All the air in the room turns to ice.
My father.
He’s here.
Scout charges for him, but Sparrow grabs him in a bear hug from behind before he can reach my father. He’s spitting out curse words and threats. Sparrow is able to restrain him. Barely.
I wait for my father to lash out at me, but then I remember…we have an audience. He’s so much better at pretending to be a perfect father when others are watching—when his reputation is on the line.
“You can’t take her,” Sparrow says to my father over Scout’s snarling. “We won’t let you.”
Dad sneers. “You’re about to go to prison for kidnapping, son. You’re hardly in a place to be making demands about my fucking girls.”
Now Sparrow is seconds from losing it like Scout. If they both attack him, those cops won’t think twice about shooting them both in the head.
“They didn’t do anything wrong,” I tell my dad, lifting my chin. “I swear. It was me. I took Della. They’re my boyfriends. I wanted to be with them.”
Sully’s palm on my back gives me the support I need. I swallow down all my fear and turn on the bratty princess mode.
“You grounded me from my phone and computer. You promised me a car. You lied, Daddy. I was so mad at you.” Crocodile tears form and my lip wobbles. “I just wanted to be with them and you took away all my ways of communicating with them.”
Dad’s eyes narrow. He knows better than I do that the reason I ran away was because of him—because of him hurting Della and me both. He knows I’m sacrificing myself to save these guys which puts a target on their back, but it’s better than allowing them to go to prison because of me.
“You can’t take them to jail for what I did,” I tell him firmly. “If you want to punish someone, you punish me. Not them.”
His eyes flare at my words. I feel like I’m going to throw up.
“No,” Scout bellows. “You sick fuck—”
“Get him out of here,” I tell Sully. “Now.”
Sully pecks me on the cheek and then takes over for Sparrow, dragging Scout out of the room.
The cops are no longer pointing their weapons. They’re all waiting on Dad to instruct them on what to do next. Money talks and his is very loud.
Sparrow sidesteps over to me. His hand curls around the back of my neck. So strong and powerful, a promise to keep me safe.
Too bad it’s out of his control now.
I was stupid to think I could actually escape my father’s steely grasp. He’s too powerful and rich. His influence is apparently over the police too. They literally just sit, waiting for his command. Even if I told them everything he’s done, he’ll find a way to twist it. I know this in my bones.
It’s over.
I’m not going anywhere ever again.
I’ll go back to playing my father’s fucked-up games while keeping Della as safe as I can in the process. It’s all I can do.
“No,” Sparrow mutters when I attempt to step forward. “I won’t let you go back to that piece of shit.”
A sob catches in my throat. “We have no choice,” I whisper. “You don’t know what he could do to you.”
“I don’t give a fuck about me,” Sparrow growls. “This is about you.”
Turning, I give him a quick kiss to his lips. “I’m sorry.”
“No!” he shouts. “You’re not fucking leaving, Landry!”
“Sir, I will put you in cuffs if you don’t let the woman go,” one of the cops barks out.
I jerk out of Sparrow’s hold, rushing toward my father. I can’t look at him. I can’t. His scent envelops me and I choke back a gag. Della clings to me, her face buried against my hip.
“My girls,” Dad says, fake emotion coloring his voice. “I’ve missed you so much.”
He pulls us to him for a fatherly hug that has me withering on the inside. All light and happiness are being sucked out of me as darkness creeps in.
“Stay right where you are, sir,” a cop bellows at Sparrow, “or I’ll be forced to shoot.”
“Please, Dad, get us out of here. I want to go home. Now. Sparrow didn’t do anything wrong. I promise I’ll be good. Just get us out of here.”
He pats my back. “Stand down. I’ve got it from here.”
I turn to look at Sparrow one last time. His face is twisted into a furious scowl. Both his hands are fisted at his sides. He looks seconds from attacking everyone in this room.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur to him. “This is for the best.”
His lips press into a firm line, but he wisely remains rooted in place. I want to run over to him and kiss him one more time. That would just escalate things again, though.
I need to leave.