Page 95 of Marks of Rebellion

"I knew that woman would wreck you."

I clench my jaw and avoid his eyes. Ava was my girlfriend I met in Australia. She quietly moved into my home while I was on a rescue mission. I was working a lot, so when I was home, I didn't mind. It made it convenient, and she made sure to pay lots of attention to me the few days of the month I saw her.

Tinker came to visit once and met her. He warned me. He saw things about her I didn't. All his comments did was make me angry.

But I was stupid. I didn't know the de facto laws of the country. The day she moved in, she switched her driver's license and anything else she could to my address. Precisely two years to the date of her cohabitation with me, she informed me that it was time to break up. It didn't bother me. She was fun, but I wasn't in love with her. That is until she pulled the pin out of the grenade. Ava explained that after two years of living in my house, it didn't matter that we weren't married or she didn't pay a penny toward the house or upkeep. She conveniently could claim her cohabitation with me, and she wasn't moving out until I paid her for her portion of the house. The next work trip I left for, she changed the locks, and I had no recourse until I settled up with a fat check.

He drops his voice. "How much did she take you for?"

"I had to pay her half the value of the house for her to leave, plus all the attorney fees," I admit, and my stomach twists. "Took me two years after she dumped me before she finally moved out."

Tinker whistles. "That would make me never bring another woman home."

"I was going to take Vanessa there," I say before thinking.

"The girl upstairs?"

"Yeah."

"Who you just met?"

"Yeah."

Tinker cocks his eyebrows.

"What?"

"You don't waste time."

"What does that mean?"

He shakes his head. "You just moved one girl out and are going to move another one in?"

"Nope. We're done."I screwed that up all by myself.

"Well, that was short-lived. At least you didn't have to write her a check."

"That's not even—"Oh shit.

Vanessa is standing in the doorway, gaping.

And this night keeps getting better.

She turns and bolts from the room.

"Fuck." I slam my hand on the table so hard, the beer bottles fall. I rise. "Vanessa."

"Shit. Sorry," Tinker mutters.

I point in his face. "She's not Ava, not even close."

He holds his hands in the air. "My bad. I shouldn't have—"

"Whatever." I storm out of the room.

"Vanessa, wait up," Julieta calls out, following her.

I catch up to Julieta. "Out of the way."