Page 59 of Archer
Slink responded that time. “Shut up or I’ll shut you up.”
Knowing they were planning on killing me regardless, I shot, “Go fuck yourself!”
“Oh, you asked for it…” Slink rolled up his sleeves and stepped toward me, but Ray held his arm across his chest to stop him.
“Let her have her meltdown. It’s going to be the last thing she’ll do,” Ray said calmly, his dark eyes driving into me as I balled my fists tightly.
“Oneof the last things she’ll do,” Cash said, licking his lips and Slink laughed when Ray gave his nod of approval.
“Don’t touch her, please,” my dad pleaded. “She’s done nothing wrong. Please, let her go.”
“You don’t remember who you’re dealing with, do you?” Ghost said. “Finish telling your fucking story so we can get this over with.”
He gulped and clenched his eyes shut for a moment before continuing. “They’re right, Rose. You were like her. You always took after her more than you did me. I think… I think that’s why you scared me so much.”
I narrowed my gaze. “Scared you?”
“I could tell you had that wild spirit in you, that one that couldn’t be controlled. Once you get an idea in your head, you just have to go with it… just like your mom… and…”
“So, what?” I asked with disgust. “You lock me in my house and never let me talk to any other kids because… because…” I struggled to make sense of his logic. “You’re afraid I’d end up murdered by these guys? Who are actually. Going. To. Murder. Me.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” His tears streamed to the desk, blotting the unopened bills on his desk. “I wanted to protect you—”
“Protect me? More like protect yourself!” I shouted. “You haven’t protected me. Look where I am.”
“I know!” My words visibly cut him. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Needing to get as much information out of him as I could, knowing I’d never get another chance, I shoved all my rants out of my mind. “What happened? Why’d they… why’d they kill her?”
Once again, the men burst out laughing and Cash said, “This is the best part,” as my dad pulled his lips to the side, making a dejected frown.
“Took out a loan.”
“Are you kidding me?” I screeched at him. “Isn’t that what got you here? Did youreallymake the exact same mistake that got her killed? What’s wrong with you?”
“She was a sneaky little thing, that one,” Ray said then tutted his tongue. “Tried to pawn off some fake gold, thinking we’d fall for it like some cheap, desperate fools.” A low, cold, and menacing laugh oozed from his throat. “You know what I do to dumb bitches who try to make a fool of me?”
Ray raised his fingers in the shape of a gun then yelled, “Bam!”
My jaw dropped, feeling retraumatized by my mom’s death. The gruesome details all appeared so vividly in my mind. Transported back in time, I could imagine her glowing blue eyes as they did in the locket around my neck. That same vivacious look I felt I got when I got a good jab in to Archer. I could see them shining at Ray as if she had tricked him, eager to run home and gush to my dad about how she won the battle with the bad guys. Then…
Ray blew imaginary smoke from his fingers. “That’s what.”
“You’re sick,” I spat. “How could you do that? She was a mother. I was a baby. You destroyed a family.”
The same cruel chuckle came from Ray and he asked, “You don’t know a damn thing about real life, do you?”
I opened my mouth, about to retort with something, but I couldn’t.
He was right. I didn’t know anything.
I didn’t even know my mom was murdered.
Not knowing where to direct my anger, I turned back to my dad and said, “How could you? How could you do this to us?”
“Rose, you don’t understand how hard I tried,” he said. “I tried everything. I talked to every bank, every loan shark, pawn shop, you name it. I’ve… I’ve burned all my bridges…”
“How?” I asked.
