Unbreakable (Haven Falls 6)

The police car takes off and the second the car disappears around the bend, I can’t help but feel a strange, uneasiness settle into my stomach.

Ari’s little voice speaks up from dad’s arm and my eyes shift away from the clothing store for the first time since they arrived here. “Why are the police taking away the man that found me?”

Jackie sucks in a breath and I resist looking at her, not wanting to see the confusion on her face. “Squirt, that man isn’t a very nice man,” dad explains to her. “He’s done some really bad things and the police have to take him away because of that.”

“But he found me and brought me back home,” she insists, her little brain not yet capable of comprehending what’s happening before her as she believes Anton to be her saving grace.

“I know, sweet girl,” dad tells her. “But sometimes when someone does something good, it doesn’t take away the fact that they’ve also done some really bad things, and what happens when you do something bad?”

“You have to be punished,” Ari finishes for him.

Dad nods before looking over at me. “Are you alright, Squish?”

“Yeah,” I say, slowly nodding, hating that strange uneasiness still in my stomach. “I think so.”

A few more men start being brought out of the store and I find myself gaping, wondering where the hell all these people were hiding inside that place. It’s not like it was a huge place, just big enough for the racks of clothes, a changing room, and a cashier’s desk. It’s the same as all the stores you’d see inside the mall.

“What a shame. These men are all so young,” Jackie murmurs over dad’s shoulder, taking them in. I do the same and realize that she’s right. They’re all certainly older than me but I wouldn’t say they’d hit thirty yet and here they are, working for Anton and throwing their lives away.

I don’t doubt that if everything here goes down as planned that each of these men will end up serving time. That could have so easily been Noah and Rivers and it makes me feel sick. “I don’t know what I’d do if my Jared ever got caught up in Anton’s twisted games.”

I hold my tongue as dad replies. “You never know with these young ones,” he tells her. “Living in Haven Falls isn’t easy. It’s a kill or be killed kind of town. I guess we just have to be grateful that our kids seem to have their heads screwed on right and want to make something of themselves the honest way.”

I remember Jared saying something about getting into a college football team and realize that Dad and Jackie must have talked about it earlier. The thought is stolen from my mind as I see Rocko being carted out in cuffs and I have to shake my head in disappointment. Jackie was right, it really is a shame.

All the men are eventually carted off in the same way that Anton was and I’m left speechless and still a little in shock. The second the place is deemed safe, the cops storm in and begin pulling the place apart. More cops arrive, police tape is put up, and their official investigation is finally underway with their bad guy in custody.

“I better get going,” Jackie says. “My boys will start to get worried with all this going on.”

“Of course,” Dad says. “I better get out of here too. Aria here is going to have a breakdown if she gets home to discover the ice cream melted.”

Jackie laughs and gives Aria a beaming smile. “Well, I, um…it was really nice meeting you.”

“You too,” dad tells her. “I’d still love to take you out for dinner tomorrow night if you’re interested.”

She looks at dad for a silent moment with a smile slowly spreading across her face. “You know what? Yeah. I am. I’d love to go out for dinner with you.”

I’ve never seen dad look so smitten in his life. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“And I’ll call you with the address.”

Dad nods, clearly not picking up on the fact that he didn’t give her his number, but it’s fine as I’d put it on the note earlier. It just goes to show how out of the game dad is. It’s going to be fun watching him tomorrow night working out what to wear and getting all sweaty as he tries to pump himself up.

Jackie picks up her grocery bags off the ground and walks away. She looks back once over her shoulder with an intrigued, flirty smile before unloading her bags. I want nothing more than to kick dad in the shin for not offering to take the bags for her. I guess I’ll need to train him up a little over the next twenty four hours.