Chapter 8

Ivy's POV

I leaned against the doorframe with my arms crossed and glanced at Robert. "What's this all about? You took the money for Taylor's debt and agreed to move out. Are you backing out of the deal?"

"What do you think this is?" Taylor glared at me. His head was wrapped in bandages, and one arm was in a cast.

"You ungrateful little brat! You weren't even five when your folks died. My parents ran themselves ragged raising you. You ate our food, lived under our roof, and used everything we had. The minute you got into college, you decided you didn't need us anymore. You got any shame at all?"

A few of the neighbors murmured in agreement.

Robert gave me a pained look. "Ivy, I'm sorry. I couldn't talk your aunt or the kids out of coming." He sat down on the top step and put his head in his hands. That was Robert all over, playing the decent guy while leaving himself a way out.

I hadn't planned on picking a fight with them yet, but here they were at my door.

The police were still answering calls. Killing them now would bring trouble down on me. Roughing them up was another story.

For years Deborah had been telling anyone who'd listen that she and Robert had raised me. Robert never corrected her. He just stood there looking like there was nothing he could do.

After a while, plenty of people took her word for it.

I'd held my tongue until I had the pendant back. Now that it was mine again, I was done biting back what I wanted to say.

"They raised me? That's a joke."

"They moved in thirteen years ago. Some of you probably remember what they looked like when they got here."

"Back then, they barely had a decent set of clothes between them. Both kids looked thin and underfed. The four of them looked like they'd been living out of a suitcase."

"Look at them now. Three kids, all clean and well fed, and the two of them look down on anybody who doesn't have what they do. I bet they've forgotten how they showed up here in the first place."

"How do you think they got to live this well? Who do you think paid for it?"

Amber raised her hand to slap me.

"You're lying! You ungrateful little—"

I stepped out of the way and slapped her twice, once across each cheek.

Her cheeks started to swell. She just stood there staring at me.

"Shut up. Nobody asked you." I kept my voice cold. "Neither of them has held a steady job in all these years. They sat around at home while the bills got paid. Anybody want to guess whose money they were spending?"

They both tried to cut me off, but I kept going.

"It came from my parents' wrongful-death settlement. They died in a factory explosion, and the owner signed a settlement agreement. I was a little kid. The money was paid out at three thousand a month until I turned eighteen so there wouldn't be one big check for anybody to get their hands on. They've been living in my home and spending my money this whole time. And they went around telling everybody they took me in. If anybody's been mooching off this family, it's them."

"Ivy! You're lying!" Deborah came at me, her eyes red.

I slapped her twice. "You know better than anybody whether I'm lying."

Taylor rushed me, and I kicked him right in the cast.

Crack.

"Fuck! My hand!"

Cody spat at me. "You're mean! You're a freeloader!"

Before I could move, Robert pulled Cody behind him and clapped a hand over his mouth.

"It's boiling out here. Go on back inside where it's cool," I called to the neighbors. Then I grabbed Amber, who was still standing there in a daze, and pulled her into the condo. I looked back at the rest of them. "You really want to keep going out here on the landing?"

They filed in, each wearing a different look. Robert and Deborah glanced at each other on their way past me. It looked like they'd made up their minds about something.

Robert came in last. He shut the door, turned the deadbolt, and dropped the wounded look he'd been wearing outside.

The whole family was glaring at me now. I could tell they meant to make me let them stay, by force if they had to.

Maybe they figured one girl on her own would be easy to push around.

"Ivy, even if we spent some of that money, we still took care of you all those years. You think you're going to be safe living here on your own? I'm your uncle. I'm willing to let this go. Just apologize and we can go back to being a family."

Amber had pulled herself together. Her cheek was swollen, blood was still running from her nose, and she looked ready to come at me again.

"I wore that pendant for years. It was mine in the first place. Give it back, you thieving little slut. You should've died in that explosion with your parents!"

I kicked her hard enough to knock her off her feet. She hit the floor.

"You wore it for a few years, so now you own it? I've been walking the same sidewalk for more than ten years. You don't hear me telling people it belongs to me."

Before she could get another word out, I struck her across the back of the neck.

Robert came at me with his fists clenched. I slapped him a few times, then grabbed the vase off the table and smashed it over his head.

Blood ran down his temple. His knees buckled, and he dropped to the floor.

Deborah lunged at me screaming. I brought a bottle down on her head.

Crack.

She went down too.

Three of them were out cold now, and Taylor was shaking all over.

"Don't—don't come near me!"

He made for the door and yanked on it before realizing it was locked.

I grabbed the frying pan and threw it straight at him.

The pan hit with a sharp clang.

"Well. Just you and me now." I looked at Cody, who was too scared to move, and gave him a little smile.

"You're mean! You can't hit me! My mom's gonna get you!"

"You're right. I'm mean, and I'm hungry. I hear a kid's heart is the tenderest part."

Cody shrieked. His eyes rolled back, his pants went dark with urine, and he passed out.