53. Relic

Chapter fifty-three

Relic

C amila and I didn't have much. I could not have cared less if I had a thing from the apartment, but there were a few items that Camila wanted, and I needed her to feel secure. I felt like my skin was on fire as Isaiah drove into the parking lot of my apartment complex. Noah sat in the passenger seat, Abby beside me in the back.

"As soon as I get out of this car, someone's going to call Eric." I had mentioned this before, but they didn't seem phased.

"I hope they do," Abby mumbled, and she hopped out first. Isaiah followed and I sat still, wondering if this was the best idea. Noah glanced at me in the rearview mirror.

"You don't have to do this," he said. "I'll take you back home, you tell us what we need, and we'll get it for you. Either that or give me a list and we'll buy it for you."

I shook my head. "Rent hasn't been paid for the past two months. They'll trash everything in there soon. I'm afraid I'll forget something and then I won't be able to retrieve it. Camila's attached to some of her stuff, and I don't want her to feel like her entire life's gone."

"Then let's go." Noah exited the car and I followed. Isaiah went up the stairs first, then me and Noah brought up the rear as Abby stayed by the car.

I had gone up and down these stairs hundreds of times, but this time it felt like I had the scope of a rifle trained on my back. The muscles in my neck twitched as the door wasn't locked, and when I opened it, my stomach cramped. Not that I wanted any of the shit in here, but the place was nearly stripped clean. Everything but my and Camila's clothes and her small collection of toys and stuffed animals.

I circled Camila and Lyra's room and noted that not one of Lyra's things remained. I don't know why it bothered me, but it did.

"You okay?" Noah asked.

Not really. "I'm mad at her, and she sure as fuck is mad at me, but Lyra's still my sister. I know it sounds stupid, but I miss her."

"It's not stupid. Isaiah felt that way about his mom, too."

"Does it get better?" I asked.

"Some things are always going to hurt, but you do find ways to be happy. At some point, the happy will outweigh the bad."

So far, this was one of the things I liked about Noah and Isaiah, they told it straight.

I went to work packing Camila's clothes that were worth saving and then shoved her stuffed animals and toys on top. I did a walkthrough of my room and took a phone charger, a thumb drive that had pictures of Camila as a baby and toddler, my favorite pair of jeans, my work clothes from Bluegrass Mountain, and two T-shirts. Other than that, there was nothing of this old life that I wanted to take with me into the new one.

Noah waited for me in the living room and, when I walked out, I noticed how he took note of how I only filled one bag. "Got everything you need?"

"I have everything I want," I responded.

"Good enough for me."

"Noah," Isaiah called from the front door. "We're live."

"What's that mean?" I asked.

Noah moved to stand in front of me. "Eric's here."

My stomach dropped. This was the last thing I wanted. "Abby's out there."

"Trust me, Abby's fine."

"You don't know Eric," I began.

"And you don't know Abby. I promise you that a chill runs through Eric's blood at the mention of her name. Even I won't say her name three times in front of a mirror. Plus, Abby enjoys playing with fire. It's her hobby. So, this is the plan. We go down. Isaiah's got your front. I got your six. You go straight to the car and don't acknowledge his existence."

"And if Eric approaches me?"

"He won't," Noah said.

I hit the bag against the side of my legs. "I'm not looking to bring problems to you or anyone else."

"You're not. Eric is your past. Leave him there. Me, Rachel, Isaiah, and Abby have. You can, too."

"If Macie breaks up with me tomorrow," I hedged, "you, Isaiah, and Abby still going to have my back with Eric? I'm taking one hell of a gamble trusting you."

"Let's shove to the side I owe you for saving my daughter."

"You don't owe me for anything."

"Regardless," he continued, "treat my daughter with respect and you and I won't have problems. You're both young. If things don't work out, they don't work out, but you handle any situation above board. While Macie asked me to help you, I'm not doing it for her. I'm doing it because I wish someone had done this for me. I wish I had been placed in a good, safe home that gave me all the opportunities I had lost. So, yes, when it comes to Eric, we will have your back."

I nodded, and when I walked out the door, Isaiah started down the stairs. I followed and Noah brought up the rear. Eric pushed off his car he'd been leaning against and moved in our direction.

"Keep walking to the car," Noah said. "He's your past."

As Eric got closer, Abby slipped to stand in front of him. "Hello, Eric. Miss me?"

"Like I miss having infected splinters in my toes."

"Aw, you've always been such a flirt. Know how to say all the things that make a girl swoon."

"How's prison treating your daddy, Abby?" Eric countered. "I'm sure he's counting down the days to probation. Oh, wait, that won't happen for him."

"I'll ask him when I see him next week. Should I tell him we ran into each other? I'm sure he'll find that super interesting. You know how Dad is—he likes to keep a pulse on the old neighborhood."

Eric frowned and I hardly ever saw him do such a thing. "Back it up, Abby. This situation doesn't involve you. You and I don't need to have problems."

"I agree," she said. "We don't have problems because that kid over there belongs to us now."

"No matter what they told you, Relic." Eric called out. "It doesn't have to be this way. They aren't your only option. If I'd known you wanted some place to live, it could have been with me."

"Don't acknowledge him," Noah said.

"You might be happy for a few weeks," Eric continued, "but eventually you'll figure out they don't understand you. You'll never fit in with them."

"He's trying to push buttons," Noah said. "Ignore him."

I didn't feel compelled to look at Eric let alone answer. Isaiah opened the trunk of his car, I deposited the bag, and Eric called out, "No matter what you do, you and I will always be family. Lyra is your family. Someday, you'll figure that out and I'll be here waiting. You're the one who's abandoning us. Just like your mom abandoned you. Don't be like your mom, Relic. Don't be the splitter."

A knife through my chest and I paused as his words caused slashing pain. Isaiah put a hand on his shoulder, "Don't let him gaslight you, kid. Get in the car."

"Eric, I'm the one in front of you," Abby said. "I can't believe how rude you're being to me. You'd think you'd be excited to catch up with an old friend."

"Abby, I would rather be attacked by piranhas."

"I can make that possible if you'd like," she offered.

I opened the back door and Eric called out, "How's your daughter, Noah? I heard she's had a rough few months."

My blood boiled and as I turned, Isaiah pushed me into the car. "Get in there and stay in there."

"He brought up Macie."

"We heard." He shut the door.

I went to get out, but the door was locked. Fucking child safety locks. As I went to go through the driver's side, Abby slipped inside to trap me in. "This one isn't your fight."

"Macie is my fight," I bit out.

"You fought for her. You saved her. And many thank you and salutations for that, but we already told you, Eric's not your problem anymore."

I glanced out the window and Noah stood toe to toe with Eric. Isaiah shoulder to shoulder with Noah. Noah and Eric were talking, but their postures said they were a split second from throwing punches. Eric, though, was the one who looked away first and then walked.

They stood there watching as Eric got in his car. My skin crawled that he hadn't left yet.

"Eric won't be a problem for you anymore," Abby said.

"You don't know that."

"I do. He's scared of us."

"Eric's scared of nothing."

"Eric's terrified of a loss of control. He can't control the three of us, and now he can't control you. Trust me, it's over now." As if Abby was a mind reader, Eric chose then to start his car and tear out of the parking lot.

"What did Noah say to him to make him back down?"

Abby flashed a smile that if I were on the street would have made me back up a mile. Damn, this woman was dangerous. "Magicians don't reveal the secrets of their tricks, do they? Because what would be the fun in that?"

I looked over at Noah and Isaiah, who both still watched to make sure Eric kept going. "What do you have on Eric?"

"You caught us. We know that Eric is secretly a Real Housewives superfan and we're threatening to tell the whole world. If we do, he'll die of embarrassment."

Her answer pissed me off. She noticed and tapped her fingers along the armrest. "Isaiah and Noah reminded Eric they have information and connections that scare even the hell out of him."

"The FBI?" I asked. "And your dad?"

"Aw, Mozart's a harmless kitten, and Eric's not nearly as scared of the law as he should be."

Mozart was a harmless kitten my ass, but I wasn't running my mouth to his daughter. "What's their connection?"

"That's their story to tell, but let me put it to you this way. Isaiah, Noah, and I, we grew up on these streets same as you. You might look at the two of them and see civilized guys, but they are one step from returning to those teenage boys who were constantly fighting for their lives. You understand that fighting-for-survival instinct. It's the one that has you crawling up my ass with questions. The three of us have your back. That's all you need to know."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" she countered.

"You said Noah and Isaiah are one step from uncivilized. What about you?"

She gave me a devilish wink. "I have never had a civilized bone in my body. I was raised by Mozart, remember?"

"You said he was a kitten."

"So cute. Did you believe me?"

No, but I was smart enough to stay silent.

"I don't know your whole story," she said, "but if I can leave the streets behind, so can you."

We sat in silence for a minute, and now Isaiah and Noah were chatting with each other as if they were giving me and Abby time to talk. Finally, I told her my truth. "I don't feel civilized. I once told Macie I wasn't nice. That I'd do whatever I had to do to survive. I wasn't lying to her. How the hell do I trust all of you and turn that off? Eric's right. I'm never going to fit into any other life than this one."

"You don't turn off your instinct to survive," she said. "But you do learn to trust. Slowly. I'm not civilized, but I have my family who keep me grounded. I love them, I trust them, and they love and trust me in return. Let people in, Relic. That's how you leave all this behind."

"Is it that easy?" Because that was how she was making it sound, and I never trusted easy.

"No, it's hard as hell, but it's worth it."

"You scared the hell out of people when you sold drugs, didn't you?"

"I scare the hell out of people now. Now, get your seatbelt on. I plan on driving us home, and I like to drive superfast." She produced Isaiah's keys and I smirked.

"When did you lift them?"

"When he got out of the car. Watch out, he'll be a bear. He doesn't like it when other people, namely me, drive his car." She winked at me, and I settled back into my seat. Maybe I had a lot more in common with this family than I ever could have imagined.