My Ex’s Roommates: Chapter 6

The knock on the door made me flinch. Wiping my eyes, I turned to see Silas already pushing his way inside. I bit down my frustration and stood as tall as I could. “I’m packing up the last of my stuff right now. I’ll be out in ten minutes.”

He scanned the room with a cold look on his face and when he met my gaze, it didn’t warm any. “You can stay.”

I felt like I had whiplash. I froze with my robe hanging limply from my hand. “What?”

He walked closer, his frigid gray eyes only leaving mine to focus on the blanket I’d found over me when I woke up that morning. “I’m going to make a few things very clear to you. You can stay but only because Dylan can’t help but feel responsible for everyone and everything around him. Even little strays like you. Stay out of our way. Don’t think you can still prance around here, acting like your shit doesn’t stink while looking down at us. You’re here because we’re letting you be here. Don’t drag your feet with finding a new place, either. Make no mistake, we don’t want you here.”

My pride made it hard to swallow his nasty words down without clawing his eyes out. No matter how angry he made me, though, he was right about one thing. I was going to have a home because they were choosing to let me stay. Hiding my balled-up fists behind my back, I forced myself to show my gratitude. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. If it was up to me, you’d be out of here already.” He moved even closer, his large body looming over mine. “With your sugar daddy being gone, I hope you know we’re not picking up the slack.”

I clenched my fists tighter and lifted my chin, unwilling let him bully me without making sure he knew the score. “Silas, I was cheated on and dumped in a very public way last night. My boyfriend left me homeless and now all my friends hate me because I didn’t suck Jake’s tiny cock well enough, or some other stupid asinine reason they’re using to blame me for him leaving. I just had to beg three men who don’t like me for a place to stay so I wouldn’t have to sleep in a cardboard box tonight. I wouldn’t even know where to find a cardboard box big enough and that’s stressful, too, because I could need it at any moment because I’m depending on someone who hates me being kind to me. I know that you want to see me knocked down to whatever level you think I belong at, but trust me when I say, I’m there. I’m about as low as I could possibly get so I think you can save the insults for now. You’re kind of beating a dead horse.”

He stared at me without saying anything for long enough that I started to shift from foot to foot. Finally he grunted. “I never heard Jake complain about your cock sucking skills so you can let them know it’s not that.”

I reacted without thinking and pulled my fist back to make him eat his words but he caught my hand mid-air and smirked. I yanked my hand free and backed away to put space between us. “Fuck you.”

“Wow. I didn’t know princesses threw punches. That’s not very ladylike of you, Harper. No one at the country club would be impressed with your behavior, young lady.” His stormy gaze, no longer cold, flicked over my body before he scowled and turned away. “Remember what I said. We don’t want you here. Don’t get comfortable.”

I picked my robe up from where I’d dropped it and used it to smother my scream. I hated Silas. I hated him almost as much as I hated Jake and that was saying something. He was a bully who enjoyed seeing me hurt. What he didn’t realize and I hadn’t known until that very moment, the way he treated me was pulling me out of the depths of sadness. Instead of wanting to sob and throw myself on the floor, I wanted to kick his ass.

With that fire back in my blood, I sent a message to the guard who connected me with my brothers. He was an old friend of theirs and he bent the rules to make sure they stayed in contact with me whenever I needed them. Barry had also promised my brothers that he’d physically come to my aid if anything ever happened while they couldn’t protect me. So far I hadn’t needed Barry but I was considering the satisfaction I’d feel seeing Barry hit Silas for me.

Not even five minutes passed and my phone rang. Instead of the inmate phone system, they called me from Barry’s phone. As soon as I answered, Danny was in protector mode.

“What’s wrong, Little Harpoon?”

I sank onto the mattress and the smell of soap and clean laundry filled my nose from the mysterious blanket that I’d woken up with. “Nothing’s wrong, D. Except for that nickname.”

He lowered his voice to something that anyone other than his baby sister might’ve found threatening. “I know you better than anyone in this world, Harper. I can hear it in your voice. Tell me what’s wrong right now.”

“I miss y’all.” I desperately wished to be a kid in their arms again. Nothing in the world could touch me when I was with them.

“I miss you, too, Harper. You’re worrying me, though, kid. Spill it.” His tone softened. “Please.”

I took a deep breath and then let it all out. The breath, everything with Jake, the ugly messages I was receiving, I spilled out of it. When I finished, I was sniffling again but I wasn’t crying. “I just wish y’all were home. I want to come see you. Please, Danny.”

“You’re killing me, Little Harpoon. You know you can’t come here. This is no place for you. I don’t want any of these fuckers in here laying one eye on you. You’re going to stay the course. Don’t let that pencil dick hurt you anymore than he already has. And don’t think for one second that Jake will get away with what he did to you.”

Matt took the phone from Danny, his thunderous voice full of anger. “I’m gonna snap his fucking neck when we get out. No one treats our baby sister like that and just walks away.”

“You can’t say things like that, Matty.” I felt panicky at just the thought of them getting more time. “I don’t want y’all to do anything except think about changing your mind about not letting me visit.”

“Not going to happen, sweetheart. We love you too much to have you visit here and see us locked up. We know you, Harper. It would hurt you and that’s the last thing we ever want to do.” He sighed. “Jay wants to say something.”

Jay had always been the softest out of the three of them. He’d always been the one I could get to do what I wanted, to Danny and Matt’s great annoyance. “Little Harpoon, you’re not winning this one. You’re not stepping foot in this place.”

I grunted. “Fine.”

He laughed. “Don’t pout. You know we love you. Now tell me in great detail about where your piece of shit ex moved to. I would love to have someone go talk to him.”

“Stop it. I didn’t tell y’all so you could go Leim Neeson on him. I just wanted to let you know what was going on. I’m sure you’ll hear some of the gory details if they turn the TV to college football this weekend.”

“Shit. We’ve gotta go, Harper. Cell checks. We’ll call you tomorrow unless you let Barry know you need us sooner. Love you, kid. Keep your head up. You’re a Monroe. Remember that.”

“Love y’all more.” The line went dead and I dropped my phone to my lap. “Keep your head up.”