The Scars That Define Us (The Devil's Dust #2)(62)

“I came out of work and was attacked,” I tell him, looking at the wall and avoiding eye contact. He grabs me by the chin hard, making me look at him.

“Now, why don’t you look me in the eye and try that again,” he orders, scowling. I close my eyes, trying to escape those stormy blue ones from penetrating my shell of lies. I shouldn’t say anything, but enough shit has rolled after the events of what me and the girls had done.

“Fucking spill it, Dani,” he grits.

“I can’t,” I say, pulling out of his grip.

“You’re f*cking hiding something from me,” he growls, standing. He leans down and grabs my chin. “You belong to me, and you and our baby’s safety is mine to look after. I can’t do that unless you tell me everything and stop hiding shit from me.”

I stand as well, angry and downright pissed off. “Hiding shit? How about the fact my mother’s missing! You wouldn’t be hiding anything from me about that, would you?” I ask, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

Shadow flexes his hand, and I can sense the anger building within him.

“You got about two seconds to explain, Dani,” he warns, ignoring my accusation of him having something to do with my mother’s disappearance. I close my eyes, knowing if Shadow did have anything to do with it that means she’s not alive anymore. I’m not sure if I feel relieved or grief at the thought. I open my eyes to see a very angry Shadow, puffed out and furious, waiting for my answer.

“Fine,” I whisper, hoping Babs forgives me. “I walked out to where you have been parking, and a car came hauling ass toward me. The driver door checked me, making me fall.” I point toward the road rash eating my kneecaps. “A group of guys got out and said ‘this was for Darin’ before beating the Hell out of me with a bat.” I’m strangely calm as I tell him all that.

“Darin?” Shadow questions in confusion.

I turn my head, not wanting to give him anymore.

“Dani,” he threatens.

I won’t be a rat; my status around here is already exactly that.

I look him in the angry eyes staring back at me. “You’ll have to ask Babs about the rest,” I tell him.





SHADOW


The word angry is not even in my vocabulary right now. I’m beyond that. I pull my boots on hobbling down the hall to Bull’s room.

I knock loudly, my fist pounding against the old door.

He swings the door open. “What the f*ck?” he yells. His hair is a mess and he’s wearing nothing but threadbare boxers.

“Get dressed; we need to see Babs now!” I demand before walking away.

I wait out by my car for Bull to crawl his ass out of bed.

“You want to explain what the hell is going on?” Bull asks, walking out of the club and lighting a cigarette.

“Jump in the car. I’ll explain on the way there,” I tell him, climbing into my car.

“Don’t f*cking park up here like this again. How many times I gotta tell you, boy?” Bull questions, getting in beside me.

I start the car and pull out of the courtyard, ignoring him.

“You going to tell me why you woke me up, Shadow?” he drills, resting his head back on the headrest.

“Dani and Babs’ attacks are related. They have gotten themselves into some shit and Dani won’t tell me,” I inform. Bull looks at me instantly.

“That one’s stubborn like her momma,” Bull chuckles. “What did Dani say?”

“That I should ask Babs,” I respond, lifting my eyebrows, irritated at the situation.

“Shit,” Bull mutters under his breath. “You two figure out your shit?” he asks, referring to Dani’s pregnancy.

“Yeah. I stopped at some pregnancy store to pick up books and shit for her,” I reply.

Bull laughs. “You’re learning.”

I remember walking into that damn pregnancy store before heading to the club last night. I knew I f*cked up leaving Dani to figure my shit out, but I didn’t want to say something I didn’t mean, so I left.

“Can I help—” The little lady stops as she notices me standing in a store full of pregnant-women crap, me wearing my cut and rough attitude for everyone to see. I’m sure I looked like I took a wrong turn.

“My girl is pregnant and she’s sick all the time,” I respond, feeling anxious.

“Oh, congratulations,” she chirps. “I’ve got just the thing.”

That lady sat there explaining a box of suckers to me for twenty minutes, and then showed me a shelf full of vitamins for another twenty minutes. I about said ‘screw it’.

When I checked out, the lady started talking about baby names and celebrity baby names; she wouldn’t shut the hell up. I just wanted my change back.

“There’s a spot,” Bull says, pointing to a parking spot close to the hospital doors.

I ignore him and park in the ‘no parking zone’ instead.

We enter Babs’ room and see a bunch of nurses and a doctor standing around her bed.

“I’m calling time of death: 4:45,” the doctor says, looking at the clock on the wall.

“What the f*ck?” Bull questions.

“I’m sorry. Are you family?” a nurse asks, rushing in front of Bull.