Page 105 of Maddox
Is it a coincidence that she took me to see Kidd? Why does she hang out with him? Do I have her to thank for their visit on Thanksgiving?
Waving her hand she says, “The thing is Delaney, you don’t walk away from your brothers.”
“What do you mean?”
“Usually, if you think about leaving, they send in someone to take care of the mess. An enforcer.”
“What's an enforcer?”
Her brow twitches and she waves her hand. “You know…they’re the muscle.”
“Muscle?” I repeat dumbly and she sighs.
“Yes. If there’s a problem, they take care of it.”
It takes a moment of staring at her blankly before I get what she’s saying.
Still, I’m having a hard time imagining my dad as anything but the lazy slob who drinks all day, despite two MCs coming for him.
Finally, I mumble, “Oh.”
I mean, what else can I say? Gee, that’s neat—not.
“Yeah oh,” she says, staring at me so intently that a shiver rolls down my spine.
Looking away, I swallow and ask, “What will they do?”
With a sigh, she stands and pushes back from the table. I eye her fingers tapping on the wood, until she says, “Maybe ask your dad? This is deep shit.”
“I will,” I whisper, and she nods.
“Delaney?”
“Yeah?”
“If you see the Smokin’ Aces. Run.”
I can’t decide how I feel about her warning because just the other day, she was sucking face with one of them, pretty as you please…
Either way, it’s a moot point. I’ve already met the Smokin’ Aces, and Joey is long fucking gone, leaving me to deal with the mess.
Chapter 24
Delaney
The next few days pass achingly slowly. I’ve called in sick to my job twice and I know I’m going to lose it if I do it again.
I’ve conserved what little food we had but it’s almost gone. Joey hasn’t returned.
I don’t know what to do. I’m eighteen but I don’t have the resources to live on my own. Joey owns the trailer but what will happen once he’s determined missing?
Somehow, I have to find my way out of this mess but how?
Fuck me but I wish I hadn’t overheard Mom and Peter that long ago day. Would I still be living in blissful ignorance? Everything would be so much simpler.
Now, I’m hiding from the Smokin’ Aces and anyone else hell bent on further ruining my world.
I would laugh it all off as paranoia but yesterday after school, I narrowly avoided coming face to face with Kidd when I exited the front doors.
