CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

          THE LOOK OF BETRAYAL ON HER FRIENDS FACES WAS ENOUGH TO GET HER HEART PUMPING BEHIND HER RIBCAGE. It was a look that had never been directed at her before and she sat there, frozen, with her brows pulled together as she desperately tried to come up with an excuse. Beth had gotten to her feet and Annie dangled the phone in front of her accusingly.

Lucy opened and closed her mouth, nails digging into the armrests of the chair as she looked up at her friends.

"Jesus Christ." huffed Beth as she took the phone from her sister and tried to unlock it without success before she threw it onto the couch behind her. "You're sleeping with him, aren't you? What the hell were you thinking, Lucy?"

Annie let out an obnoxiously loud gasp and shot her gaze from her sister back to Lucy. "What is wrong with you? He's a criminal."

"Are you forgetting he tried to kill all of us?" retorted Beth, narrowing her eyes at her friends. "How long has this been going on?"

Lucy kept her mouth shut as she let her friends rant their disbelief and disgust at her while she tried to figure out how on earth she was going to get out of this. It was her own fault and she knew this. Lucy should never have lied to them but she just never knew hot to start that conversation and tell them the truth.

"Oh my god." said Beth suddenly as her glare intensified. "This has been going on since we robbed the store, hasn't it?"

The brunette shook her head slowly as Annie waited for the strawberry blonde to elaborate with her arms crossed over her chest. 

"What are you talking about?" demanded Annie.

"She never joined us with those little jobs he had us do, did she?" Beth seethed as she glanced between the two of them. "Always had some excuse about work or how she didn't want to be involved with crime anymore. So, tell me. How did you manage to pay him back because I sure as hell know that there is no way you could have paid the interest fees from your job alone."

Annie raised her brows as she turned to the brunette and waited for an explanation as her sister pierced it together.

Lucy shot both of them a glare of her own and said calmly, "I worked a different job for him when you went to Canada to pay off my debt."

"So you decided to fuck him instead?" gagged Annie.

"No," snapped Lucy and got to her feet because she felt small underneath their glares and wanted to feel somewhat in control in her own home. "I didn't. It wasn't like that. He found out I was a nurse and he made me clean up some of his men instead after a fight."

"Ohhh," Beth let out a humourless laugh and shook her head. "you cleaned up his men, did you?"

Lucy's face turned blank in anger, her nails digging in the palms of her hands as she stared at her friend. "What the fuck is your problem, Beth? You have no idea what's been going on and I don't appreciate you accusing me of things I didn't do."

"I don't care!" argued Beth as she threw her arms up. "I can't believe you're even associating yourself with the likes of him and didn't tell us. He's a maniac and he shot Dean. He tried to kill all of us, including you. Remember? I can't believe you."

"What is he paying you?" asked Annie as she put a hand on her hip. "He must be paying you, right?"

It felt like a smack to the face when the words escaped her mouth and she blinked at the younger woman. Her teeth clenched together as she looked between the two of them and let out a humourless laugh. 

"Get the fuck out." she barked out and took a step to the side and almost pulled the door off its hinges as she opened it for them. "And don't ever come back."

"We're done." grumbled Beth as she grabbed her sisters wrist and stormed out of the apartment.

Lucy slammed the door shut behind them as hard as she could and closed her eyes in frustration. She rubbed her hands over her face harshly and bit the inside of her cheek until it hurt. 

"Damn it."

          LUCY HADN'T TOLD RIO SHE'D GO BY HER APARTMENT AND SHE DIDN'T OWN ANY KEYS TO HIS. Which is why she now sat beside his front door with her phone on her lap. He had left to go to the warehouse later that morning and said he'd be back at the end of the afternoon and that was luckily not far away.

The brunette had left her apartment soon after she kicked Beth and Annie out. She had seen enough of the place and she felt uncomfortable staying there longer than she had to. 

But days had passed and even if he had told her she could stay, his son would arrive tomorrow and she felt like she was imposing anyway, so she had to go back.

Lucy was utterly screwed and there was no way her friendship was ever going to be the same after this, but if she were honest, she didn't know if she wanted it to be. She loved them dearly, but ever since they robbed that grocery store, she felt them drifting apart for all the wrong reasons.  Beth was obsessed with money and it felt as if she found that more important recently.

"Can I help you?"

The woman lifted her tired gaze away from her phone and peered up as a woman rounded the corner and stopped beside the door opposite of her. She wore a pair of baggy jeans and a large army green jacket, a polite smile on her face as she looked at Lucy.

"Uh," she furrowed her brows as she was snapped from her thoughts. "I'm staying with a friend ... forgot the spare keys inside, so i'm locked out. He's gonna be home any second."

"You're staying with Christopher?"

Lucy tilted her head to the side as she looked at the woman, confused.

"That's the door you're leaning against." she smiled, amused.

"Oh," she nodded then. "yeah. I'm staying with Christopher."

The woman let out a small chuckle and unlocked her own door, stepping inside to put her bag somewhere before she peeked her head out again. "Want to wait inside? That floor cannot be comfortable."

Christopher?

Lucy did not have to think twice about the offer and pushed herself back to her feet with a small nod. The brunette wanted to snoop and there was no better place to do that than at a neighbours house. 

"I'm Tabitha, by the way." 

"Lucy," smiled the woman as she hoisted her bag over her shoulder.

Just as she was about to take a step forward she saw Rio round the corner with a brown paper grocery bag in his hand. He met her gaze and raised his brows, eyes sliding up and down as he took her in for a moment. He wore his beanie and a black denim jacket over the rest of his clothes. His eyes slid to Tabitha and he gave her a pleasant smile.

"Hey, Tabi." he said as he fished his keys from his pocket and walked to his door to unlock it. "How you been?"

"Good," she nodded with a smile and peered at Lucy. "your friend locked herself out so I offered her to wait inside with me."

"Yeah, a bit clumsy that one." he chuckled and held the door open for the brunette to walk through. Lucy narrowed her eyes at him to which he grinned. "Thanks, Tabitha. Have a good night."

"You too." she said, and closed the door behind her as she entered her own apartment and turned the lock. 

Rio's lips were still turned into a grin as Lucy passed him and brushed her shoulder against his before he closed the door behind them when they were both inside. The woman shrugged her jacket off and kicked off her shoes beside the door as he put the bag on the kitchen island. 

"Lock yourself out, huh?" he directed at her, but his back was facing the woman. "Where did you go?"

Lucy took a sharp inhale and sat on one of the barstools as he put away groceries in the fridge. His shoulders were tense and she wanted to know what he was thinking. "Home," 

He peered over his shoulder and met her gaze. He ran his tongue over his teeth and nodded his head slowly and turned to face her as he closed the fridge. He rested his elbows on the counter in front of him and gave her all his attention. 

"How'd it go?"

"Did you shoot Dean?"

That man had nothing to do with any of this and despite her dislike for Beth's husband, he did not deserve to be shot at. The woman watched his face, trying to take in any micro expressions, but there were none. His face gave away nothing and her brows furrowed.

"Did you?" she repeated.

Rio looked away for a moment before nodding his head. "Needed to teach that bitch a lesson."

"So you shot an innocent man?" 

"Innocent?" he shot, pushing himself upright and gripping the counter. "None of them are innocent, Lucy. They'd throw you under the bus if they got the chance and you know it."

Lucy kissed her teeth and let out a long breath in annoyance as she took in his words. It was something Ruby would never do, hell even Annie wouldn't. But if she was honest with herself she could see Beth do it. Especially after the fight they had today and it worried her.

No, she wasn't going to cry and she bit her tongue to prevent it.

"This is so fucked up." she muttered and rubbed at her face. "I'm just going to grab my stuff and i'll me out of your hair before Marcus comes."

"Is that what you want?" his eyes narrowed as she slid from the stool. 

"I don't know what I want right now, Christopher."

blah blah blah such a bad chapter but alas here we are. i am not going to follow the show anymore from now on, except some scenes here and there you might recognise but i'm not going to follow the seasons. 

also sorry for the lack of updates. i've had issues with my wisdom tooth and had to get it removed like a week and a half ago and then had to get a root canal because my wisdom tooth was pressing into my molar too much which caused a cavity and i am in so much pain. need to finish the root canal in two weeks and i can't even properly close my mouth at the moment.