and pointed at me. “Fuck off. I’m not telling you that.”
I rose as slowly as I could despite the anger that battered my head. My blood turned hot, a liquid fury that gave me the urge to fucking hurt this asshole until I got answers, but I was already sore and had to return to Zayn’s house. If I came back bloodier than when I left, I had a feeling I’d get more than a lecture.
“Manky, you owe me. Mom isdead. I have to raise my little sister. I need his fucking name.”
Peanut made a sound in the back of his throat and his Adam’s apple bobbed as though the thought of this contact scared the fuck out of him. But I didn’t care. I’d deal with the consequences.
Manky shifted on his feet, then swore again. “You’re gonna get me killed, butt boy. Why should I tell you anything?”
I scrubbed the back of my neck in irritation before I dragged out my wallet from my pocket. I got some cash I’d been painfully holding on to for emergencies and passed it to him. It wasn’t much, about fifty bucks, but even a dollar was worth something around here.
He grinned. “All’s I got is a name and number. I don’t know anything else. I got the contact through Dutch before he disappeared.”
It didn’t surprise me. Dutch was the main person to get the heavy stuff around here, but then he’d vanished. No one had any idea what had happened to him, and other assholes moved in to take his place.
“Fine. Text it to me. Now.”
Manky made a nasty sound and yanked out his phone from his bathrobe pocket. The screen was cracked, splintered like a spiderweb, and the sides of it were abused, chunks of the phone missing. It reminded me of our lives in this park. We were damaged, broken, and falling apart, but still surviving. Barely.
He tapped on his screen hard until mine buzzed in my pocket. I checked to make sure he’d sent the info—he had, and the contact’s name was Goldie. He grinned, his gray teeth, what few he had, making me cringe away from him. “Pleasure doing business with you, butt boy.”
“Fuck you, junkie,” I spat back at him.
All I received in response was a laugh as I stalked away. I didn’t know what to do with this number. The stupid side of me wanted to call Goldie and demand to know what he’d done with Mom, but as much as Roger claimed I was dumb, I wasn’t. I knew that’d get me nowhere. I had Ginny to think about, and if I ended up dead, too, she’d have no one. Zayn wouldn’t be her guardian, no matter what he said.
I’d never been in love and I didn’t think I was now, either. I liked being with him and letting him fuck me. He made me feel all warm inside and his strong arms came with a safe sensation that I didn’t want to enjoy—but did. So, I had no fucking idea whatthiswas. What we were.
I’d taken care of myself and Ginny for years. How was I supposed to let another person into my life when Ginny’s happiness was also on the line?
All the confusing thoughts made my stomach queasy. I forced my shaking legs to walk as I headed back out of the park, but not before I got one more look at our trailer. Some of our belongings were thrown out onto the ground, which told me the owner had already been through to trash our stuff. He’d eitherseen or heard about the cops visiting. This really was the end of this stage of my life.
This park was no longer home.
Bile rose in my throat and I swallowed around it, ignoring the tears that welled in my eyes. I blinked them away and took a deep breath before pushing myself to move again. I walked out the gate and down the road, then booked another Uber.
It took twenty minutes before someone was brave enough to come pick me up, and when I got back to Zayn’s, his car was in the driveway.
My heart hammered against my ribs as I stumbled through the front door and into the house. Clearing my throat, I took timid steps inside until I heard youthful laughter upstairs. I followed the sound to Ginny’s room and the sight stole my breath.
She and Bernadette were sitting on the floor at the end of the bed, watching with rapt attention as Zayn worked a screw into a piece of wood I assumed was Bernadette’s new bed. He nearly had it together by the looks of it, and when he finished, Ginny whooped and clapped her hands, while Bernadettewhoofedin agreement, bouncing on her paws.
Scattered around Ginny were paper bags filled to the top, and a few toys peeked out of one, making me think that Zayn had been true to his word about buying her new ones.
“What’s going on here?” I teased.
Ginny was the first one to jerk her head up. She jumped to her feet, rushing to me so I could swing her into my arms.
“Bubba! Where were you?” She poked me in the chest, then giggled.
Bernadette barked, dancing on her paws around my legs excitedly.
Zayn was a little slower to react, and when he turned to me, I stilled at the darkness in his eyes. There was a warning in hisgaze, and it sent a shiver down my spine, awakening a desire I didn’t want to experience around Ginny. I placed her back on the floor as Zayn stood and turned over the dog bed. Once he had the soft mattress for Bernadette placed in the wooden frame, he gave Ginny a sweet small smile.
“How about you and Bernadette go through your new toys, pumpkin? I need to talk to your brother.”
