Hayley kept her mouth clamped, and I did too, although it may have been the most difficult thing I’d ever done, next to watching my own mother self-destruct.
“You need to be smart now.”
Hayley’s body moved a fraction, but I kept us in place. “What are you talking about?”
Her mom bit her lip with her decaying teeth before bringing her bloodshot gaze to Hayley. “I didn’t just come for money. You know they’re coming for you, right? You’re almost eighteen. They want their settlement.”
A chill ran over my spine.
“You should come with me and Tank.” Her mom looked back and blew a kiss to the man in the truck. “He protects me.”
Hayley laughed. “At what cost? Your pussy anytime he wants? Prostitution on the side? Making him money?”
I almost laughed out loud. Jesus fuck. What exactly had Hayley seen and been through in these five years apart? Her mouth was a force to be reckoned with. Her knowledge went far beyond the luxury of English Prep and trust-fund babies.
The red in Hayley’s mom’s cheeks grew brighter. “It’s better than those men having me. They’ll come for you and do the same. You’ll be their little doll to do whatever they want with after they get the settlement.”
Now it was my time to squeeze Hayley’s hand. I squeezed so hard I heard her small intake of breath. I slowly let go, found my footing, and took a deep breath.
Hayley’s voice was near breaking. “Do you know who they are?”
Her mom’s eyes lit up like a sparkler on the 4th of July. “Yes, if you give me some money, I’ll tell you some stuff that’ll be to your benefit since you won’t join Tank and me.”
Is she fucking serious? Almost as if Hayley could read my thoughts, her hand clamped down onto mine. “I have three dollars. It’s all I have.”
She had three dollars? That was all? I surely hoped that wasn’t true. Hayley let go of my hand and whipped her backpack off her back. She reached into the pocket and pulled out the three dollars, and fuck me, it was in quarters and dimes.
Her mother snatched it out of her hand quickly as I scanned the side of the courtyard for any wandering eyes. It was pretty desolate as school had ended a little while ago. The last thing we needed were more rumors.
“So, tell me and then be on your way. I don’t want to see you again. Ever.”
Hayley’s mom rolled her eyes as she flung her tangled hair behind her shoulder. “Your daddy got into some debt, made some bad investments, and was trying to cover his ass by launderin
g money through his company.” She fidgeted on her feet, and Tank yelled out the window, “Let’s go!” She jumped, her blue eyes piercing Hayley. “The cops know who did it; they just didn’t have much evidence other than my word. Watch your back. They’re bad people. They make the people I hang out with look like angels.”
Then, she turned around and ran back to the truck, hopping in and slamming the door shut. Hayley let go of my hand and wrapped her arms around her middle. She shouted, “What settlement were you talking about?”
Her mom glanced at her once, and then Tank took off, smoke billowing from his exhaust. Once the truck was out of sight, a held breath left her mouth. I stood back with my hands on my hips, completely baffled at the exchange shared with her mom and even more baffled that I was able to keep my shit together.
“Go wait in my car,” I demanded, still staring down the road. The truck was long gone, but the achy feeling it left behind was stuck in my limbs. I needed to punch something, or run, or yell. I needed to do something to get this pent-up anger out of my system before I blew up.
“I’ll take the bus.” Her words were nothing but a whisper in the wind.
“Hayley, goddamnit,” I seethed through my teeth. “Don’t fucking play with me.” I leveled her with a glare, and it only made matters worse. Her eyes were glossed over, and her pink cheeks were as white as her school blouse. “I kept my mouth shut while that piece of shit you share DNA with filled your head with nothing but riddles.” I stalked over to her, trying to ground myself before I went ballistic and started running after the truck to demand more information. I put my hand under her chin. She was reluctant to look up at me, but in the end, she did. My voice was softer now, but I could still hear the edge. “Go sit in my car. I’ll be back in a few to take you home.” She clenched her teeth together and worked her jaw back and forth. Her eyes were watery, but she didn’t dare let a tear spill. “And I’m staying in your room and will pretty much be your shadow until this is figured out.”
“Why?” her voice cracked. “Why won’t you just stop? I don’t need you getting mixed up in this. I don’t need anyone else butting in.”
I kept my voice steady. “Because I can’t stop, Hayley. I can’t fucking stop. Now go, and lock it when you get inside.”
Her brows drew together, but in the end, she huffed out a warm breath, picked up her backpack, and walked away, her hips swaying in her wake.
I growled out loud, angry that I couldn’t stop bending over backwards for her and that I couldn’t keep my eyes from watching her ass all the way to my car.
I stormed off once I saw her get into my car and went straight to the locker room. I had forty minutes of practice left, and then I was taking Hayley home and making a call to Jim.
My father could fuck off. Someone was after Hayley, and we needed to figure out who.
I was certain the lattice would have broken by now. I climbed it, hearing it crack and bend underneath my weight. All the lights were off in the house, which meant everyone was likely sleeping, but I knew Hayley would be awake. She was awake every time I climbed through her window, even though she pretended to be asleep, all curled up on her side, facing the wall, far away from me.