All That Matters (26 page)

“Yes. Yes. Please yes.”

Train swirled his fingers around inside of her, getting his fingers as wet as he could. “Stay relaxed for me,” he kept his voice low as his fingers pressed against her resistant anus. “It's going to feel so good.” He smacked her again as he slid his fingers inside of her in one swift motion.

“Train!” Her head snapped back and she pushed her body against his. “Oh!”

“Be a good girl and fuck my fingers. Come on, take 'em deep.” Train growled as she did what he asked. His erection was suddenly painful as he imagined her sliding her hot tight ass up and down his cock.

“More!” She pleased as she rocked against him. “I want you in me. Please!”

All the plans that Train had for what he was going to do to her flew out of his mind because they didn't matter. If she asked for him, she was going to get him. He continued to move his fingers inside of her as he guided his cock to her entrance. She moved back against him and he filled her in one deep thrust.

It took just a few deep rough strokes to send her over again. Train gripped her hip with his free hand and let go of the control that he'd been so desperate to maintain. He pounded into her, hard and fast, until he couldn't feel the spasms of her body around him any longer. He came buried as deeply inside her as he could be.

Chapter Fourteen

“The hours are non-negotiable. Ten hour shifts, five days a week. Half an hour lunch and one break, fifteen minutes. No more.” The woman on the other side of the convenience store counter had harshly dyed black hair, eyebrows that looked like they were drawn on with a Sharpie and an accent that Meg couldn't place if she tried. “Minimum wage and five percent off of any purchase you make except the hot food.”

“Okay. Great. When can I start?”

“You start now, training. Training is not paid.”

The urge to just walk out of the hole-in-the-wall convenience store adjacent to a gas station was strong, but the fact was that she'd drained the last of her barely-there checking and savings account to pay the property tax, and she still hadn't enough. She'd had to take money out of the envelope Train had left for groceries and other household stuff. “Okay. I just need to text the sitter.”

“Fine, then the phone goes off. No need for a phone while working.”

Meg shot off a quick text to Train, she hoped she sounded excited about the new job and the spur-of-the-moment training. She asked that he pick up Leo and feed him dinner that wasn't entirely sugar. She ended the text with a little heart, shut off her phone and slipped it into her pocket.

Working at The Corner Store wasn't going to be hard. Meg knew how to work the register, the lottery machine and the cheap copier in the back of the store. Her new boss, Ginger, started to come across as less gruff as the hours passed by. Maybe this wouldn't be a bad thing. Sure, she was going to have to arrange for after-school care for Leo; she wouldn't be leaving work until well after the last bell. She'd work ten to eight daily, with the other clerk working six to ten and then ten until midnight.

It was fully dark when Meg finally left the store and a good twenty degrees colder as well. The dark sky was heavy with clouds. Snow clouds. It looked like the predicted storm was going to hit hard. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, turned it on and saw half a dozen text messages. Her stomach clenched.

They were all from Sandra. She had Leo with her at her house and would Meg please call and let her know that everything was okay. “Fuck. Fuck. What the fuck, Train?” She couldn't dial the number fast enough.

Sandra answered after a couple of rings. “Meg? You okay?”

“I'm fine. I was training for a job. Is Leo okay? I sent Train a message to go and get him!” Meg was sure she was the most horrible person in the world.

“There was some Nightshade stuff today, I think. And Leo's fine. I saw him waiting after and told him to just come with me. He was a little quiet for the first hour he was here, but now he's playing. We're going to have dinner in a few minutes. I'll set you out a plate. You know where we live, right?”

“Right. It's going to take me a few to get there. I'm on foot today,” Meg explained. Train had needed the truck and she couldn't exactly refuse, since it was his.

“On foot? It's too cold to walk. Tell me where you are and I'll come pick you up.” Sandra wouldn't take no for an answer. Meg told her where she was, and she promised that she'd be there in ten minutes.

While she waited, she called Train and was directed immediately to his voice mail. Meg didn't leave a message, because he hated them. He must not have seen the text. She sent him another to call her and shoved her phone back in her pocket to wait for Sandra.

The woman arrived in a dark sedan. She pulled up and Meg got in. “I'm so sorry. Are you sure that Leo's okay?”

“Like I said, he was quiet for a little while, but after they did homework, he perked right up.” Sandra smiled at her. “Relax. Wires get crossed sometimes. It's not the end of the world. You know, I left Javi at the grocery store once, he was three. I was pregnant with Zoe and out of my mind with pregnancy brain.”

“I should have kept my phone on until he sent me a text back,” Meg leaned her head back against the seat, fought the urge to cry. “On the bright side, I got a job.”

“At that store? It's a pretty sketchy area, hon. Maybe you should look for something else.”

“I have looked for something else,” Meg said through gritted teeth. She'd been looking so hard that she thought she was going to go blind. “At this point, a job is a job. Thanks again for taking Leo, really I don't know what I'd have done if you didn't.”

“No problem. He's a dream.” They fell into silence after that. Meg wasn't sure if it was a comfortable one or not, because she was all over the place when it came to her emotions. Laughter would have come as easily as tears if she let it, but she didn't.

Manuel and Sandra's house was as nice as Meg remembered. Inside the air smelled like cinnamon, and there was the sound of virtual violence coming from a large television in the living room. “Guys, we're back!” Sandra dropped her purse onto a table near the door and took off her jacket. “Get comfortable, Meg. I'll get us some wine.”

Meg took off her coat as Leo rushed into the foyer. “Hey, kiddo! I'm sorry about today. Things got mixed up. I thought Train was coming for you, but I guess that he didn't get the message. It won't happen again, I promise.”

“It's okay,” he replied. She was surprised that he really seemed to be okay about it. “I came back here to hang out with Javi and Zoe. Where were you?”

“I had an interview today. I got the job, and they wanted me to do some training. I start the day after tomorrow.”

“Cool,” Leo answered. “Is it okay if I go back and play until dinner?”

“Yeah, go ahead. I'm going to see if Sandra needs a hand in the kitchen.” Meg slid her phone out of her pocket, checked for a call or text from Train, but there was none. She found Sandra at the counter, chopping vegetables for a salad. “Hey, you need a hand?”

“Nope. That's your glass of wine right there. Sit. Drink. Relax.” Sandra continued to chop.

“Thanks.” Meg picked up the glass of wine and took a long sip. “I'm saying that to you a lot today.”

“Hey, what are friends for?” Sandra replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “I'll give the two of you a lift back home after dinner, too. It's too cold to walk. I'm sure that you're probably tired already. You look tired.”

“Just a little,” Meg admitted. “It's just been a long couple of weeks.”

“I know that feeling. You and Train should go away for a couple of days. Me and Manuel would be happy to keep Leo. I seriously might steal him. He has the best manners and cleans up without me asking. You've done very well with that boy.”

Meg didn't know if it was the wine or that Sandra considered them friends that made her relax, but after the second glass, it didn't really matter much. She started to feel warm inside. Her stomach grumbled from the smell of what was cooking.

Dinner was a lively affair. The kids all got along well, cleaned their plates and asked for seconds. Meg took seconds as well and had dessert, from Sugar Sugar, with them. She helped Sandra clean up the kitchen while the kids straightened up their mess.

Sandra dropped them off, and Meg found the house dark. It wasn't really a surprise; she didn't think Train would be home and not call. “Go on up and take a shower, kiddo. Did you finish your homework?”

“It's all done. Can I play my game after the shower?”

“You were playing games all afternoon. Why don't you go ahead and read tonight instead?” Meg picked up the jacket he'd left tossed over the couch. “I'm going to make your lunch for tomorrow. Any special requests?”

“Turkey and cheese? And soup maybe? Oh, are there any cookies left?”

“I'll see if there's cookies. If not, I'll make brownies.”

“If there's not, that's okay. I'm not in the mood for brownies.” Leo ran up the stairs before she could say anything else.

Meg decided that she was going to make brownies anyway and that both Train and Leo were going to eat them and say they loved them. She'd also make soup. She had everything she needed for a minestrone, which they both really liked. Train would be hungry when he came home, so she grabbed ground beef from the fridge and made a quick meatloaf. She'd use it for Leo's sandwich instead of turkey.

By the time she was done, Leo was asleep on his bed with a book in his hand. She took the book away and tucked him in. Meg headed to the shower, slipped on a long tee shirt as a nightgown. She found her tablet and settled down to do some reading of her own.

Her phone chimed and she reached for it, expecting Train. Instead, it was another email from Josh. It was only one line: 'It's your fault.' Meg sighed and deleted the email. She didn't know what specifically Josh was referring to; it didn't matter what he blamed her for.

Meg went back to her book and didn't look away until she heard the sound of the door downstairs closing. Train was home, but he hadn't called. She slipped off of the bed and walked downstairs. The kitchen light was on, and she found Train at the sink with his back to her. “Are you okay?”

He shut off the water and turned away from the sink to face her. Meg saw that the front of his shirt was bloodstained; there were flecks on his jeans as well. “I'm good. Most of it isn't mine.”

“Most of it?” Meg didn't realize that she was moving towards him until she was right in front of him. “Let me see.”

“You don't need to fuss.”

“I do need to fuss. Sit down and I'll get you another shirt and the first aid kit. Sit.” Meg heard her voice shake.

“Take it easy, Meg. I'm fine. Look at me.” He reached out and gripped her chin. “Don't worry, my hands are clean. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“It's Josh's blood.”

“What?” Meg stumbled back a step.

“He's been around. We've been keeping an eye out. Tonight, Einstein saw him going into a liquor store and grabbed him in the parking lot. He brought him to me.” Train looked guilty for a second, but she doubted it was guilt over whatever he did to Josh.

“And you hurt him,” Meg filled in the blanks. Suddenly she understood why Josh had sent the message; she'd have been fresh on his mind if he just took a beating from Train. He was blaming her for the beating he'd brought on himself. Yeah, that was just about right for Josh.

“Yeah. I did,” he answered. “It can't be a surprise to you. I told you that it was going to happen.”

“I know you did.” Meg sniffled loudly. His expression went from slightly defensive to more  in the blink of an eye. It made her laugh and not cry. “Don't worry, you're safe. I'm not going to cry.”

“I'm sorry if it hurts you, but I'd do it again. He deserved worse than what he got.”