“Definitely.”
“I was only seven when he got taken, but I have lots of memories before that time. Tal was usually happy. I think, anyway. I was just a kid.”
“I can’t even imagine how you all got through it.”
“I can’t imagine how you got through living with your father.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I didn’t live with him for very long.” Of course my esteemed father hadn’t needed much time to inflict damage. “I can’t help who my father is. I just hope I don’t take after him in any of the bad ways.”
He smiled. “You don’t. You’d know by now.”
I returned his smile, though tentatively. He was right, of course. Still, I worried. I didn’t have to worry about passing any undesirable traits to children since I planned never to marry and never to have kids. I was fine on my own. The worry that niggled at me was for myself. I had to catch my father and stop him before he decided to come after me again.
So far, he’d kept his distance, though he’d reached out to me a few months ago when he was in town with his new girlfriend, Brooke Bailey, who just happened to be Jade’s mother. Brooke was now convalescing at Talon and Jade’s home after a nearly fatal automobile accident. Courtesy of my father, or so the Steels thought. They had no proof though.
I’d find that proof.
My father was a smart man. A cunning man. He’d never left a trail in his life.
But now I had an eyewitness. Talon Steel.
I already had enough proof to arrest him for what he did to Talon. And Talon, unlike my cousin Gina, was not afraid to press charges. He’d already pressed them against his half uncle, Larry Wade.
And there were others out there. Other victims of my father. I knew they were out there. Sometimes, in my dreams, I heard them calling to me for help.
I would help them.
Somehow.
“Earth to Ruby.”
I jolted back to reality. “Yeah?”
“You seemed on another planet there for a minute.”
No, just thinking about my father and bringing him to justice. “Sorry. A lot on my mind.”
He eyed my plate. “Are you done?”
I’d eaten most of it. The ackee and saltfish had been…interesting. Not bad, but not something I’d be eating a lot of. I was glad I’d tried it though. I was more interested in sampling authentic Jamaican jerk chicken and curried goat. “Yeah.”
“Good. Want to go for a swim?”
“What about waiting an hour after eating?”
“That’s an old wives’ tale. You don’t really believe that, do you?”
I smiled. “No. But I’d rather wait until later. Right now I think I’ll take a walk.”
He nodded. “Great. I’ll tag along.”
I hadn’t actually wanted company. My brain was churning now, mostly about my father. Besides, having Ryan Steel near me wasn’t good for me.
It made me want things I had no business wanting.
“I…”
“You going to run away from me again?”