The door opens and my dad is standing in the doorway looking red in the face and absolutely furious. “You need to tell me what the fuck is going on. What has that man done to you?”
My blood turns cold. The truth paling me. He knows.
“What has who done, Dad?” I can’t even keep the shakiness from my voice. My hands are shaking too.
“Don’t fucking lie to me, Zoey. I heard you on the phone with him.” He clenches his teeth and fists at the same time. “I’m disgusted that he could take advantage of a kid. He’s going to die for what he’s done.”
Die? No!
“He didn’t do anything I didn’t want him to, Dad. I’m in love with him.”
“God, I should’ve known. His bike always parked down the road. All those sorry-ass excuses for needing to come over and fix the cameras. He wanted to come over and prey on mydaughter. He’s going to fucking pay. I’m going to choke the life out of him.”
“I’m an adult and I consented. You don’t know him. He’s a good man.”
“A good man?” He dryly laughs. “A good man wouldn’t go after a girl who’s still in high school. A good man wouldn’t sneak into the house to have his way with a young innocent girl. A good fucking man wouldn’t abuse his power and manipulate you into giving him what he wants. He’s a sick bastard is what he is. And he’s going to pay.”
“No! If you hurt him, I swear I will run away and never speak to you again. I asked him to touch me. I’m the one who came onto him.” I will lie through my teeth if I have to. Whatever it takes to keep Bones safe. “I mean it, Dad. I will leave and you will never see me again.”
“It’s obvious he has his hooks in you. I don’t even recognize you in this moment. I’ve spent the last nineteen years trying to protect you, making sure you had everything you needed, and this is how you repay me.”
“I don’t want you to hurt the man I love, Dad.”
“Fine. I won’t hurt him. But only on one condition. You are never to see him or speak to him again. If I find out you have so much as sent him a letter or an email or even breathed his name, I will order the hit. Do you understand? It’s over, Zoey. You want to spare his life? You keep your distance.”
He can’t do this. I’m an adult. I should be able to decide who I want to be with. It should be my choice. But I can see it in his eyes. He’s not joking. He’ll actually kill him.
“Now, I’m going to go make sure King relays the same message to that lowlife scum. And starting tomorrow, you’re grounded. No phone. No car. No internet unless you’re sitting in my office and I can watch everything you type on your screen. And until I can hire bodyguards, I will be taking you to and fromschool and will be requesting a counselor to escort you to all of your classes.”
He can’t do that.
But he can.
And he will.
And unless I obey, Bones will be dead. I won’t let that happen, which means I have no choice.
21
Bones
Damn, my girl can drain me dry. The words coming out of her mouth were driving me crazy. My naughty girl is going to have to repeat some of those words the next time we’re together. Which I hope is fucking soon. I’m dying over here. I’ve been going into serious withdrawal. Thank fuck for FaceTime or I would’ve busted her door down by now.
I’m only half joking about hauling her off into the woods. But I would never take her away from her dad. Those two need each other.
“I thought I told you to stay the fuck away from the girl?”
My door slams against the wall, rattling on its hinges, jerking me right out of my thoughts. I tense up, trying to process his words.
“What are you talking about, Prez?”
I did stay away. I haven’t seen her in over a week. Scar’s been escorting her to and from school, filling in for me for the timebeing. He’s the only one I trust her with. Scar won’t even speak to my girl.
“Yeah, well, Pritchard fucking knows.”
“How?” How the hell did he find out?
“He heard some guy talking dirty to his daughter on the phone. Someone whose voice he recognized. When he heard what was being said, he lost his goddamn mind.”
