Page 54 of Justice II

Monica had postpartum depression and didn’t bond well with our little girl. Eventually, I had to stay home more and hire a nanny because I was afraid to leave Storie alone with her. But through meds and therapy she got better. Their relationship got better.

“Maybe. I spoke with her therapist and she said that she wasn’t really seeing any signs of something to be afraid of.”

“Well Rita don’t fuck with her. And if Rita don’t fuck with somebody, even if it’s a fifteen-year-old girl — I think it’s worth noticing.”

I did too.

“Rita told me she wasn’t staying with me no more. She’d rather stay with Prime,” I laughed.

“Yeah ’cuz you got the Orphan staying with you.”

“Shut up,” I laughed. “Nothing has been proven.”

Roman. Storie. Melody.

Somebody was lying and I was determined to find out who.

19

Melody

MELODY

My first instinct was to call Justice and tell him what almost happened. He needed to know how dangerous Kira could be. If she was willing to go through such great lengths to set up a trap for me, there was no telling what she could do to harm him or those kids. No matter how deserving Storie was.

The pounding in my chest was relentless as I sped as quickly as I could away from her neighborhood.

Periodically I checked the rearview mirror but there was no one there. That didn’t shake my paranoia. Kira was insane.

What were her plans for me? What was she going to do to me the moment I walked in that house? That was it. I was done with these caregiving jobs. They’d landed me here. I needed something else to do to get my son back.

I can’t give up on him. But I felt like I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. There were no options for me.

As I drove I felt nauseous all over again. I made my way to a shopping center parking lot where I threw up on the ground.

Ugh.

I could feel it in my bones that I was pregnant. But I needed confirmation.

There was a CVS a few stores down. I rinsed my mouth with the water I had in the car, then headed toward it.

The sun beamed down on me, mocking me as it burned my eyes. It was too pretty a day for how I was feeling. The part of me that wanted to run and hide had to shut up for a while.

I got out of the car.

When I stepped into the store I rushed to the family planning section. I didn’t have the energy to compare brands. I picked up a box with two tests and took it to the register. The cashier asked if I had a rewards number. I shook my head and pulled out my card. Just take my damn money so I can be on my way.

“Would you like your receipt?”

“No.”

I snatched the bag and marched out of the store. I felt slightly bad about being snippy with the store clerk. It wasn’t her fault that I had poor pussy management. How in the hell did I let myself get caught up like this?

Back in the car, I tucked the bag into my purse. I didn’t want to see it while I drove.

I checked the mirror again before leaving the parking lot. Nobody was following me. I needed to get to Aubrey’s house before I made myself even sicker.

By the time I got there, my mouth tasted terrible and my head hurt. I wanted to lie down, but I couldn’t put this off. If I was pregnant, I needed to know.