Page 61 of Gene

He kissed her forehead before pulling her into his arms. “Daddy is going to drop you at my house first. You’ll have a key so if you need anything, you can stay at my house while I’m gone. I’m also giving you time off from work so you can focus on moving the stuff into your brother’s house. I don’t want you to overdo anything.”

“I don’t need days off. I can do both,” she whispered.

“But you don’thaveto do both,” he told her. “I don’t want you to do both while I’m away. Ezekiel knows to send you home if he sees you working.”

Gene pulled away and gave her a knowing look. “Daddy is serious about this. I want you to focus on taking care of yourself while I’m gone.”

“Okay, Daddy.” She sighed.

He couldn’t help but smile as he stood to his full height. “Let’s go get you home and back in bed so you can sleep.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

SAMMI

It had been a full day since Daddy had left. It had felt very weird when she woke up again and he wasn’t there. She had gotten so used to being around him that not having him near her was odd. She didn’t know what to do or how to act.

Next time, she was going to beg to go with him because she didn’t like this. Maybe if she was able to go to work and get her mind off everything it would be better, but she couldn’t. Daddy had instructed her not to work. If she did, Ezekiel would take her home straight away. She knew he was being serious about that, and she wasn’t going to test it.

So, instead, she was doing what he told her to. She was packing the rest of her house to take to her brother’s. That was one of the things she had done yesterday afternoon.

It was the only thing she talked to her brother about. She was getting a little annoyed with how he wasn’t being open about what they owed—heowed. She didn’t understand why she was the one helping him pay and why he wouldn’t tell her.

Which left her where she was now, standing out in front of the Springfield Sinners compound. It wasn’t her first option, but her brother wasn’t being open with her, and she needed to know. Did she actually have to sell her house?

“Go home. This isn’t a place for you,” a man growled as he came out of the building.

Sammi ignored him, though, knowing full well that, sadly, this was where she had to be. She slipped through the door and stood at the entrance, not knowing what to do or where to stand. Normally, there was somebody waiting for her out front since she had a scheduled appointment, but this meeting was unannounced. Was Deccan going to see her? Was he even there?

She hadn’t considered him not being there until just now. But that wasn’t going to stop her from trying because he needed to see how much money was still to be paid.

“Sammi?” Echo called out. “What are you doing here?”

“Is Deccan here?” she asked, ignoring her question.

Echo had to know that her brother had an account with the Sinners. All of Deccan’s men probably knew who had debts around town. Unless he didn’t want Echo to know about any of it. Sammi didn’t know how much Echo knew about Deccan’s job.

“He’s in his office. Do you want me to come?”

Sammi shook her head and started to head to meet the president of the Springfield Sinners. She felt bad for saying no, but it wasn’t her place to know about Sammi’s brother’s debt.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

This was the first time she had walked through the building when it was quiet. Normally, there were people all around, making a lot of noise. Was something going on that she didn’t know about? Where was everyone?

It’s not like she would ever find out the answers to those questions since she was a nobody. She was just somebody who was helping her brother get the Sinners off his back.

As she walked up to the office door, she knocked and waited until she was told to come in. After opening the door, she stepped in and immediately saw the other person in the office. It was Deccan’s right-hand man, Xavier. Sammi wasn’t expecting to see him, but she should have known. She was coming unannounced, and that meant anybody could be there.

“What do you need? You didn’t schedule an appointment.” Deccan eyed her.

“Are you all right?” Xavier asked her.

“I was wondering if you could tell me how much money my brother still owed,” she whispered, looking at Deccan.

Sammi completely ignored Xavier, knowing what he was talking about. She looked horrible. She was exhausted and felt weak. Her thirst was back, and she was peeing like crazy.

Her blood sugar was high, and she had administering her insulin to lower it, but it wasn’t coming down fast enough. She had thought about asking Daddy what to do. She didn’t want to bother him, though. She needed to prove to him that he could go away and she’d be though, which was not how it was looking right now.

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