Clusterfuck [Lesbian]

Chapter 7

Mia reached out to Audrey, pulled her hand back, and then followed through and shook the woman's shoulder.

"Get up, we're here."

Audrey fidgeted with her restraints and a scowl scrunched her face, until she opened her eyes. The sight of the warehouse drained the color from her skin, but it only took one moment for the woman to sober her features and put on the stoic expression of a lawyer. There was no way to hide her dilated pupils, though.

Mimicking the careful mask Audrey had dressed in, Mia kept her voice steady. "If you really want Lara to be safe, you need to tell the Don everything you did." It would save my ass too, thank you.

Audrey remained silent, staring. It was Mia's turn to observe the warehouse now; she ignored the look burning into her profile.

Alberto Testa was inside, sitting, waiting for her to bring Lara. Instead, he'd receive someone whose mouth would get the both of them in trouble, if she failed to convince the Don like she did Mia.

"You don't want to do this."

Mia kept her eyes on the building, running her tongue against her teeth until she found her words. "I chose to do this."

Her fingers went to her wrist, brushing the space meant for her silver bracelet. She had a reason for all of this.

"And it's a bit late to change my mind."

Mia opened the door.

"Please, don't do this."

That stopped Mia in her tracks. Her hand froze on the handle, thumb rubbing against the hard plastic. What was she supposed to do? Turn the engine back on, drop Audrey off somewhere else, and just... go home?

She couldn't have everything amount to only a bad memory.

Mia's chest moved with her breath, and after a moment, she faced Audrey. A spark of hope lit in the lawyer's eyes. She had no choice but to stomp it out.

"When we go in there, tell him you stole the drugs, okay? It will make the punishment easier on everyone—especially Lara."

Audrey remained silent and looked away, but Mia still noticed the quiver of her chin. The deeper Mia got into this, the more she realized she was not as detached as her fathers were.

A numb throbbing in her forehead made Mia open the glove box to reach for the painkillers, then she popped a couple into her mouth.

"Do you want some?"

Audrey nodded.

Mia shook two into her palm, thought about it, and added a third.

"But I swear to God, if you bite me," Mia warned, proceeding to slip them between the woman's lips.

When she finally left the van, Mia breathed out, "Okay."

The midday air should have calmed her with its blanket of warmth, but it felt stuffy, suffocating. Mia forced herself to take a deep breath. Sweat beaded above her brow and she wiped it away with the back of her hand before opening the door to face Audrey again.

The green eyes met her own.

"I'm sorry I broke your rib-... in your home," Mia blurted.

She earned furrowed brows and looked to the zip ties instead, cutting the one that linked Audrey's wrists to the seat buckle.

Any kindness she was showing the other woman was useless, and completely selfish, but Mia couldn't stop herself.

Audrey no longer preyed on Mia's confliction, or resisted her movements. Instead, she stood and walked ahead. She must have realized her fate was final.