He shakes his head and turns around, letting me walk into the house. His father stands there, leering at me with his own shotgun, and I have to think maybe coming into the enemy playpen was not the smartest idea I’ve ever had. “What the hell is going on?” I say, looking from Casey to Billy, and then I make the mistake of looking on the couch and seeing the blonde with tears running down her face. Kallie sits next to the blonde with her own tears in her eyes, and she looks away, wiping a tear away.

“It’s not your concern,” Casey says, and I shake my head. “Nothing that happens in this family is your concern.”

“Casey,” Billy says softly.

“You might not like me,” I say, “but I don’t like you either, so the feeling is mutual.”

“Well, at least we agree on something,” Casey says, smirking.

“What concerns me is what happens in my town,” I say. “So if this”—I motion with my finger to the girls on the couch—“is bringing shit into my town, I need to know about it.”

“We have it covered,” Casey is fast to say, and then I look at Billy.

“He does have a point,” Billy says, and now Kallie shoots off the couch.

“NO!” she shouts. She looks at me, and her tears are gone, and anger is there with something else. “I’m not having him do anything for me. We are going to leave.” She looks at Olivia who looks at her and then at Casey.

“You can’t leave,” Charlotte says, dabbing her eyes. “You just got here, and we can keep you safe.”

“You aren’t going anywhere,” Casey says, then looks at me.

Kallie walks to me, and I’m holding my breath. “This changes nothing,” she spews at me. “The less I have to see you—”

I cut her off. “Trust me.” I step toward her, and she doesn’t move. “We can agree on that and one other thing. The faster this is done, the faster you can hightail it out of town.” I look down, then up again, and I hope my look is that of hatred so she doesn’t see how much I still hurt. “You’re good at that.” I stare into her eyes and try not to get lost in them.

“This isn’t helping anyone,” Billy says, and Kallie turns away and walks to the bottle of whiskey on the table, taking a gulp. “You”—Billy points at her—“stop that.”

“If I have to do this,” Kallie says, using her fingers, “then I’m doing it drinking.”

“I want a shot,” the blonde says, and Casey speaks now.

“Darlin’.” She looks up at him, and I wonder what the fuck is going on.