“That sounds like something you should talk about, then. Don’t let him bottle that shit up. We all know where that leads.”
The thought is a dark one. I’d been aware Cade was maybe putting on a happy face; not telling me when he had a shitty day at work, that kind of thing. Not that he was actually bottling up real terrible feelings. It’s a concept that hits my gut like buckshot, ricocheting through my body and then dragging me towards the floor.
I’m searching for the right response when my phone rings. I keep it ondo not disturbat work, with only Cade, the girls and their school set to break through in case of emergencies. It’s a Saturday so it can’t be school, but the girls could still be having an emergency and Cade is on shift, so he probably can’t even look at his phone right now. I fish it out immediately and look at the screen.
Maddi
Without hesitating, I swipe to answer.
“Are you okay? I’m at work. What’s wrong?”
There’s a chance she just forgot I work on Saturdays, but it’s unlikely. Maddi almost always texts instead of calling, like everyone else under fifty. So I’m not surprised to hear some kind of chaos in the background of the call and a tremble in her voice when she speaks, even if she’s trying to hide it.
“Silas, can you please come to the trailer?” she asks.
I hear the distant sound of Kris—their mom—yelling, but it doesn’t sound like she’s yelling at the girls. I’d be surprised if she was. She’s been doing so well lately keeping her drinking and narcotics in check, we thought she’d really turned over a new leaf.
Well, I had. Cade still isn’t convinced, but he’s tougher to crack.
As soon as I hear a deeper voice in the background as well, the pieces fall into place.
Maddi, are you calling the goddamn cops?
He’s far away, but I can tell he’s bellowing the words.
“Hurry, please, Silas,” she whispers into the phone before pulling her mouth away to yell at the voice. “Yes! So you can get out of here before they show up.”
“I’m on my way. If he lays a finger on any of you, call the cops for real. I don’t care what Cade says. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
I’m already running to grab my keys from behind the counter, so I barely catch it when she’d cut off halfway through saying ‘hurry’ again.
Fuck.
For a millisecond, I debate just calling 911 myself. But Cade would kill me.
It has to be their dad. He hasn’t shown up since that one time Cade and I kicked him out almost a year ago, back before we were even together, but I know it used to happen a lot more. He still owns the property on paper and Kris never bothered with a protective order—or maybe she didn’t have grounds for one, I’m not sure about the details—so it’s hard to kick him out if he’s not getting physical with them.
And Cade is convinced that any attention from social services, even if it’s not their fault, is only pushing the girls closer to getting put in foster care. I would argue that they’re in a very different situation now than last year, especially since Kris started working through the action steps or whatever the social worker gave her after the last incident, but I know he’d still lose his shit.
I can’t make him feel that kind of fear if I don’t have to. The trailer isn’t far, I can at least see what’s happening first. Last time, Cade was the only one the man seemed willing to get physical with, content to just yell at and intimidate the girls.
I’m jogging to my truck when I feel a hand on my shoulder and flinch away.
Ford is behind me, holding his hands up.
“Do you want me to come?” he signs.
For a second, I consider saying yes. He’s fucking huge and scary-looking, and could definitely take Cade’s dad in a fight. But I can’t be responsible for the shop getting robbed because we both bailed, and I can’t wait for him to lock up.
I’m an adult. They’re my family, too.
I can protect them.
“It’s okay. I’ll call the cops if he’s really on a tear. Can you text Cade—no, wait, don’t. Let me see what’s going on and then I’ll call him. Or I’ll call you if I need help. I’ll… fuck. I’ll figure it out.”
I don’t wait for him to reply before jumping in the truck and turning the engine.
I can protect them. I’ll figure it out.
