Dare Me Not | 18+ ✔

34. Twist of Fate (Parker)

I leave work an hour earlier to collect Mom from the airport, but the traffic is an absolute bitch. Hadn't my dad summoned me and Xander to his office this afternoon, I would've left after lunch.

Mom already stands by the airport pickup point when I arrive. She's wearing her blue flowy dress, a scarf to wrap her hair, and gigantic sunglasses covering almost half her face. She has her style and always looks good in anything she's wearing. Sometimes I wonder why I didn't inherit more of her looks.

Jumping out of my car, I jog to her and grab her luggage before shoving it into my car's trunk. I'm still not in the mood to be friendly by giving her a hug or a peck on the cheek because I'm still pissed. But knowing she has nowhere to go, I have no choice but to take her in.

"Did you bring the entire wardrobe or what?" I say, grunting as I move around her suitcases to fit them into the small space.

"I just need to make sure I have everything I need. I don't want to come back for my stuff and see his face again."

I frown at her. "He still lives in your apartment?"

She shrugs. "I think so. He wasn't home when I left, but he has the key."

I'm about to reply, but the impatient honk coming from behind me makes me jump. Glaring at the car, I close my trunk and go back to the driver's seat. "You should have thrown his stuff out before you left, and changed the key," I grumble as I put on my seatbelt.

"Isn't that a bit too dramatic?"

I roll my eyes. She and her life are dramatic. Throwing out that asshole's junk is realistic. "So, you're going to let him sleep there, use your water and electricity, and eat your food while you pay the bills?"

"Well, that's not how I see it."

Driving in the busy airport area and talking to my mom can be a real challenge, but I need to calm my tits, or we would have a screaming match before we reached my place. "How do you see it then? Still, hoping he will come to his senses by throwing away the perfect life you have offered in that apartment? Is that it? You know that's not going to happen."

"No, that's not what I meant either." She takes off her sunglasses and puts them on top of her scarf. "It's not like he can stay there any longer. The bank has sent us a warning letter. If we... If I cannot pay the loan bill in fifteen days, the house will be confiscated, and he needs to move out."

"Huh? Why haven't you paid? I mean, how can you be so much behind like this!"

"Well, there were some other bills that needed more attention, obviously."

"Like what? The winter cruise?" My fingers clutch my steering wheel tightly. "Dammit, Mom, he's been using you, and what more proof do you need so that you can see it?"

"I know, I know! I've been betrayed. I've been ripped off. I've been the dumb, irresponsible, and pathetic human being, as always! Can't you stop cornering me, please? I can barely think right now."

I have plenty of replies to throw at her to show my frustration, but she's right. She doesn't need an extra finger pointing at her, stating the obvious. I take a deep breath and bite my lower lip, focusing on the road.

"We need to see a lawyer," I say once I feel calmer. "We need to make that bastard pay back the money; every cent of it. And you're not losing your apartment. Not without a battle."

"Rick also has a lawyer friend who's experienced in financial quarrels. Do you think we can find someone good enough?"

"I'll ask Damian and see if he can help."

"Your father will not let him help me."

"He needs to," I reply, but a doubt swirls in my belly. I can see my dad lose his shit if someone in his circle is helping Mom. Then Xander's face and his offer to help pop up in my head. "Maybe I can ask my friend."