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"This shit stops today," he barked out Oh good, ere on the saht to myself despite his harsh tone

"Thanks for last night I didn’t et the wrong idea about us" I told hi back towas always better

If at all possible, his expression turned even ht now" Huh? I was thoroughly confused What was he--

Cutting off round out words completely threwwhile you’re this sick"

"Excuse me?" I asked completely dumbfounded My confusion fell away, replaced i me what I could or couldn’t do

"You’re too fucking sick You need et me started on that shit-box car What if you have an accident or it breaks down?" Pushing off the bench, he took a step toward est you shut the fuck up before I really loseyou a new car today It’ll be here before you leave for work" Oh hell no! I felt the last of my restraint snap like a rubber band The need to defend ht, but it was about all I had left

"The fuck you will! I don’t need your charity My car will do just fine, thank you very onna get to work if it blows up? It’s my kid whichquickly toward furious when he pushed et out of this piss-ant apartment It’s no place to raise a kid, especially not my kid"

"You think I don’t know my life isn’t ideal for a baby? You think I don’t see this! I’ to work doesn’t matter because I don’t have a da else, which is none of your business I don’t need the added stress of you and your crap, so take your concern and shove it far up your ass!" I screa fast I’d gotten so mad I’d let slip that I’d been fired I didn’t want him to knoanted to find a new job and just pretend it hadn’t happened

"You lost your job? Were you even going to tellvoice I had no idea if it was meant to intihie et the fuck out!" I snapped pointing at the door

Moving pastinto my face and sneered, "We aren’t done here I have plenty more to say when I’m not late for work"

Before I could curse him out or punch him in the jaw, he turned and stor it hard behind hi rooht

I stomped down the short hallway deter my clothes, I quickly dressedabout the tiny tear in the linoleuht myself or even throw my hands out to break my fall, id andan O, I cried out as a sharp pain ripped through ht myself, I waited for the pain to subside

But it didn’t

After a full minute it became very clear I was in trouble

My very first thought as I reached for my cell was on my baby Oh God! God, no Please! Not the baby

Chapter Seven

Trip

After a quick stop at hoe and swap the truck over forScarlett’s Cobra in its usual parking spot Hopefully, she’d not givelate I was in noWhy couldn’t she see I was just trying to do as right? I was helping her She had lost her job; she lived in a rundown aparto She was so da her sick like that and dealing with it quietly on her oith nobody to take care of her, just pissed ht off She should have askeda hard tih the parlor with my head down, I made my way to my station and set up for the day My first appointeton the shit-stor up after the client who’d just left I snapped offin the roo her cell to her chest

"What? What are you on about?" I asked, confused by her words