“Who me? I wouldn’t do that; I’m an upstanding citizen. Just trying to keep food on the table.”
“Don’t bullshit me. I know exactly who you are and what you do.” His nonchalant attitude is pissing me off. He’s acting like we’re old friends.
A twisted smile crosses his face. “How is my daughter? I hear you’ve been takinggoodcare of her. I’ve been meaning to stop by and check in.”
“Well, don’t. You need to leave Jessie alone. Don’t stop by, call her, or text her. Leave her alone.”
He starts to laugh, until his smoker’s cough takes over. His face shifts when he finishes, a cruel mask replacing the man before me. “Who the fuck do you think you are, son?”
“The man telling you to le—”
He catches me off guard, moving quicker than I expected he could. He grabs me by the collar and throws me up against the side of the store.
The concrete wall digs into my back as he snarls. “Boy, you better get back in that truck and remember whose town you’re in or you might regret it. My daughter is more fragile than you think.”
Did he just threaten Jessie?He might’ve caught me off guard, but I’m younger and far stronger than he is. I grab his free arm, pushing off the wall and flipping us. With my forearm pressed to his throat, I push until he wheezes and his yellowed eyes go wide. I back off so he can breathe. I needed to show him I’m the one in control here.
“If you ever lay so much as a finger on her, the next time we meet, I won’t be this nice. This is your one and only warning.” I shove off of him and step back toward my truck.
He takes a step toward me.
Just then, a car rounds the corner of the building, stopping behind my parked truck that blocks its path. Daryl takes off and I wave at the car before jumping in my truck. I calm my breathing down as what just happened fully hits me.
Jessie’s father is a dangerous drug dealer, and he threatened me by usingher. She told me she came from a bad family, but I never imagined this level of danger. It’s clear she’s insecure about her family other than Gran.Does Gran know the kind of person her father is? Do Cody and Carson?
Is he threatening Jessie or using her in some way? I know she’s in contact with him and scared of him. If so, why hasn’t she told anyone?
My head spins as I drive to the gym and work out. I’m tempted to head to the hospital just to check on Jessie, but I settle for a text instead.
Trey
I’m sorry about last night. Make it up to you with homemade crunch wrap supremes?
Jessie
I like crunch wrap supremes.
I feel better at her immediate response. She must be on break and safe. I finish at the gym before stopping at the store to buy the supplies for crunch wraps. I reflect on our conversations about her family and the day her father stopped by. She was adamant I stay out of it. “Don’t confront him,” she’d said—and I just did exactly what she told me not to.
Did she tell me that because she knew there would be consequences?Fuck. I should’ve listened to her, but I didn’t understand how dangerous he was. Why didn’t she tell me? I still don’t fully understand what’s going on and what his role is in her life.
Jessie gets home, and we fall into our normal routine, avoiding discussing last night’s argument. I’m almost done cooking when she sits down at the table. I need to tell her about what happened—she needs to know.
“Today fucking sucked,” Jessie says. “A million things went wrong, and now I’m crabby.” She looks exhausted.Did she even sleep last night?
Later. She needs to know, just later. When she’s well rested andnotfresh off a twelve-hour shift. Maybe I’ll throw in a couple of orgasms in to butter her up—couldn’t hurt. Besides, she’s home and I’m here, so she’s safe. She isn’t done working for the week, but I can wait until her day off.
I startle awake.
Jessie’s wrapped in my arms.
What the fuck was that?
I hear it again—shattering glass.
Jessie stirs. “What—”
CLASH.
