Page 2 of Honey Trapped

“Sorry... I mean.” I know I’m being hella awkward, but I made myself a promise to protect Lennon and keep Marco far away. Which means I can never let my guard down.

“Look I’m not trying to be in your business, but you're new to town and people talk. I know you’re asingle mom and us women in general need to look out for each other. I’m being serious. My friends and I would love to go shopping with you sometime. You know just some girl time. Grab some lunch or dinner. Hit some stores. And if you need a sitter, we can cover you.”

“We’ll see.”

“All right. It’s not a no. I’m gonna send my number home with Lennon later. Text me. We don’t bite.”

I nod and get out of dodge.

When I get back to the duplex, the first thing I note is the Harley parked in the space next to mine. An ace of spades and a skull smoking a cigar painted on the black gas tank.

Guess my neighbor is home. We’ve never officially met or laid eyes on one another, but I’ve heard him come and go late at night a few times since I moved in.

I confess I am curious about what he looks like though. The realtor who handled my application saidhe isn’t home often which is a plus. I notice that the mail that was in danger of scattering in the wind is no longer stuffed in the black metal box that hangs next to his front door.

I finish going through my surroundings check. Noting the cars on the street. Making sure nothing about my entryway seems out of place. No weird noises. The blinds and curtains in place.

This is my sixth move since I gave birth to Lennon. She’s getting to the age she needs a stable environment. Not a life on the run with a mother who is always glancing over her shoulder and sleeps with a taser next to the bed and a baseball bat behind the front door.

Inside my rental everything is as I left it twenty minutes ago. I get my laundry started and pour myself another coffee. My deadline on an edit for this alien abduction romance for one of my favorite clients is looming.

I hit shuffle on my playlist and get to work humming along to The Rolling Stones.

I’m not even into the chorus of the second song when a loud knock bangs on the front door.

Chapter Two

Ace

I drop three or so weeks’ worth of mail on the kitchen counter and grab a glass from the cabinet to fill with water so I can take a painkiller to battle this fucking migraine pulsing between my ears.

I’m getting too old for this shit. Late nights filled with liquor and loneliness. I was fooled before by easy pussy. Won’t make that mistake again. Tish has been riding my ass about settling down with a good woman. The ink’s barely dry on the divorce papers from Eileen. She’s lost her damn mind. I toss the white pills down the hatch and wash them down with the water. Every time I think of that bitch, I remind myself why I’ll never settle down. Tried that shit. Nearly ruined me.

I flip through the stack of stupid junk flyers until I see a bill from the vet. Anger courses through my veins, and I grip the edge of the counter. Why in thefuck are they sending me a bill for a dog I don’t even have ownership of anymore?

I tear the envelope open and unfold the invoice. I scan the charges and stop dead. My blood slowly freezes. One word has me wanting to choke the life from my cunt ex-wife.

Cremation.

I scrub a palm over my face and dump the water down the sink and grab my old friend Jack from the freezer. I twist the cap off and don’t bother with a glass. Angie was the best friend I’d ever had. Since she was a pup never left my side until Eileen. Bitch claimed I’d given the mixed breed I’d found abandoned at a gas station to her as a gift and only wanted the animal to hurt her. Angie’s the only thing I asked for. She got the house. The car I’d bought. Forced me to sell off my boat. She dragged my ass to hell and back.

There are no words for the hate I feel for the bitch. She called me one week into my run and left a message that Angie needed to go to the vet. I didn’tcall her back. Figured it was another ploy to get more money out of me. She’s played the card more than once. It’s the only reason she kept her. Eileen knew I’d do anything for my damn dog. I treated Angie like my child. To me she was same as.

I snort to myself thankful we never succeeded in having any children. Hell, that’s how she got me to marry her in the first place.

I shake my head. I don’t want to think about the past or her brand of bullshit.

I take another hard swig of liquor, screw the cap back on, and place it back in the freezer. What I need is food, a shower, and a good deep sleep. Maybe when I wake up, I’ll have my head on straighter. Right now, I want nothing more than to track the whore down and slit her throat.

What money she didn’t drain me of I’ve sunk into this property. A place to rest my head on one side and a rental on the other to pay my mortgage. Eventually I’ll move on to something else and rentmy unit out too. For the time being the space serves its purpose.

I take out the package of bologna from the fridge and give it a sniff. Shoulda grabbed something on the way through town but I’m ready to sleep in my own bed and wash the road off me. I need to check in with Tish. Let her know I’m back home.

I toss the old meat in the trash and look in the cabinets.

Fuck it. I’ll dial something in at Pizza Palace after I catch some shuteye and hit the shower.

I start upstairs when music blares from next door.The Rolling Stonesto be exact.Angie. I named my dog after the song because it was the first song to play when I had her in the cab of my truck. I pause and listen to the chorus wishing I had my damn dog back. I clench and uncurl my fists. Emotions swirl thick in my chest. Namely regret. The music seems to grow louder with the next song. I turn on the spot and stomp out my front door not bothering to shut it behind me.

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