Lucky's Choice (8 page)

Driving home, her hand went to her throat, touching the spot Lucky’s lips had brushed. Why had he touched her? He had made no attempt to touch her before. The coward in her wanted to shy away from him, run when he was near. However, the bolder side of her, which she had never given reign to, had wanted more than the brief touch he had given her, even if the attraction she felt was one-sided.

She stopped in her driveway, and for a split second, she wanted to escape the responsibilities waiting for her inside. She was so tired of doing everything herself. Just once, she wished she had someone to lean on, to share her problems with instead of constantly worrying about the decisions she was making. Gathering her purse, she locked her car.

As she was unlocking her front door, she heard a motorcycle roar past. Willa paused, seeing Lucky ride by on the main street. Envying him his freedom, she went inside.

“All done?” Willa asked Rachel, who was sitting at the table with Sissy.

“Just finished.” Rachel closed the laptop before rising to her feet.

“I appreciate you keeping an eye on the children while I went out.”

“I’m happy to help.” Rachel grinned at her. “Sissy is almost caught up with her work. A couple more sessions and she should be good for the rest of the school year.”

“Let me know how much I owe you—” Willa began.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Rachel shook her head. “I enjoy working with Sissy. Since Cash built me a lab at the factory, I spend too much time buried in my work.”

“Cash is like a different man since he’s married you.”

Rachel’s face glowed with happiness. “I never thought that he’d settle down and make such a wonderful husband.”

Willa reached out without thought, giving Rachel a hug. Rachel gave her a strange look when she released her.

“I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you voluntarily touch someone.”

Willa blushed.

“I better be going.” Rachel picked up her laptop. “Sissy, I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

All Rachel received in response was a curt nod.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Willa began straightening the living room, expecting Sissy to give her the silent treatment as she went to her room.

“Why did you wait for Rachel to get here before you left?” Her tone alerted Willa to the fact that Sissy was angry.

“I didn’t want to leave Chrissy, Charlie, and Caroline unsupervised,” she explained.

“I could have watched my cousins,” she snapped.

“I won’t leave them alone with you again until I’m sure you will watch them closer than you did the last time,” Willa explained.

Sissy stood, her hands clenching into fists. “You fat bitch, they’re my family, not yours. As soon as I turn eighteen, I’ll get custody of them and take care of them myself.”

Willa wished she could become immune to the insults Sissy was constantly giving her, but the fact was each hurt as much as the first one she had given the night she had brought the children home.

“Do you seriously believe that Child Services will give you the children? You don’t even have a job to support them.” Willa tried to make the girl see reason.

“I’ll find one when I graduate.”

“Really? Because I haven’t seen you lift a hand to so much as load the dishwasher. You think you will be able to find a job that will give you the finances to support the five of you in a town filled with unemployed workers?”

“If you can do it, I can.” Her arrogance was dooming Sissy to failure.

“Sissy, I’m working before you get up in the morning and long after you go to sleep. If you have the motivation, then you can accomplish your goal, but you’re going to have to have a bigger motivation than trying to hurt me.”

“Sorry I’m not going to kill someone so that I won’t be a lonely, old hag. Do you think giving them a home to live in is going to make up for murdering their father?”

Despite herself, Willa couldn’t hide her wince. “I think you should go to bed.”

“I’m going.” Sissy stomped to the stairway in a teenage snit that had her believing she was right and everyone else was screwed up. “Willa, the next time you go out, I’ll watch the kids.” Her hands were clenched by her sides when she made her demand.

“No, Sissy, you won’t. It’s not about proving you’re capable of watching them or that you can make me give in to you; it’s about their safety.”

“Are you saying they aren’t safe with me?” she spat at her hatefully.

“I’m saying I won’t take the chance with their safety,” she countered.

“I’m going to prove you wrong. I’ll make sure we’re here only long enough for me to turn eighteen.”

“Go for it, Sissy. Prove me wrong. No one will be on your side, cheering you on as much as me.”

Sissy’s mouth tightened into a sneer. “I hate you!”

“I love you,” Willa replied, listening to the girl run up the steps and slamming her bedroom door.

“Lord, give me the strength to deal with her pain. Can my life become any more difficult?” she mumbled the question out loud to herself as she straightened the couch cushions.

Loud music blared down the steps.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Chapter 6

A knock sounded at the door as Willa was placing a cake in the oven. Using a dish towel, she wiped the powdered sugar from her fingertips as she went to answer it.

“I’ve got it.”

Willa watched as Sissy came down the steps, dressed in a short skirt and cream tank top. Sissy opened the door, revealing a young man Willa wished she didn’t recognize.

“Hey, Sissy, you ready?” Jace asked, his eyes going over Sissy’s trim body appreciatively.

Before she could answer, Willa broke in. “Where are you going?”

Sissy rolled her eyes at Jace before she answered. “We’re going to a movie. I’ll be back later.”

“I’ll expect you by ten,” Willa stated firmly.

Sissy brushed past Jace, leaving without either confirming or denying she would keep her curfew.

“I’ll have her back by ten,” Jace promised before following after the headstrong girl.

“Thanks,” Willa said, closing the door after them.

Returning to the kitchen, she continued with her baking. She had several orders to complete tonight so they could be delivered in the morning.

She worked steadily until she had frosted the last order of two dozen cupcakes for a birthday party. Closing the pretty pink box, she glanced at the clock, frowning when she saw the time—ten forty-five.

“So much for Jace’s promises.” Biting her lip, she went to her living room window, looking outside at the empty street.

Taking her cell phone out of her pocket, she called Sissy’s phone. When she didn’t answer, she called Drake, Jace’s father.

“Hello.”

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Drake, but are Jace and Sissy there?”

“No, Jace isn’t here. Why would Sissy be here?” he said sharply.

“They went out earlier tonight. I asked Sissy to be home by ten, and she’s not home yet.”

“He’s out with Sissy?”

“Yes. Do you have a problem with him dating Sissy?” Willa began to feel outrage on behalf of Sissy.

“I don’t”—his voice was filled with amusement—“but his girlfriend Nicole might.”

“Oh. Do you have any idea where they could be?”

“No, Jace doesn’t confide in me where he takes his women.”

“Sissy is just seventeen. She’s a child,” Willa snapped.

“Maybe to you and me, but not to Jace.” Willa sensed that Drake thought she was overreacting. “Hang on, Willa. I have another call.” The other end of the phone went silent.

She was about to hang up in frustration when he came back on the line.

“I know where they are. I’ll be there in five minutes to pick you up.”

“Wait, I have the other children … I can’t just leave.”

“They’re at the sheriff’s office.” His statement had Willa’s protests dying on her lips.

“I’ll be ready.” Willa disconnected the call before hastily punching in another number. Thankfully, her neighbor from across the street agreed to come over.

Willa was stepping out her front door when Drake pulled up in her driveway.

“What did they do?” Willa asked as soon as she closed his car door.

“You know as much as I do. Knox told me he would talk to both of us when we reached his office.”

“Do you think it’s really bad?” Willa asked worriedly, never having dealt with a problem like this before.

Drake took his eyes off the road for a second. “Yes, Willa, I think it’s bad.”

His grim response had her apprehension increasing until her nerves were wrung tightly. When they arrived at the sheriff’s office, she followed Drake, who seemed much more familiar with the situation than she was.

They took a seat until Knox called them into his office. Then Drake demanded answers as soon as Knox closed his door, confirming her suspicions that Drake had been in this position before.

“What did Jace do this time?”

Knox motioned for them to take a seat. When they were both seated, the sheriff took the chair behind his desk.

“Jace, Cal, and Sissy were caught breaking into the factory of The Last Riders.”

Willa’s heart sank in dismay.

“Why in the fuck did they want to break into the factory?” Drake was angrily unfazed.

“Jace said he had heard that one of the buildings held a motorcycle collection, and he and Cal wanted to see it. Sissy went along with them.”

“Who caught them?” Drake’s hands clenched on the arms of his chair.

“Shade. Their security system alerted them to the break-in.”

Willa was unable to raise her voice past a hoarse whisper. “How much trouble are they in?”

“Viper’s not pressing charges this time, but if he catches them trespassing again, he will. They busted the lock on the front door, and he wants it replaced.”

“I’ll take care of it. I’ll call Viper and thank him for not pressing charges.” Drake stood.

Willa, still following Drake’s lead, stood also, drawing Knox’s gaze.

“Unfortunately, Ms. Tackett was in the office, dropping off paperwork, when Shade brought them in.”

Willa paled. Flora Tackett was the worker supervising the case involving Georgia and Lewis’s children.

“I was able to keep the bitch from taking Sissy into state custody, but if she gets in trouble again, that’s where Sissy and the rest of the children will be placed.” Knox’s words stopped Willa in her tracks.

“I’ll keep a better eye on her,” Willa promised. “Thank you, Knox.”

“That girl has more problems than you can handle.” Knox’s stern voice sent warning signals through her brain. If he could see it, then everyone else did, too. It was only a matter of time before she lost all the children due to her inability to control them.

“I’ll talk to her and make her understand what’s at stake.”

A flicker of sympathy shone in his eyes. “Would you like me to talk to her?”

Willa shook her head. “I’ll handle it.”

Both men didn’t hide their skepticism. However, Rachel had already tried and had been met with resentment, and Knox didn’t seem the type to tolerate Sissy’s disrespect for authority.

Knox picked up a set of keys from his desk. Opening the door, he motioned them forward as he walked down a hallway, leaving them in a small room alone as he went to get Jace, Cal, and Sissy.

“I think’s it’s best if Sissy doesn’t see Jace again,” Willa broached the sensitive subject.

“You think you’re going to be able to keep two randy teenagers from seeing each other? It will make the situation worse,” Drake warned.

“I think it’s for the best,” Willa repeated firmly.

Drake shrugged. “It’s your call. I’ll have a talk with Jace.”

The metal door opened, and the three teenagers were led into the room with varying expressions. The boys were apprehensive, while Sissy was openly defiant.

“Let’s go home, Sissy.” Willa started to touch her arm, but she jerked away.

“I don’t have a home.”

Willa didn’t become angry at her reaction since it was her fault the girl’s world had been turned upside-down.

Sissy was smart enough to recognize the others weren’t as sympathetic to her treatment of Willa.

“I’ll drive you and Sissy home,” Drake offered.

As they left the office, Willa and the others were the center of attention. Lucky, Rider, and another biker Willa didn’t recognize were standing in the waiting area. The teenagers lost what bravado they had when they saw the bikers waiting for them.

Rider was the one who took a step forward, blocking Jace and Cal.

“All you had to do was ask me to see my bikes. You didn’t have to resort to breaking and entering.” Rider’s reaction wasn’t what Willa was expecting. The biker was almost affable to the teenagers.

Jace and Cal both looked shamefaced, while Sissy was too busy ogling the bikers.

“We’re sorry, Rider,” Jace apologized when his father gave him a nudge forward.

“Make it up to me. How did you find out about the bikes?” Rider’s voice was friendly, as if they were all good ol’ boys. Regardless, sudden comprehension filled Willa as she realized his true motive for coming across laid-back. He wanted to know who was talking about their club’s business. Willa had a horrible feeling she knew who had inadvertently supplied the information.

“I told them,” Willa spoke up, turning bright red.

With all the attention now focused on her, she felt the flood of red run up from her chest to her face.

“How did you find out about the bikes?” Rider asked quizzically.

She became nervous under his scrutiny. Unconsciously, she licked her bottom lip before tugging on it with her teeth. “I-I … must have heard it from somewhere. Drake was telling me he was going to buy Jace a motorcycle, and I told him maybe Rider would sell him one.”

“Is that so?” Rider turned to Drake.

Willa’s eyes wildly flew to Drake who was staring at her in bemusement at her flustered behavior.

“Uh … That’s right.” Jace and Cal’s faces had lit up with excitement before Drake crushed their burgeoning hopes. “Of course, now after this lame-ass stunt, I wouldn’t buy him a secondhand tricycle to ride.”

Their disappointment provided Drake with the opportunity to punish them more effectively than she would be able to Sissy. She never asked Willa for anything. The only thing Sissy would let Willa provide her with was food and a bed. Anything extra she needed was provided by an allowance from her mother’s insurance money, and Sissy kept track of every penny in the account.