Page 3 of The Devil's Weakness

I can’t finish the sentence because I know I won’t do anything other than be angry at him for a day or two. Then, I’ll go right back to being his enabler, all because I’m so terrified of losing him, too. He’s the literal boy-who-called-wolf. Is he actually in danger, or does he just not want to wait until I get off of work to come get him? Either way, I’ll never know because I won’t ask. I’ll drive out there and get him, just to put my fears to rest.

Every. Fucking. Time.

Glancing at Ellie again, I’m nervous I’ll find a look of disappointment on her face for needing to leave in the middle of my shiftagainbecause of Michael. But, as usual, she returns my glance with a look of understanding and compassion.

“Go,” she whispers. “We’ll be fine. I’ve got you covered.”

I could cry; she’s too damn good to me.

“Tell me exactly where you are. I’m leaving now.”

* * *

Speedingdown the two-lane back road in my light blue, 1989 Plymouth Horizon, I cuss my brother out in my head as I tap my fingers on my steering wheel out of irritation.?

“Why do I do this to myself?” I question.

You don’t do this to yourself; your brother does. You just keep letting him get away with it.

Inwardly, I roll my eyes at my conscience. She’s a blunt bitch, but she’s always right.?

My brother is three years older than me, but I’ve been the one taking care of him for years. Our deadbeat mother skipped town fifteen years ago, leaving Dad to raise us by himself. He was an amazing man, the best father anyone could ask for, but with him working two jobs just so we could make ends meet, I took on the role of caretaker. I was the one who did all the grocery shopping, cleaning, and laundry. I made sure we always had a warm meal on the table, even if it was just a can of peas.?

Then, five years ago, Dad died suddenly from a heart attack, and Michael completely shut down after that. We had to move from the small house that we’d lived in our entire lives to a low-income apartment paid for by the state. Michael has struggled to hold a job for any significant amount of time, as he struggles with a heroin addiction, leaving me as the sole bread-winner on the measly salary I make at the diner.

I’m lucky that Dad’s car still runs,barely, but I know it’s not going to for much longer. When it dies, I don’t know what I’ll do. I certainly won’t be able to leave work early to pick my brother’s ass up from the bus stop one town over, like I am right now.

How did he even get there?

You know what? I don’t care. I can’t live like this anymore.Wecan’t live like this anymore. I’m going to be strong this time and put my foot down.

Yeah... right.

Ellie is one of the sweetest people I know. She knows what I’ve been through, and she knows how hard it is to take care of Michael. But it’s not fair to her, or anyone else, that my shift gets altered regularly because of him. I can’t keep putting her in the position of having to ward off questions and complaints from the staff while also trying to be a fair boss. No matter if I like the other servers or not.?

Just then, a squirrel runs out in front of my car, causing me to hit the brakes slightly. My purse flies toward the floor of the car, but I catch it just in time before all of its contents spill out. I take my eyes off of the road for a moment to put it back in its place on the passenger seat.

Suddenly, I hear getting tossed around in my wheel well. When I look up, I see the shadow of something pass me on the left. Then, I hear metal scraping as my car jolts to the side, and I realize I hit something.

“Oh, shit!”

Two things run through my mind at that moment: please don’t let what I hit be something big and please let my car be okay. I pull over to the side of the road and hop out to inspect my car. The rear driver’s side fender is scraped to hell and dented. There aren’t any other cars around when I look to see what it could have been from. I walk across the road to see if maybe it was a deer that ran down the hill and into the woods.

That’s when I notice shiny metal and spinning rubber half-hidden down the shallow embankment next to the road. My heart drops, and I feel like I’m going to be sick when I realize it’s a motorcycle, the back tire spinning in mid-air.

The driver is lying face down in the grass at the bottom, not moving. My eyes scan his still form, landing on the unmistakable sight of a large skull and crossbones, emblazoned in flames on the back of his vest. Above it in an arc are the wordsDevil’s Skull MC.?

Oh, fuck.A terrifying memory of dangerous eyes, black as coal and cold as ice, flashes through my mind.

I’m dead. What do I do?

Oh my God.?

I pace as my entire body shakes with panic, and I try to suck air into my lungs with little success. How could I have let this happen? I should have been paying more attention, but I was so preoccupied with Michael and my stupid purse that I wasn’t paying good enough attention.

Looking at the man at the bottom of the embankment, I can’t see his face or tell if he’s breathing. I need to call for help, but I’m scared.

I creep down the slight hill, my focus going back and forth between the biker and the road, still frightened that someone will pass by and stop to help. If it wereanyoneelse that I hit, I would welcome it.?

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