“I’m going to show you what I do to people who mess with my daughter.”
“No. It’s not what you think.”
“We got him, Belle,” Dad said. “One of my guys has him on the side of the road. He’s cuffed. He can’t hurt you.”
I put the knife down. I shook my head. “He’s not hurting me. He’s not following me.”
“I got a call about him following you. Then I got another call of him leaving here. He was spying on you. Probably surveying the building for an attack.”
“No!” I called out. “Will you listen to me for once?”
“Belle…”
“Slam isn’t trying to attack me. Slam… we’re together. In love. For real.”
My father’s face dropped. “What?”
“He saved me from Kyle. That guy you were forcing on me? Kyle tried to hurt me. You wouldn’t listen. Slam did. He took care of things.”
“What did he do to him?”
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that Kyle left. I’m sorry if Slam’s a bad guy to you, but he’s not to me. We love each other.”
“So he was here…” My father’s eyes moved up and down me. “So that’s what he does? He comes here for a little while and then leaves you.”
“No. He said he had something to do. For me. Personal. I don’t know.”
“Jesus Christ,” Dad said. He swallowed hard. “This is what it’s come to? You and some biker?”
“I’m not sorry for that,” I said. “You don’t understand how good he is to me. What he means to me. He’s done more for me than you have. He listens. He cares. He loves me.”
My father nodded. “You think I don’t love you, Belle? You’re my only daughter.”
“You always waited for me to get killed next.”
“Christ.”
“It’s the truth. Now let him go, Dad. Slam has done nothing wrong. He wasn’t setting me up for anything. He was going to take care of something and then come right back here.”
“He’s been here before.”
“Plenty of times,” I said.
“How… long…”
“Long enough,” I said. “That’s how long. I didn’t just meet him last night. I’m not some whore.”
“Stop it,” Dad said. “I don’t want to think anything like that.” Dad then turned and took out a cell phone. He called someone and spoke in some kind of code. I wasn’t stupid. He was telling his crooked guys to stay away from my apartment and away from Slam. Then he faced me. “Belle…”
“What I don’t get is that you’re the same,” I said. “You arrest Slam for breaking the law but you do it too.”
“I have to do what I have to do to survive.”
“So does he.”
Dad reached for me. He touched my arm. “I’ve always loved you, Belle. I’m sorry if I’ve been a shitty father to you. Maybe someday you’ll understand the burden I’ve carried for years. But I can’t do that tonight. I have to get back to him.”
“Don’t hurt him,” I said.
“I’m not. I’m letting him go.”
Dad turned and started to walk away. I charged out of my apartment and called for him.
“Do you know what he’s planning on doing tonight?”
It looked like there were tears in my father’s eyes.
He nodded. “Yes, Belle, I do. He’s going to do something I was never able to do.”
thirty-three
(slam)
NOW
I stood next to the cruiser then the SUV pulled up.
Fucking Chief Richards.
He climbed out, a shotgun in his hands, and he pumped the chamber. He pointed it right at me, his eyes locked to mine.
“Fuck,” I said.
“Told you,” the officer said.
“Andley, go home,” Chief said.
“What?”
“You heard me. Go the fuck home. Get in your cruiser and split. You saw nothing here tonight. Got that?”
“Sir, if you need…”
“Out!” Chief bellowed.
The officer did as he was told, climbing into his cruiser and pulling away.
Now it was just me and Chief Richards. And a shotgun. Which was then put to my chest.
“I can explain everything,” I said.
Chief swatted the barrel up, hitting my jaw. I quickly tasted blood.
“You listen first,” he said. “When my guys call and say that you’re tailing my daughter… fuck. Everything she told me, is it true?”
“Depends on what she said,” I replied.
“Don’t get fucking smart with me, Spencer.”
I swallowed. “Yeah. Everything is true.”
“Why her?”
“In the beginning, it was to get to you. That’s the truth. But then I saw how deep she was in with that asshole you wanted her to be with. So I stepped in to help her. I fell for her, Chief. I couldn’t help it. She’s the most important woman I’ve ever met.”
“Christ,” Chief said. “What did you do to Kyle?”
“Made him leave town.”
“How?”
“Does that matter?”
Chief gritted his teeth. “And you really love my daughter?”
“Yes. That’s why I did what I did with you. I fucking hate your guts, Chief. I wanted to get back at you for setting me up. But then I met Belle. And the violence in my heart gave way. That’s why I gave you Tommy. To show you what the Reap is capable of. And that’s why I was on my way to take care of your other problem. To get closure for you and for Belle.”