Read Online Ruthless by Gillian Archer - Free Book Online

her kid walking in the door. So Reb took me in.”
    “Shit,” Bobby whispered.
    “I couldn’t afford to pay rent. But Reb still took me, gave me a roof over my head and food in my belly. I worked like hell to pay him back, but it never feels like it’s enough. I’d die for that guy. But until then, how about you let me pay it forward?”
    Bobby jerked his head in a short nod.
    “All right. Let’s go get your shit.”
    “I, uh—”
    “Kid, I can promise you there’s nothing at your house that I didn’t see a thousand times at my own. Don’t sweat it.”
    “Yeah. Okay.”
    This time the drive was less awkward. Bobby was still a bundle of nerves. He practically twitched with every bump in the road, but he was a little more relaxed. At least he wasn’t worried anymore about what Zag would find when they got to his house.
    Or so Zag thought.
    When he pulled the truck into Bobby’s driveway, the kid unbuckled his seat belt and turned to him with a panicked frown. “Just stay here. I’ll get my stuff.”
    He was out of the truck and halfway to the front door before Zag could open his mouth.
    “Fuck that.” Zag was just as quick as he tore up the driveway and through the front door. He didn’t bother knocking.
    “Well, you’re no picnic to live with, either!” A haggard woman he assumed was Bobby’s mother shouted at his back. She swung around when Zag slammed his way through the door. “Who the hell are you?”
    “I’m your worst fucking nightmare, bitch.”
    If it was possible, Bobby’s druggie mother got paler. But still she tried to hold her ground. “Get out of my house.”
    Zag laughed and walked right past her.
    “Fine. You take that piece-of-shit kid I used to call a son and get outta my house.” She sat back down on the couch and hunched over the drug paraphernalia on the coffee table. “Worst mistake of my life when I decided to keep the baby and not abort the little bastard.”
    Zag punched his fist through the television on his way out of the room.
    “You fucking piece of shit,” she shrieked at his back.
    Zag tossed her a little wave as he walked down the hall.
    When he found Bobby’s bedroom he couldn’t help but wince. Despite the stack of newspapers and candy wrappers he’d dodged in the hallway—and he didn’t even want to think about what was in that mess of a living room that he’d waded through—Bobby’s room was pristine. Hell, he could probably eat off the floor.
    Bobby would go batshit crazy in Zag’s house.
    Fuck it.
    “So what are we taking?” Zag grabbed a bandana from his back pocket and wrapped it around his bleeding knuckles.
    “I thought I told you to wait out front.” Bobby didn’t look up as he continued to load clothes into the garbage bag he had on the bed.
    “It’ll go faster with two of us. So what do you need? I have two extra beds but if you want to keep this one, we’ll load her up.”
    “Nah. All I need are my clothes and my kitchen knives.”
    Zag nodded even though Bobby wasn’t looking in his direction. He couldn’t hold back the shudder as a roach crawled across his boot. Without hesitation, he ruthlessly kicked the roach into the doorjamb. Damn shame about the huge crack in the wood.
    Christ, this place brought back memories—shit he’d rather forget. Just the smell alone would probably give him nightmares for a few days. That mix of sweat, dope, and air freshener had been a brand of his childhood. Fuck, he’d rather be anywhere than here. Wiring would’ve been better than revisiting this little gem from his past.
    “You ready, kid?”
    Bobby tied the plastic garbage bag closed and grabbed his knife kit. “Yup.”
    “Be sure. Trust me, you don’t want to come back here if you can help it.”
    “I’ve got everything.”
    “Then let’s roll.”
    This time when they walked through the living room, Bobby’s mom didn’t look up from the coffee table. Apparently the sight of her kid walking through the door for the last time