Minnie is more concerned about unraveling her father’s words. He speaks as if he knows Gage. As if he knows something about him that she doesn’t. And…if he knows who Gage is, that would mean that-
Sick realization hits. Minnie stares at his back, mouth dropping open, anger boiling red hot. “You’re the one who called the cops on him, aren’t you?” When he doesn’t turn to look at her, Minnie presses again accusingly. “Aren’t you?! You as good as said you think he belongs locked up. Tell me I’m wrong.”
He turns to face them, his mouth in a firm line. Reginald Fray doesn’t confirm nor does he deny a thing. The air becomes tense, so heavy it could be sliced to pieces in the room. A distraught sound slips from Minnie.
“Daddy!” Ariel cries out, scandalized. “Youswattedher boyfriend? Whatthe hell?!”
“Reginald!” Their mother says in an appalled tone, fanning herself frantically with her hand. “Goodness gracious. What’s gotten into you? We don’t just call the police on people because we don’tlikethem; else we’d be calling in on half the neighbors. It’s simply not done, even if said person might have been a criminal in their past.” She gives Minnie a skeptical glance with those words.
Her father is scowling, brow wrinkled. “I will never apologize for protecting Minnie from harm. As soon as I saw him with you in the morning, I knew I had to act. Nothing made my stomach drop further than seeing you smiling next to that man in the butcher shop. You didn’t know. Buthe knewthatI knew. I saw it on his face.”
Briefly, Minnie recalls the expression in question when Gage met her father. The way he almost shrank into himself, trying to seem unthreatening. His unease, even after they left the butcher,had been palpable. Minnie hadn’t understood why. She’d simply thought he’d been humiliated by her father’s unkind behavior, but…could there be another reason?
What is he talking about? And what harm does her father think will come to her if she stays with Gage? Minnie can’t wrap her mind around it, but her worst fear has come true; her father absolutely doesn’t approve of Gage and doesn’t want her near him. The knowledge cuts deep, even though she feared it would be so all along.
“Protecting her from harm?” Ariel scoffs, wrapping her arm around Minnie’s shoulders. “You’re literally the one who terrorized her tonight! She was there when the police in full SWAT gear appeared and dragged Gage off to the slammer! Did you even consider how traumatizing that would be for her?”
“Well, she shouldn’t have been there, slumming it with that tattooed animal!” He shouts in reply, making their mother cringe at his tone. “Sleep with dogs, you catch fleas. I simply will not have it for my daughter. Once she understands what he is, she will feel the same.”
“Don’t say that about him,” Minnie finds her voice, upset and hurt. She can’t believe he did this, all in an effort to get Gage out of the picture. Her father has a lot of pull in town, makes a lot of donations, and has friendships with the police. But to interfere with her relationship? That’s a new level ofMy Father Is An Important Manfor Reginald.
All he had to do was see Gage once, just that one time-
“Why shouldn’t I?” Her father says, flustered, his face red with his emotions. “You’re my precious first born. I’ve been with you for your entire life. I watched you grow up from a baby to a beautiful, smart young woman.Iwas there to pick up the pieces after what happened to you.Iwas the one who sat with you when you cried at night, afraid to fall asleep.Iwas the one who battled the press to stay away from you. I kept yousheltered from it all while you healed. Nothim. In fact, he-” He stops himself, chuckling bitterly. Her father shakes his head, dismissing whatever he was about to say. “Your ‘boyfriend’ is just a problem, passing through.”
Minnie feels her lower lip tremble, even as she glares at him. Ariel snuggles her closer, whispering for her not to cry. It’s hard to argue with him, because he’sright. Her father has always been there for her, especially back then. But she didn’t know Gage then, so, it isn’t a fair comparison. “You say this as though you don’t believe he will be the one to take care of me now. You can’t take care of me forever, Daddy.”
He’s pacing again, his night slippers stomping the fine pale carpet. “Watch me try.”
“Reginald,” their mother says calmly in her oh-so soothing tone. Always attempting to be the voice of reason, even-tempered. “What in particular has you so concerned about this…this tattooed gentleman friend of Minnie’s?”
Minnie can’t stop the groan of misery that claws up her throat.
A bitter chuckle, angry in nature, slips from his lips. “Oh. Isn’t that just the thing? Whatisn’tthere to be concerned about? Aside from the fact that he’sa felon."
“So?” Minnie speaks up, trying to hold her ground, wanting to defend Gage. “Believe me, I was concerned about that when I met him. When I got to know him, as a person, I realized it doesn’t matter what he did in the past. It’s who he’s working so hard tobecomethat matters now.” And, it does matter. Gage works hard, and she sees it every day. She sees the way he goes off to hard labor and then how he studies for class afterward. He wants a new career. Hewantsa new life.
Gage told her a bit about his past, how he and his pals would always be scheming up some trouble. Usually out of boredom or disenfranchisement. Getting money, spending it, and gettingmore had been his focus. He’d never had a father to set him on a path, barely even a mother. He’d only lived the way he knew how. Prison had changed his outlook, had given him tough consequences. He didn’t want to go back, not for anything. He knew he could change and the prison social worker had given him a solid plan to become a better citizen this time around. Gage intended to make itwork.
Her father is still as a stone, looking at her as if she’s said something truly appalling.
“It doesn’tmatterwhat he did? Is that what you think?” His voice is dangerously quiet, a shadow crossing his gaze. “You still don’t understandwho he is? Allow me to enlighten you, my dear.” With angry motions, he pulls out an old folder from his fancy filing cabinet. From there, he lays out what looks to be quite an old newspaper. It’s yellowed a bit, certainly, but Minnie can tell he’s kept it in mint condition.
There’s a ringing sound in her ears when she sees the date.
The black and white photos display the mugshots of four men, taken in for multiple armed robberies and other violent crimes. He points a finger at one face. “There’s yourboyfriend. Tell me, does it matter to you now?”
Minnie puts her teacup down and leans forward to get a closer look at what he has placed on the table, feeling dread building within her. When she looks down at where his finger is pointing, the blood drains from her face, and a soft, heartbroken whimper slips from her mouth. If she had been standing, her knees surely would have given out, leaving her on the floor like a puppet with no strings.
Ariel is leaning forward as well, her face pale with horror. “Oh, my God. That’s…that’s...” Her mouth moves, but no sound continues to spill forth.
Gage stares outward from the black and white photo, younger, but still Gage. Eyes dark and menacing, empty of life.A hard set to his mouth, belaying his distaste for the law. This version of Gage is feral, absent of the kindness that Minnie has come to know.
Beneath the pictures, it states the men were caught for multiple armed robberies committed over several years, including the brief yet violent armed hostage-taking of fifteen-year-old Minerva Fray from Uptown Gold.
Chapter 10
The sun rises the next day, but Minnie doesn’t rise with it, remaining still as a corpse in her childhood bed. It feels as though she is waiting to be buried. She’d cried half the night away, and her eyes are still bloodshot from the strain.
