Page 5 of Bling

Six months ago, Carmen had been sentenced to four years in prison, and Isabelle was once again in charge of her daughters’ wellbeing.

It took some tossing and turning, but Isabelle managed a brief nap before she got up to get ready for her weekend at the club. She would pack a bag and change there since her family didn’t know where she went on the weekends. They just assumed she had a second job, and she was content to let them think that.

Her watch said her nieces would be home from school any minute. Back in the kitchen, her dad still sat at the table. It was his perch in the house, and you could usually find him there when he wasn’t at work. Thankfully, he didn’t work at the warehouse and was still employed. He was a janitor for the local high school, but on Fridays, he didn’t go in until after school was out.

“Hi, Daddy,” Isabelle said as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “I’m sure Uncle Henry told you what happened.”

Her dad nodded. “We’ll be OK. It will just take some penny pinching until you find new jobs. It’s just a shame this happened so close to Henry’s retirement.”

Isabelle joined him at the table. “Alan and two other cousins got let go too. It was a crap thing they did. At least we still have health benefits for a couple of months. I’ve already started filing for unemployment and I’ll start putting applications in tomorrow.”

Her dad frowned. “Asking the government for help isn’t necessary, Isabelle.”

Isabelle gave his arm a pat. “That’s what we pay taxes for, Daddy.”

The front door opened, and Isabelle heard the voices of her two nieces. “Let’s not talk about this in front of them,” she whispered.

The old man nodded. “I should finish getting ready for work anyway.”

The girls came to the kitchen, with the oldest, Carmen, making a beeline for the fridge. “Hey Aunt Iz. You’re home early,” Catarina said as she pulled things out to make a sandwich.

Sarah, the preteen, came to her side for a hug. “Hey sweetie. How was school?”

Sarah gave a noncommittal shrug. “OK, I guess. I have too much homework.”

“Well, you have the weekend. Why don’t you put it out of your mind until morning?”

Sarah gave her a lopsided grin. “Really? You never let us wait until Saturday to do our homework.”

Isabelle nodded. “Yes, really. Go put your bag away before I change my mind.”

She spent the next hour listening to the girls chatter about their days before it was time to finish getting ready for Solitaire. It would take forty-five minutes to get there from her house.

An hour later, she was showered, dressed, and ready to leave. When she walked into the living room, a familiar face greeted her on the television screen. Uncle Henry was watching the news.

“Greedy fuckin’ bastard,” her uncle muttered.

“Who is?” Isabelle demanded as she continued to stare at the man on the news.

“This asshole, Garrett Oliver.”

Her heart rate when into overdrive. “What makes him an asshole?”

“You got fired today, didn’t you?”

Isabelle sat on the arm of her uncle’s chair. “Yes, but what does that have to do with a man on the news?” She didn’t want her uncle knowing she knew Garrett.

“Sweetheart, Colorado Logistics is one of his properties. He owns the company that fired us today.”

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