fighting the past few weeks; she definitely doesn’t need any more of that. So I do the only thing I know to do. I wrap my arms around her and pray I can change her mind.
Something has to be done before I lose her for good. Just the thought of my life without her in it makes me want to do whatever I need to, to make sure she never leaves me.
9
Lisa
After yesterday’s meltdown, I figured I should wait until Round left to do the next thing on my list. Well, he’s at church, so now is the best time to talk to Theresa about taking over the girls. She’s been here the longest, and she’s as professional as someone can be while playing whore for a bunch of bikers. Most importantly, she’s intelligent, a hell of a lot smarter than me. She’s way too damn smart to fall in love with one of these guys.
“I really think we should talk to the Pres about this,” Theresa says for the hundredth time. “It doesn’t seem right, not telling Boz what’s going on.”
She’s right, but I’m not gonna tell her that. “He gave me control of the girls and so did his dad. Do you really think he wants to be bothered with every decision I make?”
“But this is different. You’re training me to take over your spot, and he should know that,” she says, giving me a sympathetic look. “I know you don’t want Round to find out you’re leaving, but you should at least tell Boz.”
I draw in a deep breath and lay it out for her. “If I tell Boz right now, he will tell Round. Then, I’ll never be able to get away. Please, just do this for me, and I promise to tell the Pres before I hit the road.”
Theresa’s eyes narrow. “Is he hurting you, Lisa?”
Fuck! I should have known her mind would go there. Hell, if I was on the other side of this conversation, I’d be thinking the same damn thing.
“Round would never hurt me,” I say with a shake of my head. “But, he could convince me to stay with nothing more than a look. Right now, I think staying with him is about the worst thing I could do. I have to do what’s best for me.”
She finally gives me a nod and starts asking questions. I answer the ones I can, and remind her that Trix will be here to help her. Then, I go over the books, reminding her about paychecks and physicals.
I point to the calendar on the wall, to the names of the girls written sporadically across the days. “Remember, each girl goes to the clinic every month. If a brother brings in someone new, you don’t touch her. But the minute you think she is about to start being passed around with the guys, you get her over to see Doc.”
“Anything else I should know about?” she asks, acting like this hasn’t been her life for the last ten years.
“You know everything you need to.” I give her a shrug. “You watch the girls, make sure none of them start fights with each other. If you run across a trouble maker, knock her down a notch or two. If that doesn’t work, kick her ass to the curb.”
“How about the brothers? They’ve been known to cause trouble with the girls from time to time. How do I handle that?” she asks, making me question choosing her to take my spot. “I don’t like the idea of teaching them a lesson.”
I can’t hold in my laugh as I answer, “If one of the men acts stupid, you take it to Boz. First, though, you make sure they’re in the wrong. These bitches claim a lot of shit that never really happened. You verify, then go to the Pres.”
“Are you sure I’m the one that you want?” she asks while nervously looking around the storage room I use as a makeshift office.
“If I didn’t think you could do it, I wouldn’t have asked you.” I barely get the words out when Trix walks in the door.
“Asked her what?” Trix asks, while walking further into the room. Addy follows close behind her, with her nephew on her hip.
My mind is trying to formulate a believable lie, when Theresa opens her big mouth and spews out all my secrets. “Lisa asked me to take over for her, but I’m not sure that I’m the right one to do it.”
The look