Wayward Soul by Kim Young, K. Renee Page B

pushed her to hang out with him in the first place. I should have known better. He purposely keeps us away from each other. I've barely even been able to see the boys.
    I still remember the day I found out Anslie gave birth. That motherfucker didn't even show up! He supposedly cares about her, but he couldn't even be there for her. I have this nagging feeling there is more than meets the eye with them, but I don't say anything because I want to be able to see Anslie and the boys.
    I have been trying to get in touch with her all night, but she hasn't even responded. I know she is home all day since he doesn't let her work, so I try texting her again.
    Me: Ans, call me.
    I wait a few hours, but I still get no response.
    The next morning, I get ready for work and leave early enough to stop by Anslie's to get in some time with my favorite little boys.
    I pull up to her house and knock a few times, then finally ring the doorbell, not worrying if I wake anyone up. Something is wrong. I can feel it. She always answers when I knock. When she finally answers the door, I smile and say, "Hey, whore!"
    She gives me her best fake smile. "Hey, Case."
    I look over her features and see that she looks worn down, and then I see it. She has a bruise forming on her jaw and a few cuts on her face. Oh, my god. I can feel the tears well up in my eyes. She turns her head so that I can't see the bruises anymore. "What the hell happened to your face? Did that asshole do this to you?" I'm fuming and sad at the same time. That bastard is not going to get away with this. As much as I don't want to, I have to go see Gunner when I leave here. He's the only person I know who will be able to help me.
    "Where the fuck is he, Ans? Did he do this in front of the boys?" She nods and turns to walk inside. I walk in behind her and shut the door. Pulling her into my arms, I tell myself I am going to do everything I can to take this bastard down!
    When Anslie goes to wipe her tears, I hear the boys yell, "Antie Caswee!"
    I pick them up and plaster their faces with kisses. I've missed these cuties. I still can't believe how much they look like their dad. When they get older, Anslie will be beating the girls off of them with a stick.
    "Come wook, Antie!" Sev yells, dragging me to his room. He pulls me through the door and runs to grab something off his bed. "Wook! Wook!" he says, shoving a photo at me. I grab it and see the picture of Anslie and Brantley that I took while we were still in high school. I hear Anslie and Remy come into the room after us, but I can't stop my mind from wandering back to the day I took the photo of them. They were so happy. I don't remember what they were laughing at, but I could see the love they had even back then.
Sev breaks me out of my wandering mind when he says, "Me daddy!"
    My mouth drops open. I look over at Anslie and she has tears in her eyes. "They know their daddy?" I ask.
    She shakes her head. "They only know the picture of him."
    Remy pipes in, "Poppa no like daddy! We no say him."
    I look down at his sad expression. They don't understand this, but they will one day. I pick Remy up and give him a big hug.
    I spend the rest of the morning with the boys playing tag and trucks. I don't have to work until four today, so I insist on watching them while Anslie gets some rest. She looks like she is running herself ragged.

    Leaving Anslie and the boys at the house just about kills me. I can't believe that bastard is hurting her and she hasn't said anything to me. We are like sisters. I would do anything for her and the twins.
    Before my shift at the diner, I make my way to Black. I hit the back door buzzer to get someone to let me in. One of the bartenders comes to the door. "What can I do for you? ”
    “ I need to speak with Gunner. It ’ s an emergency. ”
    Looking me up and down, he shrugs and lets me in. I follow him back towards Gunner ’ s office. He leaves me in the hallway by myself, contemplating if this is a smart