Page 82 of Willow Vale

Mark made a noise that told me he was annoyed I was even here at all as he lit up a cigarette and leaned against the railing. As if he hadn’t just broken into my place. I reached down for my cellphone and straightened as I faced my mother. She had the decency to look guilty by not looking at me at all, rubbing her other arm like a kid about to receive a scolding.

“I told you I needed the money, Lila. You didn’t believe me, so Mark decided we should check your place out.”

“Which had shit all, so thanks for nothing,” Mark said as he blew a cloud of smoke my way.

“So you broke into my apartment?” I asked my mother, ignoring him and attempting to stamp down my panic that they could have easily broken into the apartment I shared with my four-year-old brother.

“You left me no choice. I had to do something.” Irene shrugged as if it were obvious.

I blew out an incredulous breath, “Leave before I call the cops.”

I started to shove my way past her when a meaty hand wrapped around my arm and yanked me back. I hit the wall hard this time and found Mark looming over me. The cigarette between his teeth bounced when he spoke. “Why don’t you cut the bullshit and give us the money your mother swore you had stashed away.”

“I-I don’t have money.”

He yanked my tote bag off my shoulder and dumped the contents on the ground before I could do anything. Given he wasn’t scared to yank me the way he did, I wouldn’t be surprised if he resorted to violence if I tried to stop him. Irene dropped to her knees and quickly inspected everything with shaky hands, from River’s candies to the keys to Beth until she found my wallet.

“Twenty fucking dollars? Are you kidding me, Lila?” she sneered at me, but I could see the fear in her eyes as they traveled to Mark. She feared him—no, she waspetrified—because, unlike me, she knew exactly what he was capable of doing.

A chill ran down my spine.

“That can’t be all you have. There’s gotta be a credit cardor something there. No one gets around these days without one.” He was right about that. I did have a debit card, but I didn’t carry it everywhere with me when I made plenty in tips at the bar. So, I left it in my other purse in Travis’s house.

Because a part of me knew from years of experience that at some point Irene could come back to do exactly what she was doing now. Currently, I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea or one that I’d come to regret based on the way Mark was fuming in front of me.

“Get the fuck away from her.” Travis’s voice sliced through the rain roaring around us. I turned to see him standing by the stairs with a vicious glare on his face, soaked from head to toe from the rain. He was glaring at Mark, at the hand he still had on my arm. “Did you not hear me?”

Mark’s lip curled but he did as Travis said.

The murder written all over his face must have told the man he wasn’t kidding. As soon as he stepped back, Travis was beside me, tugging me to his side. He looked at me before running a hand over the arm Mark had yanked. “You okay?”

I nodded, grateful that he was here, before Mark said, “We don’t want any trouble, man. I’m just here to get the money I’m owed.”

“I see.” Travis’s voice was deathly calm as he looked to Irene who was cowering behind Mark. “Looks like it isn’t us you should be coming to for that money. Irene’s debt was already cleared by me. You might want to ask her where that money is.”

Wait…what?

My gaze snapped to his face, but his attention was fixed on Mark.

Travis cleared her debt? Why? Why would he do that when he knew how she was?

For me. He did it for me.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, and that Travis…didn’t tell me.

Mark whipped around to face Irene. All the blood in her face drained when he gave her a bone chilling look.

“O-oh! I must have forgotten, I did get a check for the m-money I owed you, baby! I was going to tell you today. Surprise!” she said through chattering teeth. My heart sank, nausea rolling around in my stomach. She really was going to keep the money Travis had given her all to herself, wasn’t she?

Mark made to grab for her, but Travis shoved him back. My heart thundered in my chest as Travis said harshly over his shoulder, “Irene, give him the check.”

Irene stammered for a second, and when Travis made no move to be swayed by her, her shoulders dropped and she did as he said. All I could do was watch as she pulled a check out of her pocket and gingerly handed it to Mark before he snatched it.

“And now you have no reason to keep bothering either of these women. If I see you again with Irene in town, you won’t even see me coming. I’ll drag you to the police station myself. Am I clear?” Travis threatened him while keeping that unnerving calm as he stared Mark down.

Mark mumbled in agreement before trudging down the stairs without stealing another glance toward my mother.

Once he was gone and the sound of a truck rumbling away from the parking lot could no longer be heard, Travis turned around to face my mother, and before she could slide past him to make her escape, he said, “I genuinely do not care about you. I could care less what happens to you or what excuses you’re about to spew to justify what you did that could have gotten Delilah hurt. But I want you to realize thatthat”—he pointed behind him as if Mark were still standing there—“is what you chose over having a good life here. That is what you thought was more deserving of your time over your own daughter who has bent over backwards cleaning up your messes since she was a child. All while raising an amazing little boy who will benothinglike you thanks to her. You want to continue living this way? Go ahead, but at least have the guts to face Delilah and tell her so she doesn’t keep waiting foryouto change.”

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