Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 139088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 695(@200wpm)___ 556(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 695(@200wpm)___ 556(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
She was also staring at me and not moving.
Further, she knew my name.
My cute, black clutch didn’t hold a Taser, so I wasn’t carrying one (though, I also wasn’t carrying one because I thought Dimitri would frown on us coming in packing, even packing Tasers).
But now I wished I was because this was giving me very bad feelings.
“Can I help you?” I queried.
She took a step forward, but stopped again, beyond the carport, still on the property next door.
A chill ran down my spine because that was out of the line of any angle of the cameras trained on the Oasis Square parking lot.
In other words…off the grid for the boys in the control room at NI&S to see what was happening.
“I’m Cynthia,” she said.
I edged back and put my hand to the handle of the car door.
“Cynthia Chambers,” she added a word.
I went statue-still.
“Knox’s mom,” she finished.
A huge-ass, angry crack formed in my statue.
“You’re Knox’s mother?” I pushed out between stiff lips.
“Are you meeting him?” she indicated me with an upward sweep of her arm. “I mean, you’re wearing that pretty dress.”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Chambers, but that’s none of your business.”
“You’re back together though, yes?”
Oh my God.
What did she know about Knox and me?
“Again, no offense. I’m sure you have some sense of why I’m repeating that’s none of your business.”
She threw both hands out to her sides. “I was hoping that you’d—”
“Stop hoping,” I stated firmly. “I won’t.”
“I’m not sure you understand—”
“I am sure I understand you left him. When he was eleven years old. I also understand it was unsafe for you. But it was unsafe for him too. He was only a child, and he didn’t hear from you in any meaningful way for nearly twenty years.”
“I had to—”
Okay.
Hell no.
I was not doing this.
And yeah, the slim hold I had on courtesy was out the window.
“Listen,” I spat. “I don’t really give a fuck what you had to. That was your son you left behind. Actually, three of them and a daughter. And you left them behind with a known criminal who did not, and you knew this too, have very good parenting skills. Or any at all.”
“I’d like to explain to Knox—”
“Talk to Knox. Not me.”
“He won’t talk to me.”
“Then leave him alone.”
She straightened her shoulders. “I’m his mother.”
“And I’m his woman,” I shot back. “And he got himself a good one. Now, allow me to explain what that means. If I can shield him from pain, I will. If he needs a listening ear, I’m there. If he makes a decision about his life, I back him. And if he has issues with his family, the only side I’m on with that…or anything…is his. In other words, this is not your play, Ms. Chambers. Furthermore, when Knox finds out you pulled this, if he had any desire to speak to you again, he’ll lose it. Because he’s all those things to me as well.”
“I see he found a good woman. Please know, that’s a comfort.”
“I’m not here to comfort you. I don’t want to be talking to you at all.”
“Loon?”
I turned at Raye’s voice.
Regrettably, I was in no mood to compliment her on her wine-colored sweater dress that was sleeveless, off-the-shoulder, had a ribbed waistband that made her waist look tiny, and a daring, matching scarf tossed across her neck that gave the overall effect of class. She looked great.
I couldn’t tell her that because I was too busy talking myself into not rushing Knox’s mom and getting in a catfight.
I might break a heel.
Or a nail.
“Who’s this?” she asked when she got up close to me.
She was looking at Knox’s mom.
“I’ll just go now,” Cynthia Chambers said.
“Bye,” I replied shortly.
She gave me a lingering look then turned and picked her way through the dead weeds and gravel that delineated Oasis Square’s parking lot and the property next door, which was a medical complex that housed dentists and such.
I watched her walk to a BMW.
A fucking BMW.
And she walked to it in her pumps, cute jeans and a trendy blazer.
Guess she got some money somewhere along the way.
I felt Raye get close.
“Who was that?” she asked.
“Knox’s mother,” I answered.
I heard the wind whistle between her teeth as she sucked in breath.
“No joke?” she asked.
“Not even a little,” I answered.
“What was she doing here?”
“She wanted me to be the go-between to talk to Knox.”
Raye made an impatient noise before asking, “Why does everyone think you’ll do that?”
“Don’t ask me.”
A short hesitation before, “I know…a little about this. Cap told me.”
Not a surprise.
“She left when he was eleven. That wasn’t the problem. It wasn’t a healthy environment, for any of them. The problem was she didn’t look back until he was an adult. They’ve had one meet. He wasn’t feeling moving that family reunion forward. And if he doesn’t feel that, I’m not feeling it. Does that fill in any blanks?”