Page 65 of Property of Player

“The hospital.”

“That were you’ve been?”

“Yes.” I pull a bowl and start cracking eggs, then put a pan on the burner and add butter.

“She sick or something? That why you came back here?”

I see a way to ease things with him. “She has cancer. She needs me.”

“Why didn’t you just fucking say that?”

“I… I was afraid you’d say no.”

He rests a hip against the counter and folds his arms while I make him scrambled eggs and toast.

I feel his eyes on me.

“You shouldn’t have pissed me off like that, Taylor. You should have come to me and told me the truth.”

I nod, not looking at him.

He glances around the place. “Guess we can stay awhile. Until the old broad is better.”

Dread fills me. My God, he plans to stay. “Here?” I whisper.

“Yeah. She’s got room.”

I’m sure he’s gone through the whole house already, and I feel violated having him here in my childhood home. God, I wish Player were here.

My eyes flare. Player. What if Player calls? If Randall finds out about him, he’ll go into a rage. There’s no telling what he’d do. God, why couldn’t Randall have just stayed in Virginia. Why can’t he just let me go?

Turning off the burner, I dish up his plate and set it on the kitchen table.

He takes a seat, and I pour him a glass of orange juice and bring a jar of strawberry jam to the table for his toast.

“Where’s the butter?” he grunts.

I move to get it, and he snags my wrist. “You got a lot to make up for, Taylor. So, you better start being real sweet to me.”

When I just stare at him, he arcs a brow.

“You could start with a smile and a fucking kiss. Show me how happy you are to see me.”

I give him what he wants. If I don’t, he’ll make me pay for it. Dipping to kiss him, I try to imagine I’m anywhere else.

My mind is racing, looking for a way out of this. Every scenario I come up with ends in disaster. I wouldn’t put it past him to burn this house down just to teach me a lesson.

I’ve got to get him out of this town, but how? Now that he knows about my mother, he’s decided we’ll stay.

Even if I do leave town with him, I’ll never be able to come home again. He knows exactly where to find me. I can’t bring the kind of hell Randall doles out down on my family. It would be selfish of me to risk it.

My only chance to get away from him the next time is to run some place where no one knows me—somewhere he’ll never think to look. I envision a life of fake names and always looking over my shoulder. Even if I did manage it, I’d be leaving my family behind, and he could very well use them to punish me. Even if I wasn’t around, he’d feel the need to get his payback for any slight I cause him.

He finishes eating, then takes me into my childhood room. It’s the place I always felt safe and protected.

When Randall is through with me and rolls off me to fall asleep, I know I’ll never feel safe in this room again.

A vision of Player reaching into the top drawer of his dresser and pulling out a clip to load his weapon runs before my eyes. I frown. I wonder if he has any other weapons in his room at the clubhouse.