Then I’d hit him, causing him damage.
He’d call the police.
Then they’d find me.
They’d find us.
And we’d be in trouble, and Joker would find out I’d done something stupid. He’d have no choice but to deal with his father as his father pressed charges against me. It could all blow sky high as I’d have to explain my actions were due to my biker boyfriend enduring abuse.
And with all that, Joker might never forgive me.
And I didn’t like to think of what Hop and Shy would do.
Or—I swallowed at the thought—Tack.
Eek!
I jumped a foot when I heard the back door open.
Joker was home.
Time to face the music.
I turned my head to the side and saw him round the corner, shrugging off his cut.
He threw it over the back of a dining chair, turned, caught sight of me, and stopped.
“Baby…” he whispered, his face taking on an expression I never wanted to see again. “Is it Travis?”
Slowly, I stood, saying, “No, sweetie. Travis is fine.”
“Then what—?”
“I did something stupid,” I blurted. “And the police could be here any minute. Or they could arrest me at LeLane’s tomorrow once they’ve tracked me down. Or they could—”
“What the fuck?” he cut me off to ask.
“You’re gonna be mad,” I told him.
“Then I’ll be mad, but tell me what the fuck is happening,” he shot back.
“I saw your dad in the grocery store,” I said hurriedly, and I didn’t think it was good that his entire torso swung back almost like he was evading a blow. “I saw your reaction,” I pushed onward. “It upset me. I found out his address. Then I went to his house and keyed his truck.”
No torso swing on that.
Joker blinked.
“Unfortunately,” I went on, “I had to ask Elvira for her help. I was using girls’ night out as an alibi, and since we’d never had one of those and I asked for one out of the blue, they knew something was up. They followed me. And after I keyed his truck, they joined me at his house. As we were discussing whether or not to set his house on fire… that was Tabby’s idea, incidentally, not mine,” I added swiftly so he wouldn’t think I was totally unhinged, “your dad came out.”
“Fuck,” he hissed.
I closed my eyes tight, opened them quickly, and kept speaking.
“He saw his truck and he got a little angry. To get away, I was…” I didn’t think it would be good to tell Joker his dad put his hand on me so I skimmed past that part, “well, forced to get physical. I forgot I had my keys in my hand when I punched him. He fell back and when we were running away, I saw that I’d broken skin and he was bleeding.”
Joker stared at me.
“So, he has me on vandalism and assault,” I boiled it down. “And he was pretty mad, so I’ve been waiting up to tell you and/or face the police when they got to our door.”
Joker kept staring at me.
I kept talking.
“You have my permission to use my savings as bail money. And if Aaron successfully uses this lunacy to get full custody of my son, all I request is that you hide the sharp knives and razorblades.”
“Come here.”
“I…” I shook my head. “What?”
“Get your ass over here.”
His expression and tone weren’t giving me anything.
I debated the merits of going to him.
I debated the merits of not going to him.
I did this in seconds then went to him.
He turned as I did, so when I stopped two feet away, he was facing me full on.
“First, my dad’s a dick,” he stated.
“I, well, I know that, Carson,” I whispered.
“He’s just a dick, but he also thinks he has a big one. No way in fuck he’d report it to the police that a woman marked him. He wouldn’t take that hit to the cred he thinks he’s got at all, but especially gettin’ that mark from a curly-haired ex-cheerleader.”
“Really?” I asked, hope blooming.
He nodded. “Really. It’s not gonna happen. Even if you didn’t mark him, just got a punch in, he wouldn’t share that with anyone.”
Well, that was good.
“Good,” I whispered.
“Second,” he began and the minute amount I’d relaxed raced away. “He saw you. He saw me. At the grocery store while you were dumpin’ beans in the cart, he looked right at me… and you. He knew in a glance who you were to me, what we have, what I’ve got. He looked away, Carissa. I coulda made an approach and rubbed it in, but why the fuck would I waste my time with that shit? It isn’t worth it. Bein’ in a grocery store with a beautiful girl who likes bein’ with me who’s babbling about chili hit him harder than I could ever do it even if I wanted to put in that effort. I took off to get outta his space. He doesn’t deserve that, but I had my pretty girl with me babblin’ about chili. We were settin’ up for a good night ’cause that’s what we always have. I introduce him into it, it means she might not have a good night. So I got us the fuck outta there.”
“Oh,” I said softly, thinking perhaps I should have discussed things with him before I went out and committed felonies.
He went on like I didn’t make the sound.
“Not to mention, wandering a grocery store isn’t big with me. You’re in one, you act like you’re in a mall. So I’m seein’ if I gotta go to the store, I go alone. You gotta go, you go alone, but while you’re out, I contact my brothers just in case we gotta convene a search party. The way you are in a grocery store, you ever gotta go to the mall, you go without me. Deal?”
How did we get to talking about how we shopped?
I didn’t think it was a good idea to request that information.
I just said, “Deal.” Then I asked, “So he scowled at that old lady because he saw you and you with me?”
“He did what?”
“He gave a dirty look to an old lady,” I told him, then added, “It was very rude.”
“Who knows why he does the shit he does?” Joker asked. “But yeah, probably. I kicked his ass and left him out cold on his living room floor last time I saw him. Years later I’m with a cute, sweet, honey-haired, ex-cheerleader, once homecoming queen piece of ass. And before you say it,” he said when I opened my mouth, “all that is written all over you. He’s an asshole and an asshole to women, but he wouldn’t miss any a’ that.”