“You don’t tell me what to do.”
“I do when your head is fucked up and you’re trying to make a life-altering choice. Don’t
think I won’t throw your ass over my shoulder and drag you out of here.”
“This is my decision to make.” Gia gripped his arm, digging her nails into his flesh.
Lefty stared at Taffy, ignoring Gia’s nails digging into his skin. “Listen, Laughy Taffy, you tell your boss the offer is unacceptable and if she knows what’s good for her, she’ll return to earth and start talking reasonably. She doesn’t run Newson or New Mexico. Dueling Devils have a long reach.”
Taffy snickered. “I should’ve known. Even after all this time, you’re still being controlled by a man. Independent and self-reliant…what a joke.”
The words gutted Gia on the spot. She lowered her head, ashamed.
“Everything that happens next is on you. I want you to know that,” Taffy warned.
“Get the fuck out of here while I’m letting you walk away on your own two legs.” Lefty
snarled. His muscles tensed. Like a snake coiled and ready to strike, he watched Taffy’s every move as she left the room.
“We’ll be seeing you real soon, Jalissa,” Taffy whispered, disappearing and leaving a road of ruin behind her. The door shut with a click that echoed through the room.
Gia pulled out of Lefty’s death grip. “How could you do that? You didn’t have the right!”
“When it comes to you, I have every right.”
“Oh, bullshit! You don’t understand. I can’t live with this on my chest. I left her! I left her for dead, and because of it, she’s suffered in ways I can’t even begin to wrap my head around.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“How can you say that?”
“Things happen all the time that are out of our control and the best thing we can do is deal with it.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“It’s not!” His words were full of despair and anguish.
She glanced at him, stunned to silence.
“Every day I get up knowing my mother is dead because I’m a coward.”
“Wait—what?” she whispered.
“I come from a small village in Ireland. My mother stayed at home with me and my dad
worked at the local factory. He liked to drink and sometimes. He liked to use his fist. Usually, his tongue was the worst weapon. It left no outward scars, but my God did it make you feel like you were shit on the bottom of his shoes.”
“Lefty—”
“No, it was Colm. This was the man before he’d grown into a badass biker with an
impenetrable shell. It’s not uncommon in towns like mine, where you’re stretching every dime and the only relief from your situation is a bit of whiskey.”
“Colm…”
“No.” He held up his hand. “Don’t say anything until I’m finished or I won’t be able to get it all out. I don’t like talking about it.” He took a shaky breath. “He’d gotten into the whiskey again…bad. Every word out of his mouth was a condemnation and I could barely see out of my eye. My lip was swollen, and when he went to start in on my Ma, I lost it. I shoved him hard and he lost his balance, fell ass over kettle, and slammed his head into the iron stove. Blood was oozing from his head onto the stone floor and he looked so still. His face was becoming paler by the minute. I panicked and ran for it. I stayed on the streets all night, terrified of what would happen to me if I went home…” He paused.
Gia placed her hands over her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.