Until the End (Sea Breeze #9)(27)

“You can’t do anything!” Fandora yelled at him. “I’ve given them food and a roof over their heads. They are both lazy and won’t work! I should be given a f**king award for keeping her trashy ass as long as I have.”

Rock stalked toward her, and I watched as she backed up. Her eyes were finally showing fear.

“You call her one more name and I’ll deal with this shit myself. She’s the sweetest, kindest, most amazing girl I’ve ever met. So shut your filthy f**king mouth.”

The door opened behind her, and I moved to sit up. Krit was standing there, taking in Rock in his mother’s face looking ready to murder her.

“What’s going on? What did you do?” he asked, glaring at Fandora. “Did you touch Trisha?” His voice raised in a panicked tone.

“No. She’s just kicking your sister out. I’m going to pack her things,” Rock replied calmly.

Krit looked at me, and I tried to plead silently with him not to say or do anything stupid. I didn’t think she’d really hurt him, but she might start if I wasn’t here.

“I’ll go pack my things too,” Krit said, not even looking at his mother.

“You can’t leave. You’re my son,” Fandora screeched.

“The hell I can’t. I go where Trisha goes,” Krit informed her.

“NO! You can’t leave. I won’t allow it,” she continued.

Krit let out a hard laugh. “I don’t give a FUCK what you allow.”

Then he walked to his bedroom. Crap. He was packing to leave too. Where were we going to go? I had seen Rock’s dad. We sure wouldn’t be welcome there.

Rock shifted his attention to me. “Don’t get up. I’ll get everything you need.”

But where was I going?

Rock

I was almost to Trisha’s bedroom when Fandora’s words stopped me.

“FINE! She can stay.” She wasn’t happy about it, but she was giving in.

I turned back to look at her. “You going to touch her? Because I’ll be checking in all the damn time. One finger on her and I swear I’ll call the cops.”

Krit slammed his door open and walked out looking reading to kill someone. “You ever touch her again and I will go to jail for life because I’m going to kill whoever puts their hands on her. Including you,” he warned in a tone that most kids his age couldn’t pull off.

The kid was growing up fast. He had to.

Fandora’s eyes went large. “Are you threatening to kill me?” she asked in disbelief.

“I will kill anyone who touches Trisha. I am done letting shit happen to her. She doesn’t deserve it. No one deserves it. I won’t let you anymore.”

“I won’t be attacked in my own house. If she hadn’t been flirting with my boyfriend, this wouldn’t have happened. He got angry and made her shut up and stop touching him. That’s why she’s laid up right now. I didn’t touch her.”

Krit let out a hard, furious laugh. “What the f**k ever! He had his hands all over Trisha, and she was fighting him off. She doesn’t want your sick, disgusting men. She’s got him.” Krit pointed at me. “What would she want with greasy, fat old men?”

Fandora stared at her son like she’d never seen him before. I expected this side of him was a first for her. He was a man now. She’d forced her little boy to become a man because of her actions. He was going to protect his sister no matter what.

“Krit, don’t. Just . . . go to your room and work on your homework. Okay?” Trisha’s soft voice broke through the tension in the room.

Krit looked at her, and a tenderness in his eyes replaced the hatred that had been there. “I love you. And because I love you I am done doing what you tell me to do. I won’t let you protect me anymore. I’m bigger than you, Sis. It’s time I kept you safe.”

I really liked that kid.

Trisha’s eyes filled with unshed tears as she looked at her little brother. “I’m okay. Just don’t do this to yourself. Go calm down and focus on your homework.”

“Oh, for f**k’s sake. I’m done with this bullshit. I’m going to bed. Don’t bother me,” Fandora snarled as she walked to the hallway and toward her bedroom door. As she passed Krit and me, she stopped and shoved something at Krit. “Here’s a fifty go get whatever food you need.” Then she slammed her door.

Krit held the fifty in his hand and looked at me, then Trisha. “We leaving or staying?”

“We don’t have anywhere to go. We need to stay. I’m just going to focus on figuring out where we can go sooner rather than later. I need to get a job as soon as I can.”

Krit frowned. “You don’t have a license or a car.”

Trisha shrugged. “I will figure it out. You just worry about your homework. I’ll also get the groceries.”

Like hell. She wasn’t going to go do anything. She needed to heal.

I took the money from Krit. “I’ll go get the groceries. You watch over her until I get back.”

He nodded and headed back into the living room. “I’ll do homework in here,” he told both of us.

“Rock, you have to go home. You need to get caught up with school and get to football practice,” Trisha said, sounding worried.