“Gonna go bad for you, you believe that,” he replied. “Now, go home.”

Done with this shit, he turned and had moved up two steps before he felt her coming up after him.

So he turned back.

He looked down his nose at her and stated, “Right. This is not gonna happen. I told you to go home and I did that repeatedly. I told you we were done. I told you that you were no longer welcome here. You follow me up these fuckin’ stairs, I’ll slam the door in your face. You knock, I am not fuckin’ with you, Mia, I’ll open the door, cuff you, and arrest you for harassment.”

He watched her eyes grow huge.

“I’ll take you in myself,” he continued. “You’ll be booked. I’ll press charges, woman. Not fuckin’ with you on that either. And I do that, your man in Bloomington will know you came to visit me. Everyone will know the state of play between you and me, that bein’ me makin’ a very public statement that I’m tryin’ to make now privately. We…are…” He bent slightly to her. “Done. Now, do not make me make a fool of you. I won’t enjoy it. But I sure as fuck will do it.”

He didn’t give her a chance to react or reply.

He moved up the rest of the steps, walked to his condo, and let himself in.

He locked the door behind him.

He took off his jacket and swung it on the back of a dining room chair.

She didn’t knock.

Finally, she was getting smart.

He took out his phone and checked it, just in case.

Nothing from Cher.

He felt his mouth get tight as he walked back to his jacket to pull out his smokes.

He needed one because Mia was in his shit, Cher was not, and he hadn’t had one since he’d stopped for lunch in Brown County.

The autumn leaves were phenomenal.

But he wished he’d seen them from his truck with Cher and Ethan in it with him.

* * * * *

Cher

Late Saturday Night

It was ten to midnight when I made the call.

I was pissed. I loved “You Shook Me All Night Long.” (Who didn’t?)

But I didn’t love it splitting the night on a continuous loop when my kid and me should be sleeping.

I turned on the lamp, grabbed my phone, and called the direct line that rang straight to the Brownsburg Police Department’s dispatch.

“Brownsburg Police, Jo speaking. May I help you?”

“Jo, this is Cher,” I told her.

“Hey, girl,” she greeted. “Everything good?”

“I’m understanding the government’s tactics with Noriega,” I shared.

“Damn, another party?” she asked.

“Yep,” I answered.

“I’ll get someone to cruise by,” she told me.

“I’d really appreciate that, babe. Your first beer’s on me next time you’re in the bar.”

“We can’t accept bribes, Cher, unfortunately,” she said through an audible smile. “But, just so you know, noise violations are part of a cop’s job.”

“Good to know,” I muttered, even though, with practice, I already knew that. I was just trying to be nice with my “bribe.” “See you when you’re back in the bar.”

“Yeah, girl, see you.”

She hung up.

I turned out my light.

Ten minutes later, the music stopped.

I did not pick up my phone to share all this without actually sharing it with Merry. I didn’t type in the fact that I wished he was right there, because if he was, there would be no call to Jo at dispatch. He’d deal with it. And with all the neighbors knowing a cop was on their patch, the shitty ones would behave or just go, and it would all be good for me, my kid…and Merry.

No, I didn’t text him that, even when I wouldn’t send him that.

I closed my eyes and it took a while, but I finally found sleep.

* * * * *

Sunday Morning

I heard it from the bathroom as I was finishing up my hair.

It was a half an hour before we had to leave so I could drop my kid at Mom’s and go to work.

Bad timing.

I knew from Ryker’s warnings that I should ignore it.

But if I made the call I needed to make, that would alert Colt—and Merry—to shit happening on my block. Both of them (at least I thought Merry would still be in that space) would intervene.

And I had to live there.

They didn’t.

Anyway, it wasn’t about getting into my dickhead neighbor’s business.

It was about taking care of Tilly.

So I knew I had to do it and was turning to walk out of the bathroom when this knowledge was confirmed.

Ethan was at the door, face pale, eyes on me.

“Mom,” he whispered.

Fucking motherfucker was freaking out my son.

“I got this, kid,” I told him, continuing to move.

He got out of my way and I went to the front door. I slid my feet in some flip-flops that were there that I should have taken to my closet a month ago but didn’t. I just picked them up, vacuumed under them, and dropped them back whenever I cleaned.

When I finished doing what I had to do, I’d wear them to my room and put them away.

I put my hand to the door and turned to my boy, who’d followed me.

“Stay inside.”

He stared up at me, nodding.

I opened the door, pushed through the storm, took a deep breath, and stalked down my walk.

“Did you fuckin’ hear me? I said come out here!” I heard shouted. “I know it was you, you old, fat bitch! You got a problem with me, you say it to my face! What you don’t do is call the fuckin’ cops!”

I saw my dickhead neighbor at Tilly’s door, banging and yelling.

“Yo!” I bellowed.

He stopped banging and swung my way.

I kept walking until I was in Tilly’s yard but still far away from him.

He looked me up and down, dressed and ready for work, only in flip-flops and not the heels I planned to wear. I also hadn’t yet put on my jewelry.

Some of the pissed went out of his face and something else came in it.

“This isn’t about you, babe,” he told me, suddenly friendly and calm.

Crap.

I put my hands to my hips. “I think it is, since you’re shoutin’ at Tilly when she didn’t call about your party. I did.”

His head jerked. The look of me, a full-on good-time girl, he was shocked it was me who made that call.

“Listen,” I went on. “I have a kid. He needs his sleep, even on a weekend. It sucks I had to call it in, but I hope you get me when I say I need to look after my kid. No way I’m goin’ over to your place in the middle of the night to ask you to have a mind to your neighbors. I had no choice.”

He studied me for a few beats before he stepped down off Tilly’s stoop and moved toward me.

I wanted to retreat step for step, but I stood my ground.

He could read me. We were of the same people. He knew I could look after myself.

And he knew, no way in hell I’d ever show a guy like him weakness.

No. Not ever.

With a guy like him or not, I’d never show a weakness.

I knew that too. I knew I had to show him every way I could that I was not weak. If I didn’t, a man like him could destroy me.

And he would.

He stopped four feet in front of me.

“You’re welcome to come over anytime, middle of the night or whenever,” he offered.

Fuck.

“Thanks, but like I mentioned, I got a kid,” I told him.

He looked beyond me, then back at me.

“Yeah. And he’s cute.”

I turned my head and saw Ethan standing just down the walk from our stoop.

Shit, shit, fucking shit!

I looked back at the dickhead.

“Yeah. I know. Anyway, Tilly’s cool. She’s a nice lady. You shouldn’t give her shit. She’s got two kids and a slew of grandkids who don’t ever visit her, and that sucks. She lives quiet. She doesn’t get into anyone’s business. She makes awesome cookies at Christmas. You don’t get in her face, brother, she’ll make you some cookies, and trust me, it’ll be worth bein’ cool to her.”

He grinned at me, his eyes shifting to my tits before they shot back to mine.

“I’ll take that advice,” he replied.