Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
With that Dhalia left. Frank got to his feet and stormed out of the house, yelling that he didn’t have to put up with this shit.
Smithy and Pete went back to their rooms. Betsy finished her supper, and was tired and called it a night. Leaving Vicki to do the dishes, which she did, quietly.
There was a time she and Frank promised to face the world together. To take care of each other. To be their own family as they didn’t need to be with anyone else. He’d been pulled away, and now it was up to her to try and make it through.
After cleaning the kitchen, she checked all the windows, secured the doors, and made her way up to the main bathroom. She rarely allowed herself the luxury of a bath, but tonight she filled the tub, adding in some bubbles, tying her hair back, and stepping into the bath.
Taking a deep breath, she felt so numb, even her tears refused to fall. Nothing seemed to be going right for her now. Frank was all but gone. She hoped Pete and Smithy stayed on the right path. Being a civilian in Old County was not easy. It was fucking hard for everyone, but they were protected.
Damion took care of them, and no matter what anyone said, they were still living and surviving.
She didn’t know why the law stepped back, or why no politician would touch this place. They were all alone, apart from Damion, who kept everything running smoothly. There were always a ton of rumors when it came to the reason they didn’t have a single cop on the street. With the number of crime families, they were always prime targets. She heard people saying they were always on the hit list. It didn’t matter the reason, just that they were alone, with their own set of rules, and knowing they couldn’t leave.
There was a knock on the door, and Vicki asked who it was.
“It’s me,” Dhalia said.
She told her sister she could come in, and Dhalia did, dressed in a nightshirt. Whatever makeup she had worn was wiped off. Where Betsy wanted to be a hairdresser, Dhalia loved all things beauty. Although Vicki couldn’t afford luxury makeup, she did try to provide Dhalia with affordable quality.
“Hey,” Dhalia said.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I am, I just ... can I sit?” Dhalia pointed to the toilet.
“Sure.”
She put the toilet lid down and perched on the top.
Vicki waited, knowing there was no point in rushing her sister. Dhalia ran her fingers through her long, blonde hair. She was such a beautiful young woman. Fourteen, going on what felt like forty at times. There had been many boys coming to the house, knocking on the door, wanting to take her out. Dhalia was not interested. She wanted to get her education, open a beauty salon, and have a life that was nowhere near complicated like their mother’s.
“You’ve got to let her go,” Dhalia said. “I know she’s our mom and we should love her, and I guess a small smidge of me does. I do love Mom, but ... I hate her, Vicki. She’s not going to change. She is the same woman she has always been. I mean, one day I came home from school, and she was passed out, and left a line of cocaine on the fucking table ... Betsy could have been playing in it.” Dhalia stopped and her little hands clenched into fists. “She’s toxic, Vicki, and you have a way of stopping her. Don’t let your kind heart distract from the fact she is going to ruin your life, if you let her.”
Chapter Five
There was a small place within Old County that no one but Damion knew about. It was near the river, away from families, surrounded by the forest, yet open enough to allow you to think you could escape.
From the moment he walked into the diner and saw how tired Vicki was, he knew the decision he had given her was driving her crazy. She looked like she hadn’t slept. So, he informed Tank he would be a waitress down.
He watched as Vicki tilted her head up to the sky, and she looked so damn happy. This is what he wanted for her. She hadn’t had an easy life. He was aware a lot of people had fucked-up lives in Old County. That was the price of living there. However, most families didn’t have an addict mom who only thought of herself. There were good people in Old County who loved their kids and would do anything for them. They certainly wouldn’t sell them.
“How long have you known about this place?” Vicki asked, spinning toward him.
“A while.” He found it when he was back in high school. There had been a few requests to purchase land nearby, but he always refused. Some pieces of heaven needed to be preserved. There were other parts of Old County that could be used to sell land and all that shit.