A month ago
I pinch my eyes shut and drag in a deep, shaky breath.
I swear my foot hasn’t stopped tapping the truck floor since I got in. Keeping my nerves in check feels impossible.
I’m a couple of minutes down the road from where Derrick Voss, my piece-of-shit biological father, for lack of a better term, told me to be.
After everything he’s done—abusing me, neglecting me, making my life hell. Even burning down Jude’s Place. He still had to come back and try to shake me down for money. He’s always wanting more. As if stealing my childhood wasn’t enough. He’s a damn bloodsucking leech that won’t stop until it drinks its fill. I know the phone calls won’t stop until he gets what he wants. Which is exactly why I decided to give him the five grand he asked for. I had to move some things around at the restaurant, but I couldn’t see any other choice.
When Derrick doesn’t get his way, he gets violent, and one thing I know for sure about him is that he follows through on his threats. He made sure I understood that all my life.
When he threatened Elijah, that’s when I knew what I had to do.
I have to keep Elijah safe. From people like Derrick… from the chaos that comes with being with me. He never asked for any of this. No. I can’t let him get hurt. I won’t.
Am I scared this isn’t the right decision? One hundred percent. Butthe more I sit on it, the more I realize that the alternative—putting Elijah in danger—just isn’t worth the fight. I’ll do anything to keep him out of this.
I see some headlights appear in the distance, slowly pulling up to the red flashing stoplight that hangs in the middle of the intersection. Derrick’s driving an old beat-up burgundy Prius. I have no idea how he could’ve gotten a car in his state, but frankly, I could give less of a shit. Right now, he’s about to drag me into his fugitive plan, and I’d rather just get this over and done with as fast as possible.
Taking one more deep breath, I grab the white envelope stuffed with hundred-dollar bills from the passenger seat and slam the truck door behind me.
It’s unlikely anyone’s coming down this road since we’re meeting a fair distance from town. Still, I glance around, making sure no cars are coming before I cross the street.
I see his silhouette behind the tinted glass. It’s ten o’ clock at night so there’s no reason for the aviators and snug ball cap masking his face. Is this his attempt at a disguise? Pathetic.
I clench my teeth thinking about all that he’s done. Seriously, it boils my blood, and it’s taking everything in me not to drag him out of that car and flatten him the same way I did back at the lake house.
But no, I want nothing to do with him anymore. No more anger, no more pain. Just nothing.
The car window slides down, and he rests his arm on the door. Slowly, he removes his aviators and looks up at me, his expression impossible to read.
“Son—”
“Shut the fuck up.” I hold the envelope up so he can see it. “This is it. You won’t contact me or Elijah again, or else the deal’s off.”
Henarrows his eyes, looking from me to the envelope and back again.
“You don’t exactly have a choice here. Either you leave us the hell alone, or I’m calling the cops right now.” I say, taking my phone out of my pants pocket.
Clenching his teeth, he holds up his hands, as if to surrender. “You’d do that to your old man? After everything I’ve done for you?”
I huff out a laugh. “This is me being nice. A pleasure you don’t deserve.”
He runs his hand down his face as if he’s got a reason to be annoyed with me.
“I meant what I said, okay? Money, and we have no more problems.” He holds out his palm, beckoning me closer. The gesture makes my stomach twist.
Disgust fills my throat, thinking of what a pathetic excuse of a human he is. I weigh my options one more time. I could call the cops right now; they’d come and all would be right as rain.
But, what would happen if they don’t get here in time and he gets away? He’d make sure to come after us. Or, what if he does get arrested and what he told me on the phone was true and there really are people after him? If he doesn’t get this money…would Elijah and I be next? It makes my palms sweaty just thinking about it all.
“Say it, Derrick. You’ll leave us alone.”
I see his jaw tense as he thinks about his only choice. “Give me the envelope. I’ll go.”
I suck in a breath, full of relief, handing it over. He snags it out of my hand, opening it up and sifting through quickly.
“You saved my life with this.” He laughs a low, dangerous chuckle.
