“You,” the cunt barks. I lean against the wall next to the doorway, not wanting to intervene so I don’t snap her neck.
“What?” Ruby asks incredulously.
“They’re looking for you—not us—because you couldn’t do one damn thing for me.” I’ve known selfish, deluded bitches, but this one takes the fucking cake.
“I’m so damn sick of this narrative.” Ruby chuckles an unamused laugh. “You need to take a hard look in the mirror. If we get out of this alive, you and I are done,” Ruby informs her, power in her tone. I can picture her in my mind, arms folded, brows raised. How someone so beautiful came from that bitch, I’ll never know.
“What the hell does that mean?” Her mother sounds shocked, like she hasn’t pushed her to this.
“It means I’m sick of your bullshit and parenting you. It means you’re on your own. It means lose my damn number because I don’t want to be your daughter anymore.” Good girl. She needs to distance herself, cut the ties.
“Anymore? You’ve never wanted to be my daughter. Always thought there was better out there and look where you ended up: shacked up with some biker just like I did.”
What the fuck does that mean?
“No, Mother, I’ll never be like you. For one, you were never shacked up with my dad—you were a biker slut he fucked for a weekend.”
Ruby’s a biker brat? Is that how she knew my patch? “You’re a brother.” That’s what she said to me at the bar. Was her dad a fucking brother? Why the hell wouldn’t she tell me that? You don’t fuck around with another brother’s family. It’s a huge no-no within our brotherhood. If her dad is a brother, why the hell is she hiding out and not going to him to sort this shit for her? Something is off.
“Least he stuck around for the full weekend for me, he couldn’t stomach to stick around to even see you born,” her mother vomits her poison.
“You’re such a bitch,” Ruby chokes out.
“And you’re ungrateful. I gave up my youth to raise you.”
“Raise me? You mean drag me up and use me where it suited you?”
“Screw you,” the bitch spits.
“No, screw you!”
A murderous screech pierces the air as feet shuffle across the tiled floor. I round the frame just in time to grab the bitch trying to pull her daughter’s hair out. “Get off me, you crazy whore,” Ruby yells, trying to tug her hair from her mother’s fingers. I grab her mother in a chokehold and drag her across the kitchen. Every muscle in my stomach roars, begging me to release her and dip myself into an ice bath to relieve the burning in my wounds.
“It would take less than a second to snap your damn neck, bitch. Stop fucking wiggling or I’ll put us all out of our misery,” I growl into her ear. She smells like a pharmacy the drugs seeping out of her pores, her body sweating out the chemicals. Drying her out isn’t the goal. A woman like her doesn’t want to be sober. Even if we got her there, she’d find drugs or a bottle as soon as she left here.
She stops moving, her body trembling, I hate that she’s this close to me, her skin touching mine. Shoving her off me, she almost loses her footing but catches herself against the kitchen countertop.
“I need medicine. It’s inhumane to keep me locked up without medicine.” She huffs, leaning over, trying to catch her breath.
“I told you I put some in the tea.” Ruby gestures to a mug on the counter.
“I’m not stupid, I know you put sleeping pills in there like your boyfriend did last night. You’re a horrible daughter,” the hag lashes out with her spiteful tongue. I’d love to cut the thing out and bounce it off her forehead.
“You’re paranoid.” Ruby exhales, rubbing her eyes, a yawn retching from her.
“Why do you hate me so much?” her mother whines, clawing at her flesh like there are living things beneath it wanting out.
“Is that a joke?” I snort. “You’re vile. She’s your daughter and you were just treating her like some bitch in a bar fight. Putting your hands on her and cursing her out. How you’re breathing is a miracle. Every demon inside me wants to take you out, make you fucking suffer.” My muscles jerk, clenching. She flinches and inches toward Ruby, trying to use her as a shield, like usual. “Be grateful I like your daughter. I don’t like many people, and she’s the only reason you’re alive right now. So, drink your fucking tea or I’ll drown you in it,” I bite out, my stare deadly, my muscles tensing throughout my body, restraining the beast thrashing to kill this motherfucker.
She scuttles over to the counter, taking the tea and swallowing a mouthful of it. Her beady eyes watch me over the rim. “If you let me go, I won’t tell anyone where you are,” she pleads, turning her attention back to Ruby.