Page 90 of At The End Of The Day

Faintly shaking my head, I threw caution to the wind and spoke to him softly. To hell with them, Dash needed me, that’s all that mattered. “I dunno, baby. I…I had no fucking clue. I just don’t know.”

His chin shaking, tears welled, his complexion turning green. “She looks like them. They’re so close.”

I knew who “them” was, Edwina and Eddie. Affectionately known to the acorn as “the Eddies.” Shooting the cops another nervous peek, I gave another stiff nod. “I know.”

“Oh, my god. Oh, my god!” he croaked, closing the distance between us. Holding the sides of my neck, he laid his forehead to my collar and gulped air, trying not to hyperventilate. Uncomfortable with their scrutiny, I gently patted his back and shot them a glower.

“Is there anything else you need?”

Their brows were arched high, the quiet one’s mouth opened.

“Uh, n-n-no…s-sir. We’ll…be in touch…though.”

“Get the fuck outta here.”

For a moment, they lingered, staring. Eventually, the talker cleared his throat yet again, turned, and motioned his partner to the car.

“Let’s go. Now,” he barked at his hesitation.

They got back in their car, turned on the engine, and turned around under the carport, driving back down the road to the woods where they disappeared.

“What if she ain’t mine, Vinny? What if she’s his?”

I coaxed him to stand up straight and look into my eyes, crouching just a bit to gaze at him through my lashes. “It ain’t gonna matter none, Dash. She’s yours. You been her daddy since day one. They’re both dead, no one needs to know. Ever.”

“I know. You know—”

“You think I’m gonna say something? Fuck that, I’d never betray you like that. You know this. We’ll have a test done, if you want, but no matter what those results say, you are Piera’s dad. Ain’t nobody gotta know nothing different.”

Sniffing and coughing, he nodded, blinking rapidly to push the tears down. “You’re right. They’re dead. Nobody needs to know.”

I petted his hair down the back of his head to his nape several times, cupping his cheek. “This goes no further than you and me, okay?”

His head bobbing, he gulped a large breath of air that had his chest puffing out, his face upturned to the ceiling. Closing his eyelids, he shook his hands out, composing himself. When he looked at me again, he was sneering vehemently. “I swear to god, if I hadn’t already shot that bastard, I’d slit his motherfucking throat.”

Cursing under my breath, I draped my arm across his shoulders, patting that bicep, and led him inside. I coaxed him to sit on the sofa and started to walk away, but he grabbed my wrist tightly. Staring straight ahead, his chest rising and falling quickly to labored breaths, his complexion was turning dark, his nostrils flared out.

“Don’t…leave me.”

My brows furrowing, I stepped a little closer, trying to peel his fingers off, to no avail. They just kept digging deeper and deeper, bruising my skin. “Ow. I’m not…ow, dammit. I’m not going anywhere. I was just going to make you something to eat.”

Blinking rapidly, he tipped his head to peer up at me, fear shimmering in his gaze. “I’ve lost so much, Vin. Now I might lose my daughter. I can’t…lose you, too.”

My insides turned over and my pulse started racing. Slowly sinking next to him, I faintly shook my head. “I ain’t going nowhere, babe. You got my word on that.”

“Ever. I mean it.”

I snorted and shrugged my free hand out. “Eventually, I gotta go home—”

“Then I’m going with you.”

My jaw fell and everything inside came to a screeching halt. Panting, my mouth running dry, I croaked, “What do you mean?”

“I don’t wanna be here no more. Mary’s ghost.” He looked around, his throat constricting. “She’s everywhere, Vin. Even Piera has seen her.”

I cringed and sank further into the cushion, stretching the arm he was clinging to across my chest, laying that palm on his thigh. My other draped across his shoulders to pull him closer. Craning my neck to press my lips to his temple, I whispered against his ear. “Let’s pack up today. You and Piera come home with me. We’ll sell this place.”

He turned to look at me, his brows arched. “Am I coming home as your friend?”