“Aww, why the pouty lip?” Barbie ran her hand down Lucky’s arm. He didn’t notice her come up from the side.
Lucky recoiled. “The smell of your perfume must have punched me in the face.” He didn’t try to turn down the cocky attitude. He wanted to get on his fucking bike and take off.
Barbie tossed her head back and tried to giggle. Instead, it came off like a strangled cat. Her mile-high blond hair didn’t move from where she had plastered it in place. She turned her matted eyelashes up and grinned, revealing the deep red lipstick stains on her teeth.
The miserable site of her failed attempt at getting his attention made Lucky’s gut slosh around in his rigid body. “What the hell do you want?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe to put a smile on that handsome face of yours.” Barbie reached her leathered fingers toward Lucky’s face. He grabbed her wrist before she reached his beard, clutching it tighter than he should have. The dead look in his eyes must have scared her, which was his intent, because Barbie stumbled backward like she couldn’t get away fast enough.
His emotions welled up in his chest, leaving him feeling suffocated. Part of Lucky wanted to find Baby and let her explain. She must have a logical reason for not telling him. But was that enough? Was there a reasonable explanation for having an abortion in the first place? Was it his place to judge her? Was there a father out there grieving like he did for his own child?
Lucky’s phone vibrated in his pocket. Something in him shifted, and the curiosity got the better of him. He pulled the phone from his pocket and checked the caller ID. He didn’t want to talk to her, but his heart fell to see it wasn’t Baby. It was his mother, for the third time that day.
He had nothing to say to his parents, and anything they had to say to him could wait until the board meeting.
Chapter Seventeen
Baby Jade
“Wakey, wakey, gorgeous.”
Baby Jade swiped at something tickling her cheek.
“Rise and shine, my girl.”
Baby twisted her body around. Realizing she wasn’t in her bed, she rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hands. Her vision was fuzzy, but she made out her surroundings and concluded she was on her couch.
She sighed with relief and stretched her arms above her head. Her body ached, heavy and weak like she’d had the flu. Her muscles were exhausted and the cry fest had left her emotionally drained.
“How’s my girl this morning?”
The words made Baby jump up and dart across the room. Crouched in the corner next to the bookshelf, she spotted Slade standing at the end of the couch, inches from where her head had been.
“What the hell are you doing here? How’d you get in?” She stayed in position, ready to turn over the bookshelf if she needed to run.
“I knocked and there was no answer. I checked the door and it was unlocked. I let myself in. Come on, is that necessary?” Slade took a step in her direction.
Baby’s body tensed, her eyes wide “What do you want?” She didn’t know why she bothered asking. She couldn’t trust a thing that came out of his chiseled face.
Slade propped his heavy boot on the rickety coffee table. “I heard about what happened last night. I know what a touchy subject that is for you. I wanted to see how my girl was doing.”
“I’m not your girl.” Touchy subject. The dumbass sure did have a way with words.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard it all before. If you weren’t my girl, why would I be here offering to take care of you?” Slade dipped two fingers into his top jacket pocket and pulled out another familiar, small baggie.
Baby watched the baggie slip from Slade’s fingertips and land on the table, and her heartbeat pounded. She felt it in her head as the blood rocketed to her temples. Her skin crawled and her mouth watered at the thought of a tiny taste.
Slade’s licked his twisted lips. “Yeah, I’ll leave that for you to have later. When you’re ready for more, you know how to find me.” He crossed the room and knelt down in front of Baby, brushing his thumb over her lips before kissing her cheek.
She watched Slade walk out the door, closing it behind him.
After hearing his Jeep speed away, Baby counted to fifty before she clutched the bookcase, and pulled herself to a standing position, inching her way to the couch. Sitting across from the tiny baggie of coke, she stared at it, imagining what it would taste like. What it would feel like coursing through her veins.
Finally, she couldn’t fight the urge any longer. Baby plucked the baggie from the table and ran to the bedroom where she pulled out the tiny jewelry box mirror and the queen of hearts card she used for cutting. The setup had been tucked away for months, taunting her. She dumped the contents onto the mirror and used the card to chop the coke, making sure it was fine and clump-free, and then cut off a line. Baby withdrew a dollar bill from a shoebox she kept under her bed.
Her hands trembled as she rolled the bill up. She placed it to her nose and sniffed her way down the line. As the drug hit her nose, Baby’s entire body eased. Her tense muscles retracted. She did a second line using the other nostril. Both sides went numb, and her heart rate quickened. She ground her teeth as the rush hit her. The after drip down the back of her throat was bitter, causing her to shiver in distaste, mixed with the immediate goose bumps of her heart racing and her blood skyrocketing through her veins
***
Baby Jade spent the next few days in a drug-induced haze. The house was spotless due to her sporadic manic episodes. She felt strangely alive as she took turns taking out her energy bursts on the treadmill and the stationary bike. She toyed with the idea of joining a gym but decided it was best not to have to interact with actual people.
Ma’Linn had been by a couple of times, but never stayed long. She told Baby she still hadn’t heard from Phillipe. This is the longest time he has ever gone without showing up for a shower or food. She filled her in on her mother, telling her that things were the same. Rozalie still didn’t want to see Baby. She was doing well for the most part, but they had to sedate her more often.
Nothing held her attention for long, and she didn’t care about the things that she had once found important. She rambled off at the mouth about anything that came to mind.
Now that Baby stayed high, the manic episodes dissipated and she became sloppy, but work went on as usual. It helped that Rodney needed Lucky’s help at the shop. Mickey said they had a big job and were having to work all hours of the night. Lucky wouldn’t be in for a couple of weeks. She suspected Slade had something to do with his disappearance, but this time she was thankful for his interference. Not that she would dare tell him that.
Slade had become a regular at the club again. Mickey seemed happy to have things getting back to normal. The same could not be said for Lolli and the other girls. They were pissed to be put on the back burner again.
Baby stayed high, but still made it through her performances, and then topped off the night with a sedative to counteract the coke.
The pathetic routine was working right up until the night Lucky showed up for his shift. Baby was already halfway blitzed, and giving a lap dance when Lucky walked into the club. She didn’t notice him right away since she had gotten out of the habit of glancing over at his empty stool. Slade and all his goons sat at their usual table. He reached out and slapped Baby Jade on the ass as she walked around the group of men, flirting her way to bigger tips. Falling into routine, she laughed off his antics as he pulled her onto his lap.