“What happened, Wyn?” I asked her gently, hoping I didn’t sound judgmental.
She looked up at me and wiped her eyes. “I’ve been talking to my dad.”
The world stopped. Everything around me disappeared and for a moment, I was floating in nothingness. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath. Wyn did not need me freaking out.
“Since when?” I asked, surprised by how calm I was.
“Since a few days after Koa kicked him out. I found him on social media and reached out. We’ve been secretly texting.”
I cleared my throat. I glanced over her shoulder, needing a minute. The boys were waiting for their food. I told them to get it to go so we could leave. I needed to get the fuck out of this place. “Did you see him today?”
That would make sense. It was the only reason she would be here.
Wynter nodded. “Yeah. He said he wanted to see me and couldn’t wait till the courts figured their shit out. He asked me to meet him here because he was afraid you would find out and call the cops on him if we stayed in town.”
Damn fucking right I would’ve. If I wouldn’t have just murdered him myself. How dare that fucker. But something Wynter had said clicked.
“Wait, you said meet? How’d you get here?”
Wynter looked down, cheeks red. “I, um, took the bus.” Motherfucker. I’d done a lot more than taking the bus by myself at thirteen, and in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t so bad, but I’d thought she was at school. Safe. Anything could’ve happened and I would’ve had no fucking idea.
“What happened, Wyn?” I asked as gently as possible. “Did he hurt you?” I scanned the place again, half-expecting Aren to pop up somewhere.
“N-no. He was, um . . . I’m pretty sure he was high. He showed up with some other guy. He creeped me out a lot, that guy. Kept looking at me. When I asked Dad if it could be just the two of us, he said he was his ride. Then, um, he asked me for money. Asked if you had given me a credit card or anything. When I told him no, he got mad. I got scared and ran into the bathroom and locked the door. I waited like ten minutes and then checked. He and the guy were gone. Then I called you. I’m sorry, Riot. I should’ve listened to you.”
I had to remind myself this wasn’t the time.
“I’m just glad you’re safe and that you called me when you were in trouble.”
“You’re not mad?” she asked hesitantly.
I thought about lying, but I tried not to do that to the kids. “Yeah, I’m mad. But I’m relieved you’re safe more than anything. And even if I am mad, I will always, always come get you, Wyn.Got it? This was all kinds of wrong, and we will discuss it, but no matter what, I will always pick you up. I am always safe to call.”
Wyn wiped her eyes again. “I know. I-I love you, Riot.”
She could’ve punched me in the face and I would’ve been less shocked. “I love you too, Wyn. Always.”
The boys came back then with the bags.
I wiped a tear streaming down her face. “Let’s get home. Then we’ll figure it all out.”
Wynter nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
Chapter 15
Koa
“I don’t fucking getit, Wynter! Why the fuck would you go alone to see that asshole? He tried to fucking kill you! Almost killed Riot. Or did you fucking forget?”
I winced as I heard Knox’s screaming before I even had the door fully open.
When I’d finally had a chance to check my phone at practice, I’d had three voicemails and six text messages from Riot and another few from Knox. At first, I’d thought something had happened to Cara, but then I’d listened to one of the messages. I’d left the rest of the practice in the hands of my assistant coach and gotten the fuck out of there.
“Knox,” Riot said quietly. He sounded fucking stressed and maybe like he had been crying. “You’re not helping.”
“I just don’t get it! What was going through your damn head?”
“I don’t know, okay? He’s my dad! I just wanted to see him!” Wynter shouted back.
