Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 86168 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86168 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
My palms slam down on the table. I stand, anger smashing into me like a speeding train. I stare at my mother, vibrating with hate.
“You took it, didn't you? When you left, you took everything in that box. Dad died for that key, and you stole it.”
“I don't know—”
“Enough, Mom, enough lies, enough bullshit. We're not going to hurt you. I just want to know where the damn key is. If you ever cared about me, if you ever cared about Gem even a tiny little bit, just for once in your life do the right thing and tell me where it is.” Tears run down my face. I'm so mad at this woman for being such a terrible mother. She ruined my life in so many different ways.
But I’m also mad at myself for letting her. I know I’ve got pieces of her in me. I could easily deflect and act like none of this is my fault, but the truth is, I let myself get consumed by Gem’s genius and all her potential. I wanted to work my ass off. It was easier than starting my own life. It was a mission to keep me focused. Now I see my own part in all this, and I’m mad at myself, too.
Mom stares at me. She puts her cigarette out and lights another. Then she grabs a beer from the fridge, cracks it open, and takes a long swig. “Ten thousand.”
“What?” I almost laugh. It’s obscene. But she stares at me, no shame in her eyes.
“You wanna know? Ten thousand dollars. Don’t act like you can’t afford it. I know who he is.” She gestures at Stellan. “He just threw around a few hundred like it was nothing. I want ten thousand for my trouble.”
“Why? So you can shoot it all up and be dead in a week?”
“Don’t you talk to me that way. I’m still your mother.”
“No, you aren’t.” I look at Stellan. “Break her legs. Make her talk.”
He looks at me, his face completely impassive. “The legs are too dramatic. I’ll break each finger, one after the other. Most people don’t get through one hand.”
Mom gags on her beer. “Hold on a second.”
“Do it.” I step aside and turn my back on my mother. “Just do it quick before people start getting home from work.”
“Five thousand!” she says in a panic. “Hold on a second!”
Stellan gets to his feet. He rises to his full height. “I’m not negotiating.”
“Two thousand! Come on, you know that’s nothing to you!”
He walks toward her. “It’s something to Kira.”
“One thousand! Please, no, don’t!”
I punch the wall. It hurts my damn fist. “Pay her a thousand, Stellan, and if she doesn’t have something good to say, break all her fingers.”
Mom lets out a sob of relief. She’s slumped back against the refrigerator, looking desperate and pathetic. I’m still crying, and I hate myself for that too. I wish I were stronger.
Stellan counts out a wad of cash and tosses it onto the counter. “Talk.”
“There’s a pawn shop. When we got here, I took everything I grabbed from that box and gave it to them. I don’t know what happened to it all after. He only gave me a few hundred bucks—that cheap fucking asshole—and I know at least a few of those rings were worth some real money.”
“What’s it called?”
“I don’t know. Tyler’s or maybe Terry’s. No, it’s Lenny’s! Lenny’s Pawn Shop!”
I type the name into Google Maps, and it comes right up. “It’s only ten minutes from here.”
“We’ll go now.” Stellan doesn’t move. He continues to loom over my mother.
“That’s all I know,” she says meekly, lighting another cigarette with shaking hands.
“You don’t deserve daughters. Much less daughters like Kira and Gem. Make sure you never come back to my city ever again. Do you understand? There’s nothing for you in Philly. There’s no money. There’s no family. There’s only death. Do you understand?”
“Never liked Philly anyway,” she mutters, looking at the floor.
“Good.” Stellan walks away. Each step makes the trailer creak. He puts a hand on my arm and steers me to the door. “You okay?”
“Fine.” I wipe my face. “Just great.”
“I know that was hard.”
“Hard? What was hard about it? Just watched my mother debase herself and act like I’m nothing but an ATM with legs.”
When we’re outside, he pulls me into a tight hug. He kisses my cheek and neck, and I start to feel better. His touch soothes me, and his voice drags me back from the brink of darkness. It doesn’t fix me, but it’s a start.
“She’s just some lady now, right?” I bury my face in his chest. I wish I could stop crying. “I don’t even know her anymore.”
“That’s exactly right. She’s just some lady. You don’t owe her anything. You never did.”
When I feel better, I pull away. We get into the SUV, and the driver backs out, tires crunching on gravel.