I’d slept in my clothes, and at an angle that made every part of my body complain at top volume as I rolled off the bed. My head throbbed in time with Ronnie’s tirade of curse words. “Swear to Christ, Mom, I’m going to come in that shit heap you call a trailer one day and chop your head off. Then I can stick it on top of the Christmas tree in my pad and have a happy fuckin’ holiday!” I picked up my boots and stepped out of my room, leaving the key in the lock. “Dude,” I said to Ronnie when he spun to look at me. “Family therapy. Seriously.” He squawked when I reached out and snatched his car keys from his front pocket. “What the fuck!”Staring into his eyes without blinking, I showed him my knife. “The keys to the land whale are in my room. I think it needs a new fan belt. Leaks oil, too.” If anyone was tracking me—or Viv’s car—I didn’t have to make it too easy for them. Ronnie didn’t try to stop me when I got into his truck and cranked the engine. Maybe he wasn’t as dumb as he looked.
