“Hens—”
“I’m fine,” she insists, shrugging my hand off her shoulder.
I sigh as I sit back and shove my hands into my pockets. I get it; being this close to Gloria and her fuck-a-thons brings back shitty memories, but I just wish she’d remember that I’m on her side.
I know, Hens. I just wish I was, too.
I don’t dare say it out loud because one false word and she’ll lose her shit. I guess Hensley was right all along. It’s always beenmeand notherthat would have the rough time dealing with Gloria and her House ofWhorerrorsagain.
“I wonder if she’s got anyone else working for her,” I muse under my breath.
Hensley stiffens as she pushes herself back up to her knees and watches as the men climb what’s left of the stairs to the front door.
“I love you, Tieran,” she states without looking at me.
“I know, Hens. I love you, too.”
“Then you won’t be mad at me?”
My face screws up in confusion. “Mad at you? For what?”
Hensley turns quickly, swinging the baseball bat with all of her might, cracking it against the side of my face.
Before I lose consciousness, I can hear the sound of her boots on the pavement racing across the street to catch the door before it closes in her face.
CHAPTER18
HENSLEY
Islip inside and flatten myself against one of the walls, hidden in the shadows of the dimly lit home.
I made sure that the part of the bat I used to Tieran wasn’t one of the dangerous ones.
He’ll be okay,I reassure myself as I slowly move along the decaying wallpaper toward Gloria and her latest customers.
“Fifty bucks? For both of you? Get the fuck out of my house!” Gloria snarls at the men loudly.
The sound of her voice, the tenor of anger she can still reach, causes me to shrink down against the floor. My knees pressed tightly against my chest as I balance the bat in my lap, with my hands tucked firmly beneath my ass.
The little girl that both loathed and feared Gloria … she came out of nowhere with no warning and I wasn’t able to stop her.
Smack!
Thud.
They hit her and knocked her down? When did Gloria become such a fucking pushover that she would let any of her johns do that to her?
Do I help her?
The thought shakes me so badly that I quickly pick up the bat and get to my feet. There’s no help or home anymore for Gloria—and neither definitely won’t come from me.
I glance into the room next to me, heart pounding in my chest, almost fainting with relief when I find it empty.
They aren’t as close as I thought they were.
“Can you believe this bitch? Thinks she’s in the position to strike a bargain?” one of the men laughs. I hear the sound of something dull being struck, followed by Gloria letting out a pained yelp.
“Stop it,” I whisper as I tighten my grip around the neck of the bat.