Chapter38

#Chapter38

VEGAS

Six years ago

I took a quick peek in the hallway mirror. The swelling on my face had gone down in the day and a half she’d been away, but the bruise around my eye was still noticeable. Tina had let loose this time, marking me up in a fit of rage. She usually had more control, delivering her slaps with more sting than bite, but a store had declined her credit card during a shopping spree with friends.

Arriving at the Williams’s with the clothes on my back, my hair a mess, and blood dripping from my nose, Shondra’s mother made a lackluster threat to call the police. I asked her not to, with my hands clasped and tears streaming down my face. Daddy would face trouble, and I loved him too much for that to happen.