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"GET DOWN," Jackie commanded, pointing to the kids. Max opened her mouth to protest, but her sister shook her head. Slowly, Dustin knelt to the ground, creeping below the window. Mike followed in suite, then Lucas, then Max, finally.
"Should I bring the bat?" Steve asked.
Jackie whirled on him. "No. You're staying in here."
"Uh, last I checked, Mayfield, you're not the boss of me."
"What are you, twelve? If Billy sees you, it'll just anger him more. It's best if I deal with him alone."
"I'm not letting you go out there by yourself," Steve stated, firmly. Jackie stared at him, defiantly. Why was he always so goddamn stubborn?
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yeah. But I'm duct-taping your mouth shut. Got it? No talking. Let me handle it."
Steve glanced to her, out the window, to the kids, then back to her. "Yeah. No promises."
"Harrington-"
"Can you stop your couples quarrel and go deal with Billy, please?" Max asked, annoyed. "He's five seconds away from breaking the door down."
That was probably true, Jackie huffed and stepped out, feeling Steve pressed close to her back as they exited the house. Billy was stood at his car, putting out a cigarette. He was dressed... well, he looked like he was going out somewhere. Jackie knew Billy's date clothes, the open red shirt that exposed his chest, the overspray of his cologne. Yeah, he was definitely supposed to be doing something else. She wondered if Neil made him look for them. She could see a new bruise just above his collarbone.
Smug as always, Billy nodded at them. "Am I dreaming or is that you with my sister, Harrington?"
"Yeah it's me," Steve answered. "Don't cream your pants."
She shot a look at him, then turned back to her step-brother. "What are you doing here, Billy?" Jackie asked, her tone accusing, though she tried her best to steer clear of sneering at him. Hopefully if she could keep him calm, he wouldn't act irrational like he was prone to doing. "You've said it time and time again, you don't care about us. Why bother now?"
"Because your screw up of a mother—"
"My what?" She echoed, taking a step closer to him as she lowered her voice. "My what?"
