Page 83 of All That Glitters

“Okay,” I repeat, like a broken record. “Thanks, Del.”

I hang up before I break down and search the closet for a bag. I find one on the top shelf, but I’m not sure what to pack. Almost everything is ruined.

I’m eternally grateful that I haven’t started buying baby things yet. I think that would have broken my heart. Everything else here is just stuff. My important docs are at the bank, having learned the hard way that nothing is safe at an MC. So many light-fingered bunnies and hangarounds over the years have only reinforced that notion. Somehow, I’m more grateful for that lesson now than I ever was before.

I manage to find some untouched toiletries and makeup products that haven’t been ruined. I put them in the bag along with a few other items, but most of the stuff will need to be replaced, eating into the savings I put aside for the baby.

“You don’t need much,” I say out loud, reminding myself I’ve had far less and been in far worse situations. I look at the floor near the foot of the bed and swallow down a sob when I see a familiar ear sticking out. I bend down, pick up the stuffed bunny, the only remnants I have of the girl I used to be, and hold it to my chest. It’s just a stuffed animal, nothing in the grand scheme of things, but it’s enough to break me. I drop to my knees, gasping for breath as the futility of it all comes crashing down on me. Why does the universe hate me? What the hell did I do wrong?

I whip my head around when I hear thumping on my door and whimper until I hear Del calling my name. I get to my feet and hurry on unsteady legs to the door that I must have closed and locked on autopilot. I unlock it and swing it open, only to find myself being pulled into Del’s arms.

“You scared the crap out of me,” she hisses, squeezing me tightly. She pushes me back so she can look me over. “You’re okay? You’re not hurt?”

“They were gone before I got home.”

“I wasn’t sure if you were just saying that, so I didn’t drive like a lunatic to get here.”

“Seems to me you still drove like a lunatic to get here.”

“You’re my friend, Hazel. That’s what friends do.” She swallows before her eyes drift over my shoulder. They widen, her mouth dropping open at the damage before anger drenches her features. “That motherfucker.”

“No. This isn’t Midas’s style,” I tell her gently.

“Hazel—”

I shake my head before nodding to the apartment next door. “It’s his style, though.”

She narrows her eyes at me before turning to look at his door.

“Don’t. He tried to get fresh with me before. Midas stopped him?—”

She whips around to look at me, but I hold up my hand to stop her. “I know I have a lot to share, but not here. Not now. Can we just get the fuck out of here, and I’ll explain?”

She blows out a frustrated breath but nods. “Fine. You have a bag ready to go?”

“In the bedroom.”

She eases past me to grab it, pulling out her cell phone as she passes. She snaps photos of everything as she mutters under her breath. When she gets to the bedroom, she lets out a bunch of curses that make a biker blush before she returns with my bag over her shoulder and my bunny in her hand. She passes the bunny to me before cupping my cheek.

“I swear to god I’m gonna murder whoever the fuck did this.”

I feel tears pricking my eyes. “It’s just stuff. The apartment isn’t exactly great anyway.”

“Don’t try and bullshit a bullshitter Hazel. This was your home, the first place you landed when you finally found your wings and some motherfucker shit all over it. It’s not just stuff.”

“No, it’s not just stuff,” I whisper as she takes my hand and leads me out. I don’t bother locking the door. There’s no point now.

I walk in a daze to Del’s car, climb in the passenger seat, and close the door before Del taps on the glass. “I forgot something. I’ll be right back. Lock the doors and don’t open them for anyone but me.”

“Del—”

“I’ll be quick.”

She’s gone before I can stop her. I lean forward and bang my head against the dashboard. It would be just my luck that she’d spray paint a giant dick on my neighbor’s door. And as I never get away with anything, they’d blame me and I’d get a fine. And lord knows I won’t be getting my deposit back anytime soon.

I rub my hand over my face and nearly jump out of my fucking skin when the locks beep and Del jumps into the driver’s seat.

“What’s wrong?”