I hesitated, the thought of walking away tying my chest into knots. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
He touched my arm and offered me a half smile. “Of course. We work at the same place, after all.”
I forced my body to turn away and start walking, each step feeling like I was stuck in molasses. Not that I spoke from experience, since it required a lot of spilled molasses to get stuck in it.
“Rayna,” a voice roughened from years of misuse called out.
My heart dropped, my stomach turned over, and I swallowed the bile rising in my throat.What is Garret doing here?
I interlaced my hands, needing something to hold on to so I wouldn’t punch him. “Please tell me this isn’t happening,” I whispered.
The shiver running down my spine wasn’t a welcome one. Not like the shiver Grayson elicited. This one was more like someone poking your voodoo doll with needles.
Garret looked as if he’d aged ten years in the last few months that I’d successfully avoided him. His coat was holey, and there were stains on the hem. His dark hair was interlaced with grays that weren’t there before, and it hung in limp, greasy strands around his head.
How did he track me down?LA was a big place, and it wasn’t common knowledge where the contestants ofShake That Cakestayed.
I speed-walked over to where he was standing next to the corner of the building, twisting his hat in his hands. At least he knew he was doing something wrong. Didn’t mean it would stop him from doing it.
Suppressing the gagging noise and need to escape once I got close enough to smell him took effort.He must prefer whiskey baths these days.“What are you doing here?”
“I have to talk to you. You don’t take my calls.”
Someone give me strength to not throttle him.“And you didn’t think me ignoring you was a hint?”
“What if I told you we could become business partners? And that you would make enough money to open your bakery in Denver?”
Nobody—and I mean absolutely nobody—would go into business with Garret if they had ever met him. And not even I was that stupid.
“No. Now leave.”
“You haven’t even heard what I have to offer yet.”
I held my breath and counted to ten. Then counted to ten again, or I was in danger of moving this conversation intoJerry Springerterritory. Nobody needed a public scene, least of all me.
“That’s because I don’t want to hear it. In what universe would I ever trust you enough to go into business with you?”
“Doesn’t matter if you trust me. If you don’t help me out, I’m going to get Willa to help me out. You know she’d never say no to me.”
Good-bye calm, hello avenging auntie.Nobody tried to drag my niece down to the pits of poor decisions and violent bookies and got away with it.
I was done.
My fingernails dug into the pads of my hands. “How dare you threaten me with your own daughter? Do you have no shame? She loves you unconditionally, even after all the shit you’ve dragged her through. And now you want to destroy her life even more? After she’s finally found some peace?” I suppressed the angry tears from rising to the surface. “You disgust me. I am done. With you, with your shit, and with caring what happens to you. It’s your fault you got into this mess. Now be a decent human being for once in your life and dig yourself out of the mess you created without dragging anyone else down with you.”
His hand shot out and latched on to my arm. I flinched at his tight grip. “Now listen here, you spoiled brat. I let you live with us when you had nowhere else to go, and this is how you repay me? I should have thrown you out the door the minute you came crawling through.”
“Let. Me. Go.” My voice was tight, each word clipped.
“Stop acting like you’re better than me. You come from the same trailer park.”
I squirmed under his tight hold, knowing he’d leave a bruise. “I don’t know what Belinda ever saw in you.”
That was the wrong thing to say. He let me go, but only to swing his hand out and hit me on the cheek. I swerved to the side, putting a hand on my abused face, mouth gaping. One thing Garret had never been was violent.
A warm body crowded into my back, and I wondered if he’d brought someone else along. Would they kidnap me until I agreed? Beat me? The once weak man with a bad drinking habit had been replaced with a soulless bastard who would sell his own daughter; I wouldn’t put anything past him at this point.
“I called the cops. They’ll be here any minute.”
