“That’s not food.”
“Daddy and I passed a shop on the way here.” Her eyes brightened, and she completely ignored my comment. “It’s just around the corner.”
“You’re not leaving.” Theo’s orders to keep her safe meant not letting her out of my sight. It was one hell of a convenience because I had no intention of doing so until her father came back and took her from me.
“Not by myself. Daddy says I have to stay with you no matter what. So will you take me?”
“No.” I stood up straight and walked away before she had a chance to convince me. I didn’t trust her.
Not.
One.
Bit.
I heard her small footsteps running after me and picked up my pace. It was official. I ran from a little girl.
“Why not?” Her yelling amused me.
“Because I said so.”
“So? That’s not good enough. I want to go.”
“I’m not your father, kid.”
“No, you’re not because you’re an asshole! My dad gives me whatever I want,” she taunted.
I stopped climbing. She wasn’t expecting it, so when her body collided hard with my back, she was gone in an instant. Her fear-filled gasp struck a chord in my heart so that the beat quickened. Pivoting on my feet, I caught her shirt in my fist just in time. Her body leaned at an angle.
Shit . She would have gone head first, and her father would have killed me.
I pulled her up until she was standing upright and released her when I trusted she was steady on her feet. Only then did I start to breathe again.
“I’m going to tell my dad you pushed me.” She stuck her little nose in the air and dared me not to beg for mercy.
My eyes narrowed into slits. I save this little cunt’s life, and she threatens me? “Then maybe I should push you so your father won’t know what a liar his precious daughter is.”
Grabbing her shirt again, I push my fist into her flat chest until she's leaning over again. Her shriek is followed by teardrops spilling from emerald pools. I release my pinky from my fist to taunt her.
“I’m sorry!" Terror has stricken her smooth, pale face.
“No. You’re not.” I set her upright again and push her against the wall. “But you will be if you threaten me again.”
Leaving her standing there looking too afraid to breathe, I lock myself in my bedroom.
I shouldn't have been trusted with her.
*
Her father didn’t show up that Sunday. Two days turned into an entire summer with us at each other’s throats. I began to think Theo had forgotten about his daughter altogether when he finally showed up at the end of summer. But he came with news neither of us was willing to accept.
“Daddy, what do you mean I have to stay here? For how long?” Her tone wasn’t one she should be using with her father, but he indulged her anyway.
“For a while.”
“But what about school?”
“You’re going to transfer to a school here in Chicago.”
I looked at my father who watched Theo’s daughter with a small grin. He was amused by her bratty behavior, but I knew he wouldn’t accept the same for me.
“Dad?”
“Yeah, son?”
“I’m not sure what’s going on…”
His grin dropped and his gaze hardened. “You wanted a slice of the pie. This is your way in.”
“What about Mom?”
“While I’m alive, your mother doesn’t make the decisions when it comes to you… or her,” he answered frigidly. I simply nodded because I knew my acceptance was all he expected. He was good to my mother and me. He even loved us, though some would disagree. His hard exterior was sometimes hard to turn off because of the hazards of his job.
“Daddy, I don’t want to stay here with him. He’s mean.”
Her father’s gaze flitted to mine. I expected anger but instead, got sympathy. Perhaps her father wasn’t as oblivious to her spoiled behavior as I thought. “Are you sure it’s not because he doesn’t let you have your way?”
“I’m not staying here with him. I’ll run away.”
“Excuse me?”
She either missed the hard edge his tone took or didn’t care. “You heard me.”
I looked at my father who didn’t seem to find her brattiness cute anymore. Instead, he watched Theo to see what he would do. Meekness wasn’t something my father aspired to have or even understood. If Theo didn’t correct her behavior, I knew my father would. I stood back to watch it all unfold and even fought a smile.
“I will not explain myself to you but you, little girl, will do as I say.” She opened her mouth to argue, but Theo’s hands flew to his belt. He unbuckled it with sure fingers and whipped it through the loops until it was free. Folding it, he stared down at his defiant daughter who looked as if she’d found her senses. “Are we clear?”