So tired she could barely keep her eyes open and yet she didn’t want to close them. Every time she did, she thought about her mother, about the other night at Dirty Delights. About meeting her tomorrow.
A door slammed and she jumped, dropping the glass in her hand.
“Shit,” she swore looking at the glass on the kitchen floor which now shimmered with shattered glass shards.
“What happened?” Trace asked, coming into the room.
Lila sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. “I dropped a glass. I’ll just get a pan and brush.”
Trace held up his hand. “Stay where you are, you’ve got bare feet and I don’t want you cutting yourself.” Trace stepped over the glass and grabbing her around the waist, set her on the kitchen bench. “Sit there, I’ll clean this up.”
“Sorry,” she sniffled as he tidied everything up.
Trace glanced up, looking at her worriedly. “Hey, it’s just a glass.”
“I know, it’s just…” To her horror tears started to drip down her face. She quickly wiped them off but more soon followed.
Trace pulled her against his chest, rocking her. “It’s been a rough few weeks, hasn’t it, sweetheart? And this meeting with your mother tomorrow is the icing on the cake.”
“I just wish it was over and done with,” she sobbed.
“Ahh, baby, you’re so tired, aren’t you? Did you get any sleep last night?”
Lila shook her head. “I can’t sleep, every time I close my eyes I think about her and I worry about what she’s going to say, how it’s going to go.”
“What’s wrong?” Gavin asked as he and Colin walked into the kitchen.
“She’s tired and worried and she’s feeling guilty,” Trace explained, picking her up and holding her against his chest. “I think we’ll just go relax on the couch until dinner’s ready.”
“Good idea,” Colin agreed. “I don’t think she slept at all last night.”
Gavin leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Go with Trace and let him look after you. Tonight we’ll have a bath together then Colin can give you one of his famous massages. If you still can’t sleep after that, well, I have some ideas.” He winked at her and she blushed, guessing just what he was talking about.
*****
Lila took a deep breath as they pulled up outside the old church. She was in the passenger seat while Gavin drove. Trace and Colin had driven in earlier, but had parked well back and continued in on foot to scout the place out first, wanting to make sure there were no surprises.
Gavin parked and climbed out, staring around him. She waited until he came around and opened her door, taking his hand as he helped her down. He kept hold of her hand as they walked towards the church. The door opened as they approached and her mother stepped out, her face screwed up in a scowl.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” she snarled, glaring at them both.
Gavin kept her close. He’d drilled the rules into her on the way over. She wasn’t to approach her mother. Under no circumstances was she to get between him and her mother. She was to obey him immediately, no matter what he ordered her to do.
On the drive over Trace had called to tell them he’d spotted a man with her mother. That shouldn’t have surprised her. She wondered whose idea this had been, her mother’s or this mysterious man’s?
“Gavin is here to support me,” Lila told her.
Her mother’s gaze left her face to look behind her. “Where’s the money?”
“I didn’t bring it,” Lila told her. “I’m not paying you.”
“You sure about that?” A deep voice asked from behind her mother and an older, large man stepped out. He might have been handsome and fit in his day, but his muscles had turned to fat and his hair was thin and graying. His small, beady eyes were hard and mean. “No money means the gloves are off, sweetheart,” he said with a sneer. She shivered, not liking the cold way he stared at her. “Are you sure your boyfriend here wants his reputation dragged through the mud?”
Lila squeezed Gavin’s hand to keep him quiet. “I’m not afraid of you and I won’t be blackmailed. Those who knew Clay, who know us, they know the truth and their opinions are the only ones that count. You can’t hurt us. And I won’t let you have one cent of Clay’s money. Go back to the hole you crawled out of,” she directed at her mother. “And don’t ever come back. As far as I’m concerned I have no mother.”
“You little bitch,” Abigail snarled, her hands curling into fists. “After all I did for you. You’re nothing but a money hungry cunt. I wish to God I had gotten rid of you. If I’d had the money I would have. You’ve been nothing but a fucking burden around my neck since you were born. Only reason I kept you around was because I thought you might make me some cash. I was planning on selling you to men who like’em young. Think you’re so great now, don’t you? But you’re nothing but a whore’s daughter. This lot will move on once they get enough of your cunt.”
“Enough,” Gavin roared, taking a step forward, his hands clenched into fists.