What Do You Mean?

Chapter 10

The next day, Betty does an excellent job of pretending there isn't a giant elephant in the room for a while, before finally cracking with a careful, "So did you ask Bobbi not to come with us, or?" she leaves her sentence open for me to finish. She's pushing an empty stroller as we walk the strip, which is a very different place during the day.

I readjust Lyric in my arms and point something out to her before responding. "Not really. But she knows I'm still pissed. She also knows I like space when I'm this mad, even if she isn't the one I need space from usually."

"Makes sense." She nods "So I'm guessing that means she knows, then?"

I glance behind us to be sure security is far enough back that we won't be overheard "Yeah, last night we..." I stop short and look at Lyric, who isn't paying attention at all, but still. I bend down and snap her back into the stroller before going on. "Last night shit went down. She admitted to everything."

"I knew she seemed off with me today." Betty says softly.

"Yeah well, I'm sorry about that but, she kind of painted us both into a corner, you know? You couldn't not tell me, and I couldn't leave it alone."

"I know. It's okay. What's next, though? I mean...I know it's none of my business so if you tell me to stay in my lane I'll totally get it."

"I don't know." I shrug a little and point to a rare deserted area by the Bellagio fountains. We sit so Lyric can watch them "I told her this morning that if she really needed that shit for whatever reason I'd get it for her."

Her eyes register complete disbelief.

I hold a hand up "I know, I know...but you know B, you can't tell her shit. If she wants to do something, she's going to do it. At least this way I don't have to worry about her getting mixed up with some bullshit. Dealers aren't exactly boy scouts...she doesn't need to be fuckin' with them."

"You love her enough to protect her even when you don't agree with what she's doing..." Betty muses quietly "that's pretty incredible."