“Fuck.” I scrub a hand over my face.
“How’s your patient doing?”
“None of your business.”
“Don’t be an asshole.”
“Is she really that bad?”
Taty pulls out a pack of cigarettes and hands me one. She knows me well. Though she should. We grew up attached at the damn hip. I light up and take a hard drag.
“Yeah. Her body has been through so much trauma. Her organs are shutting down. Machines are keeping her alive. Wrath is gonna pull the plug. Thought you might want to go see her. I can stay and keep an eye on your whatever she is.”
“Not so sure that’s a good idea.”
“Bet she’s hella pissed, huh?”
“Yup.” I pop the P.
“You gonna go?”
“Guess I got to.” I finish my cigarette while warning her to play nice with Sybil. Taty can be a real bitch when she wants to be. “Don’t be starting shit.”
“You can trust me, Diego. You know that.”
Yeah. Taty has always been a good friend as long as she’s getting her way.
When I open the door to the cabin, Sybil is in the kitchen getting the pizza from the oven. “It was about to burn.” Her gaze lands on Taty and she nearly drops the pan. Fuck. This isn’t going to be good. “You were at the show. Morbid Duplicity. I’m Sybil, but I’m guessing you know that. You want some pizza?”
Taty’s eyes cut to me and she smirks. Like see. “Yeah. They’re really cool. What’s on the pizza?”
The two of them fall into casual conversation. I go into the bedroom to get dressed. I don’t want to leave Sybil here alone with Taty, but I can’t take her to the hospital with me and risk her being seen. I’m trying to lay low myself. I was careful but all it’d take is one person remembering seeing my motorcycle or the cops turning their attention to me because I was stupid and gave Sybil my number and we were texting.
Fuck. Cops put that connection together and I’m fucked. The trail leads to Jesus. Even if charges aren’t filed the bastard appears guilty as hell. The scratch on his face. The text messages. The blood. I covered all my bases.
“Hey. Pizza’s cut if you want to eat.” Sybil enters the room.
“I’m good. You eat it. I gotta go out for a bit to check on my mom. Taty is gonna stay here and keep you company. I shouldn’t be gone but a few hours. You’ll hardly miss me.” I should cuff her ass back to the bed, but I don’t like doing that shit. I’m not the monster Sybil sees me as. I know I’ve done some fucked up things since I brought her here. I own that shit. I feel it deep in my bones. I know I’m not a good man. I know I don’t deserve her goodness. I knew I had to do something to give her what she wanted without that shit haunting her the rest of her life. I don’t want that blackness tainting her soul and coating her heart black, but it seems it managed to seep through either way.
“You’re leaving?”
“Don’t get any ideas, Princessa. Expect you here when I get back.”
“Where would I go? I’m dead, tight? That’s what you want everyone to think?”
“We can discuss this when I get back.”
“I want to talk about it now.”
“My mother is dying. That what you want to hear? I have to go say goodbye to the woman who made me.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“I didn’t know until Taty showed up. I figured it was another one of her failed attempts but this time…guess she finally got her wish.”
Her face falls and her arms go around me in a sweet embrace that is unexpected but welcome. “Then you should go. I’ll behave.”
Chapter 17