River sat on the hood of his car right now, waiting for me.
I pulled my hair back into a ponytail then grabbed my bag. My driver had lost all control and power over me. He didn’t take me anywhere, nor did he do anything. One of my guys did.
Opening my bedside drawer, I paused as I caught sight of the knife tip. I’d been careless of late. I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled out the knife, holding it up to look at it. This piece of steel had made me feel like I could take from my dad. The tip would pierce my flesh and I’d be free.
The real truth was there was no freedom in taking my life.
My dad could go and do what he pleased, to hell with the consequences, but me, I had to follow all the rules and do as I was told. I hated him just for that reason.
Death wasn’t an easy outcome.
I wanted to hurt my dad in every way that mattered.
Rather than put the blade into my drawer, I slid it into my bag and got to my feet.
I was about to leave my room when I caught sight of the man himself in my doorway.
His hands were clenched into fists.
There were so many times over the years that I’d been filled with fear.
Not today.
Not ever again.
He wasn’t going to take another moment from me.
“I heard you stayed out overnight,” he said.
I stayed silent, looking at him. What woman would fall in love with him? He was evil. I wouldn’t even grace him with the title of monster. He wasn’t even close to that.
“Tonight, you will come straight home. The doctor will be waiting.”
“No,” I said.
“Excuse me?”
“I said no. You’re not used to hearing that word, but no. No more beatings. No more exams.” I shook my head at him and smiled. “You really are something.”
He advanced toward me as if to strike me and I lift my head, refusing to back down. I didn’t even flinch as he raised his hand.
“Hit me, I dare you,” I said. “You know the rules.”
The strike didn’t come.
“I see you,” I said. “I see the real you, and you’re weak. They all know what you’re really like. The precious Bernard Crane. The minion. The side story. Does it give you power to move a woman and her daughter here?”
I’d surprised him. Good.
“You think you can talk to me like that? The only reason you’re talking back to me is because you believe you can because you’ve got those assholes.”
“Be careful, Dad, those assholes keep you busy.” I squared my shoulders. “Tell me, do you beat that woman’s teenage daughter?”
His gaze never wavered.
I offered him a smile. “You know, the one interesting thing about you paying for another girl is that she came to that school needing friends, and guess who stepped up for her.”
“You will stay away from Ashley.”
“What are you doing to try to do, Dad? Fuck the mother until you can groom the daughter into needing you?”
His fingers slid around my neck.
I wished I had the blade in my hand.
“River’s right outside.” I croaked the words out and he loosened his grip.
“They won’t be around forever.”
“Until they aren’t, you’ve got to learn to be a good boy. They’re watching you,” I said. This wasn’t a warning to make him stop, more like a threat I hoped would play out. “And whatever bad deeds you’ve got going down, they will find out.”
Without another backward glance, I left my bedroom. There was nothing inside the room I had to worry about. My neck felt a little tight, but other than that, I was strangely composed.
River stared at me as I climbed into the car.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“That doesn’t look like nothing.” He saw right through the mask.
“I think I just … I just threatened my dad.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t hold it back and he pissed me off.”
River took off, heading toward the school. I stared out at the town as we passed each house, the streets, and I hated it.
The moment he arrived at campus, I didn’t want to go inside. I saw Ashley up ahead, but after confronting my dad, her face was the last I wanted to see.
“Can we get out of here?” I asked, looking at River.
“Sure thing.” He hadn’t turned the ignition off and in a matter of seconds, we were out of the school and on the road.
“Where do you want to go?” he asked.
“Anywhere that’s just not here.”
“No destination planned?”
“None.”
“Okay.”
He didn’t stop driving as he pulled out his cell phone and started to text. I didn’t complain to him since I wanted this.
When River drove, it was one of the rare occasions he didn’t have his knives on him.
“The guys miss you.”
“It’s still pretty surreal.”
“What is?”