I crossed the room and stood in front of him. “I’m not doing that.”
Silence filled the space and I could see the harshness in his facial expression fading. Finally he spoke. “That’s what I thought. Tell me, what’s your father’s involvement?”
I brought my temper down a notch as well. “Minimal. He’s just the messenger. Even if Patrick wanted to involve him further, he doesn’t trust him enough.”
Gramps nodded. “That’s good. He won’t get hurt that way.”
He knew I was stronger than my father. After all, he made me that way. Not only in the physical sense, but in my fortitude as well. Gramps hadn’t taught my father the ways of the street. My grandmother wanted her boys to have a different life and he’d agreed. But as time passed, he learned that wasn’t always possible and he worried for me, which is why he took me under his wing. He taught me what he’d neglected to teach my father. That’s why my awareness and resolve was more like a soldier’s, whereas my father was like a new recruit, not entirely brought in.
Unfortunately, my father also used booze as a crutch, and that was a dangerous thing. Then again, having your life turned upside down would do that to a guy. And working with Patrick had done just that to my old man. As soon as he started, my mother found out and demanded I stay in New York full-time and attend school there. It wasn’t like I had much of a choice. My father made me go. I wanted him to move there too. He couldn’t, though, and I knew it. So instead, he was forced to lead a life he’d never wanted.
All because of what I’d done when I was fifteen.
I looked at my grandfather and braced myself for the fallout. “I’m going to have to talk to Patrick myself.”
The old man rose so fast, he had me by the shirt collar before I knew what was happening. In a beat, he pushed me back and slammed me against the wall. “You even think about going to see him and I’ll kill you myself.”
I stayed where I was. Shocked that he had that much fight left in him. “What else can I do?”
When he released me, he almost collapsed.
I grabbed him and helped him back to the bed.
Once he was sitting, he said, “Bring that chair over here.”
I again moved the fucking chair.
With my ass on the hard wood, he pulled my face close to his. “Here’s what you’re going to do.”
I listened intently.
Absorbing every word.
The old man knew best.
ELLE
Something wasn’t right.
I pulled into the side driveway of Michael’s corner lot and put my car in park. With a flick of the switch, the interior light turned on and I proceeded to search the floor. It wasn’t there.
My garage door opener was missing, and for some reason the button programmed into the vehicle hadn’t worked in weeks.
Feeling slightly panicky, I opened the glove compartment. It wasn’t there either. Maybe I’d stuffed it in my purse. After all, I did it all the time when I’d take Clementine for walks. I reached for my bag and realized it wasn’t the same purse I’d used this week. That one I’d left behind at the boutique.
Clementine had fallen asleep in her car seat and I wanted to get her in her crib and avoid the cold while doing so.
To be certain the repair shop hadn’t moved it, I lifted the center console lid and rummaged through it.
Something sparkled.
My eyes dipped down and I reached inside. When I picked the charm up, my fingers trembled. Sucking in a breath, I pinched the silver and turned it around. But I didn’t need to. The glistening of the small speck of a diamond was all I needed to see to know for certain. Still, I read the inscription anyway.
It was the charm from the bracelet my sister had given me for my tenth birthday. The same one I threw at her the day she left.
My heart stilled as the memory flooded me and I tried to hold back the tears.
“Happy birthday,” my mother and sister sang as the candles flamed before me.
Just as I was blowing them out, the door swung open and my father strode in. I froze in mid-blow, but the candles went out anyway.
Traitors.
His eyes darted to my mother. “You couldn’t wait?”
“It’s almost ten, Henry, and the girls have school tomorrow.”
He disarmed and left his gun on the counter where he always did. We were living in Germany at the time and since we’d just arrived, we didn’t really know anyone, so we had no one to invite to my party.
Not that we ever would have invited anyone anyway.
“Let’s eat the cake,” he said, more jovial than he’d been in a long time.
My mother smiled at him and started cutting it.
It was strange; I felt like we were a family. That didn’t happen often.
My father moved closer to the table and gave her a kiss. “Did you give Gabby her present?” he asked my mother excitedly.
She sniffed him and twisted her head. “No, not yet. Where have you been?”