The Beast of Stornoway

Chapter 62: Amani

"Hi, mama." Amani smiled as she listened to her mother's voice on the other line.

"Hi, baby, I haven't heard from you since you got there! How you doing?" she said and her voice sounded a bit more upbeat than when Amani first spoke to her. That filled her with some relief. Her mother must be coming to terms that she was there now.

"I'm alright, but I need to talk to you about Tye."

"Oh, did he call you? He said he was gon' call you. Said wanted to congratulate you on the job. I thought that were nice of him."

"He did call me and then he wouldn't stop calling me."

Her mother cursed under her breath. "That boy. I'm sorry 'Mani. I didn't think he would do that to you again. When I talked to him, he was with his girlfriend and they looked so happy. I thought he got over that. I didn't see no harm in giving him your number."

Amani rolled her eyes. Tye's 'girlfriend', one of his many side chicks. When they first got together, he wasn't like that, he didn't see the point of having more than one girl by his side. She loved that about him and it made her feel special. But then as his ambitions grew and he started to get noticed by the set leader, his whole demeanor changed. Side chicks were cool. Tye claimed it helped his reputation and street cred. "It's alright. That probably wasn't his girlfriend. He was just playing you."

"And I fell for the shit. Oh, that pisses me off. Are you okay? What did he say to you?"

"I'm fine. He...he just said his usual things about me making him jealous and feel bad that I'm having such a good time. I blocked him, but Lord Blarcum thinks it's best if I get a new number," she explained. She'd kept out the part about Tye's threats and the security team. It was best if her mother didn't know about that, just in case Tye manipulated her again.

"Lord Blarkin is right. Tye can't be calling you like that," she mumbled. "What's this Lord like anyway?"

Amani shook her head at the mispronunciation of his name. Her mother was so good at that. "It's Lord Blarcum, mama." She laughed. "And he...is at my door right now." She blushed looking at him standing in the doorway with a cup of tea in one hand and the puppy, who she'd decided to name Nova, cuddled and whimpering in his other hand.

"Oh, is he there? Let me talk to 'em."

"Sorry, she wouldn't stop whining for you," he whispered. Amani shook her head and waved him in. He sat the cup of tea on her night stand and plopped Nova in her lap.

"No, mama. I don't think that's appropriate," she said, petting Nova's head as she snuggled against her stomach.

"Why not? I'm your mother. I deserve to speak to that boss of yours. I wanna make sure he's treating you nicely over there. Put him on the phone, 'Mani," she demanded. Amani sighed and threw her head back in frustration. She wasn't going to get out of this and she sure as hell wasn't going hanging up on her mother. She'd never hear the end of it and her mother would probably beat her ass for it the next time she came home.

Amani looked at Lord Blarcum, who was watching her with his eyebrow raised in question. "Um, my...my mother wants to speak to you," she grumbled.

A slow smile spread across his face. "I would be honored to speak to her. That's not inappropriate."

Great. This is going to be absolutely embarrassing,

"Please don't call him, Blarkin."

Her mother scoffed. "Call him whatever I want. He's not my Lord."

Please universe, just swallow me whole.

Amani sighed and handed her phone to him. "I'm sorry for anything she says that may offend you."