Page 100 of The Heir
“She’s clearly been through something. Have some fuckin’ respect,” she scolded her father, filled a glass, and followed along after them.
“Ah, fuck—” Mak smothered a laugh and shook his head, “Fuckin’ boy will drag any stray home. Always has.”
He wandered down the bar and slid onto a stool, close enough to hear what was going on in the office. I didn’t realize he’d set out to eavesdrop, until I planted my ass beside him.
“You don’t think those people will file any reports or nothing, do you?” I tried asking about Nick and those Red Monks, but he held up a finger, bidding me to shut up a moment, as his head tipped toward the office.
“I haven’t seen you since Monty and your mom broke up, girl. You just disappeared…” Mackie’s voice trickled out of the office.
“She was fucking fifteen, Mackie, was she supposed to camp out on the lawn until you were old enough to claim her as your ol’ lady?” March snipped.
“Man,” Mackie’s voice was quiet, but the warning toward March was unmistakable. “Where is that water you promised her?”
“I’m getting it,” March assured.
“Yeah, do that,” Mackie returned, causing me to snort.
Makaveli chuckled, “They've been like that since they were small. Swear to fuck, March was the only one in the house beside me that would confront his temper. She’s all daughter, but don’t get shit fucked up, girl’s got balls.”
I smiled, easily picturing it.
“Yeah, my mom moved us to Decatur after she and Monty split.” Nikki’s voice cracked a little
“That place smells like dog food.” Mackie mused.
“Smells? Sit at certain lights, you can fucking taste it.” March chimed in before bustling out of the room. She slid two beers onto the counter for me and her father, and then filled a glass with some ice water.
May was leaning against the bar post, rapidly texting away.
“You’re either pissed off or making promises you ain’t about to deliver on, texting like that,” March teased, earring a grunt and a brief glance from him.
“How’d you end up back here?” Mackie quietly asked.
It sounded like the girl might hyperventilate, but she eventually caught her heaving and spat out, “I had to go. I had to. It was just one boyfriend after another for Mom, none of them were nice.”
Mackie scoffed and they grew quiet for a moment, causing Makaveli’s left eye to tighten like he was straining his senses.
“You gonna tell me what happened?
She made a noise that sounded like a whimper, and for a minute, I thought she wasn’t gonna tell him anything, but then she slowly began, her voice so quiet and small at first.
“I got into a disagreement.”
“With what, a fuckin gas tank?”
I nudged Mak and nodded, waving my hand under my nose.
He frowned and glanced back toward the office room, hanging on their every word and no longer hiding it.
“No, he poured that on me.” Her voice rose and thinned slightly, before she paused and sniffled. “It’s a fuckin mess, Mackie. I have a four-year-old little girl with him, and I let him have her for a visit because the judge ordered it, but he wouldn’t give her back and–”
“What do you mean he won’t give her back? You’re her fuckin’ mother, right?”
I had to give him credit, Mackie was being patient and calm, in a way I never would have thought him capable of being.
“About four or five months ago, I let her go for a weekend. He found out I was pregnant and wouldn’t give her back.” Her voice climbed until it broke on a sob. “He wouldn’t even let me see her. I’ve seen her one time, and he made me suck his dick in order to have her for that hour.”
I could hear her crying again and Mackie gently shushing her.