It's a Good Year for a ***

The look was haunting me. The desperation showing through in her eyes when she said it. Even an hour later, still sitting in the kitchen with these assholes trying to give her a new name. I was only half listening, mostly just staring at her. She kept playing with the necklace she was wearing, it was kind of distracting.
What surprised me most about her wasn’t how quickly she got used to the guys, but the anger in her eyes at the mention of Jameson. I want to know why.
“Why?” I find myself suddenly asking. Everyone looks at me and then back to her. Expecting some kind of explanation I’m sure. She just shook her head though, looking at her hands.
“My sister was my whole world, now she’s in a better place. That bastard deserved what he got and my mother,” she pauses, taking a deep breathe “she ignored the important things and it’s hard to forgive that.” she spoke softly. I nod my head and lean back in my chair. The others start the conversation back up like I hadn’t interrupted at all.
I pull my vibrating phone out of my pocket and flip it open.

From: Shads
We need to talk about this.

Closing my phone and slipping it back into my pocket, I stand up and excuse myself from the table. Shadows close behind me. I climb the stairs and walk into the first door on the right, falling into a big chair. Matt sitting down behind the wooden desk.

“Why what?”
“Why is she ok with sitting there at the table with us.” I say after a couple minutes.
“Maybe she’s planning to run away? Where is going to sleep now?” he asks
“Don’t say that. And she’s gonna stay with me still. That ok with you mom?” I say sarcastically
“Look. I just don’t want a repeat of last time you brought home a stray. Just looking out for you and for everyone else. This is my ass on the line not yours.”
“I don’t need to be reminded of my fuck up in every conversation we have Shadows.” I groan.
“What do you think of Jameson not being her dad?”
“I can see that, she looks nothing like him. And I don’t know if you noticed the pictures hanging on the walls, but she was only in two of them. There was lots of her little sister and a ton of her parents and sister. But only two of her? That’s a little fucked up. And when I went to get her, the door was locked. From the outside. She’s like eighteen for Christ’s sake. Who puts a fucking lock on the outside of a bedroom door. There was just something off about the whole house. You know what I mean?”
“I noticed. I’m gonna make some phone calls and call the boss, he needs to know we’re not gonna kill her.” he sighs as he opens his laptop. I get up and open the door to leave.
“I mean it Vengeance. I will kill her if you fuck up.” he warns.

I walk back to the kitchen and rejoin the group, grabbing beers for everyone before sitting down. The guys take one willingly and she just sits sipping her chocolate milk.
“Well. We have it down to two.” Jimmy says after taking a swig of his beer.
“Lay em on me.”
“Gracie or Lola.”
“Why those two?”
“Well.” Brian says “I like Gracie. That’s what I vote for.”
“Didn’t you used to have a dog named Gracie?” Jason questions.
“Yeah. And she was the best damn dog I ever had.” He laughs.
“I don’t think she wants to be named after a dog jackass.” I laugh at him.
“Then I guess its Lola.” Jason says.
“And who picked that?” I ask.
“I did.” she says “It means sorrow.”