Page 41 of Vengeful Devotion
Gemma
I tryto take a deep breath, but it’s hard. My lungs are being crushed by the heavy chaos in my heart. Just as they have been for two days. The backs of my eyes sting from lack of sleep. Another side effect from what happened. I feel so stupid for being so full of hope. The moment he pushed, all that hope went up in smoke. Every second since I’ve felt like I’m free falling and there’s no safety net to catch me.
There’s a knock on Francine’s bedroom door. I say bedroom, but with the amount of space she has, it could easily be four bedrooms. Pushing myself out of her ridiculously comfortable reading nook, I walk to the door. My palms sweat, nervous about who might be on the other side. I’ve been hiding away from Declan for two days. At some point, he’s going to show up here and I’ll have to face him. I just don’t know when, and right now I’m more terrified of that than I am for Lonny to find me.
I open the door, feeling a concoction of relief and disappointment to see Daisy standing there.
“Morning, Gemma.”
“Good morning, Daisy. Here to visit Francine?”
Daisy nods, her blonde ponytail bouncing. I step to the side, opening the door wider.
“Come in. She’s getting dressed right now, but she’ll be done soon.”
“Thanks. This is her bedroom?”
“Um, yeah.”
“Damn, it makes my apartment feel small.”
I chuckle, returning to my chair. I gesture for Daisy to sit in the other. She sits, placing papers in her lap. My eye is drawn to the colorful pile.
“What’s that?”
Daisy looks down. “Oh, Rex drew some pictures for Francine.”
“Can I see?”
“Sure.”
She hands one off the top. It’s a scribble of two stick figures. The short one labeled as Rex and the taller one as Fancy. “Fancy?”
“That’s the nickname Rex gave Francine. He was only two when they met and couldn’t quite say her name right.”
“That’s adorable. How did you meet Francine?”
Daisy’s shoulders tense. “Francine found me in um, in a homeless shelter three years ago.”
“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It was for the best, I think. I was sixteen when I had Rex. My parents had kicked me out. Without Francine, Rex and I would still be bouncing from shelter to shelter. She helped me get a job, a place to live.”
“She has a knack for that.”
“Yeah, yeah. She does. Did she find you too?”
“At a diner. Hired me after watching my old boss fire me for spilling a hot plate all over someone.”
“Sounds like she got to you just in time.”
“If I’m honest, I really thought she was joking at first.” I shrug. “Where I come from, favors don’t exist. Everything comes at a price.”
Daisy tilts her head. “Well, thank goodness you aren’t there anymore. Things are different once you enter Francine’s world. She can help you solve every problem you have. Trust me.”
I give her a small smile, handing the drawing back. There’s something in me that doubts what she’s saying. Not because I think the McBride’s won’t get their hands dirty. Declan especially. But because my problems are too big. Too corrupt, even for him.
“So,” Daisy says, the tone of her voice holds a question I’m not sure I’m prepared to answer. The anxiety grows as she draws out the moment before dropping her bomb. “I saw you and Declan sneak off together on Saturday.”
