As I walk out to the living room, I already see Sutton waiting by the kitchen counter. My heart squeezes realizing that she’s remembered me talking about how running clears my mind and helps relieve my stress. I miss Ivy so much but Sutton is filling her absent shoes. She’s standing bent over tying her shoes with two bottles of water and our earbuds ready to go. I’m not sure what I would do without her here right now.
She sees me from the hall and straightens.
“Ready?” I nod and we gear up for our journey.
Sutton and I have the same mindset that fresh air and pushing your body to the max helps give us comfort in tense times. She’s told me that when she was growing up that dallying around was not allowed and was given more to do to fill your time. If your eyes are open then chores must be done, she said. Some of the stories are horrible of what she was made to do, and I wish I’d paid more attention back in high school and befriended her.
Ivy hates that I don’t act like most girls who sit on the couch and eat my weight in chips or ice cream, but she’s always been a trooper when I’m upset. Of course, when the tables are turned we have our arms filled full of shopping bags when she’s had a meltdown or dire day.
As we walk out the front door, I see Trick on his phone pacing back and forth. Once he sees us, he drops the call and comes over.
“Hey, ladies, off somewhere?” he asks.
Kane mentioned that the club has got some major deal going down in the next few days so he’ll have his hands busy with that and not to expect to see him a lot. He’s also mentioned that Trick was going to be watching over me until things die down a bit. I’m not happy to have a babysitter, but I knew that after what happened today and yesterday with Dennis, there wasn’t any room to argue. And honestly I don’t have it in me right now to put up a fight.
“Just going for a run,” I tell him knowing that he’ll be with us every step of the way.
“Oh, shit, can’t we just go get some ice cream and a rom-com movie?” he pleads, if I was in the mood I’d laugh. I raise an eyebrow at him letting him know that we’re not changing our minds. “Oh, yeah umm, where are you running so I can ride along for the most part?”
Taking into account the heat and that Trick is going to be our sidekick, I tell him that we’ll stay in the neighborhood, hitting every street then counter back. That should give me a good three to four miles to clear my head.
An hour later, Sutton and I throw our sweaty selves on the couch and finish off our bottled waters. I slowed my pace at the end when she fell behind, but it was a good run.
“Let’s get cleaned up and order a pizza,” she pants, sucking in air like it might be her last. “I’m so out of shape.”
“Sounds good, I’ll go see what Trick likes then order it.”
We slowly get back up and after getting his order and a fresh pair of clothes for Sutton, I make my way to the shower for the second time today. As I close the bedroom door my phone goes off, and I smile seeing who it is.
“Hi, Dad!” I cheerfully say. We talk a couple of times a week, but I haven’t heard from him in a while since meeting Kane.
“Don’t Dad me, Raegan Nicole!” Shit, not him too. “What is this that your mother is telling me that you’re seeing the leader of a dangerous gang?”
So, Mommy Dearest called in the big guns. I was wondering if she would stoop that low. After the divorce, she stopped all contact with him, and it was me who made the phone calls to speak with her.
“Dad—”
“At first I didn’t believe a word coming out of the snake’s mouth, but why would she call me after all these years? Raegan, you need to come back home right this minute. I’ll book you a one-way flight for tomorrow morning. How in the world did you get involved in a gang, Raegan? Your mother wailed that you almost got arrested yesterday, but that Dennis stepped in for you.”
I was going to let him keep rambling on until he got everything out of his system, but the mention of Dennis made my skin prickle.
That asshole. I have a good mind to hack his bank accounts and drain all the money and donate it to the women’s shelter in town.
“DAD!” I cut him off. “I am seeing someone, but he’s isn’t in a gang. Carly is lying and after yesterday and what happened this morning, you shouldn’t believe a word out of her rancid mouth.”
I refuse to call her Mom or Mother ever again after what happened. She’d be lucky if I would spit on her if she caught on fire at this point.
“Then tell me what the hell is going on down there,” he demands.
“Well, yesterday I was helping at one of Carly’s charity carnivals when a group of men circled my friend, Sutton, and me. We told them to back off, but the guy grabbed my shoulders and wouldn’t let go. Kane and his brothers were close by and a fight broke out.”
There was a pause over the phone and for a minute I think we might’ve gotten disconnected.
“I see,” he finally offers. “And what happened this morning?”
I debate on what I should tell him. Knowing my dad, he’d be on the next plane here to put Dennis six feet under.
“Well, I was giving back Dennis and Carly’s the keys to the pool house when we got into a huge fight.”
