“That damn ex-husband of hers is a piece of shit. His bookie threatened Lucy, thinking it would get Joseph to pay. It didn’t. Thank god I intervened in time.”
Cody raises an eyebrow at me, and I know he’ll want to know more. He tells my dad, “For now, Lucy will stay with me. I’ll keep her safe.”
“No, I’ll hire someone to protect her. She shouldn’t be around you.” He snarls, “You’ve done enough damage.”
“With all due respect, no one can protect her better than I can.”
My dad steps into Cody’s space. He is normally a very intimidating man, but Cody stares back at him, more annoyed than fearful. “It’s that cocky attitude that could get her hurt—or worse, killed.”
“I served as a SEAL for ten years. I don’t doubt my skills.”
“Dad, I’m staying with Cody,” I interject firmly.
Well, no backing out now. But the truth is, I feel safest with him.
My dad takes a step back. “I can’t stop you but watch yourself. Don’t forget he left you once.”
I can hear what my dad isn’t saying.He’ll leave you again.
He continues, “I’m going to go see that piece of shit, Joseph. I need to make sure he doesn’t bring you into his business ever again.”
As much as I usually hate my dad for being overly protective, this is one time I appreciate it. I need all the help I can get, forcing Joseph to stop.
“Thank you.”
“Cody, can you walk me out?” he asks.
“No, that won’t be necessary,” I say.
I know my dad. He’s going to threaten Cody in some way—it’s what he does. But Cody is only trying to help, so I won’t let my dad try to scare him off.
“Luce, it’s fine,” Cody says.
I turn toward the kitchen as they walk out the door, but as soon as they’re through, I run to the door. It’s been left ajar, and I can hear my dad’s hushed voice in the hallway.
“Watch yourself. I got you out of her hair once, and I’ll do it again if I have to.”
“What are you talking about?” Cody asks.
Dad laughs. “Doesn’t matter. Just keep your hands off my daughter.”
But I have the same question. What the hell does he mean he did it once?
CHAPTER10
Cody
That son of a bitch.Part of me always wondered why Mr. Hackle dug in so hard on not giving me a second chance. Even the principal backed him up. It seemed so cruel.
Lucy’s dad has always made his feelings about me clear: I’m not good enough for his daughter. He knew my dad, too, and the only time I was alone with Mr. Gardiner as a teen, he’d had no problem filling me in on all of my father’s misdeeds. As if I didn’t know he was screwing around on my mom before he left.
Well, so much for trying to protect Lucy. She ended up with just the kind of man her father was trying to keep her away from. What I really want to know,needto know, is how far he went to keep me from being with Lucy. Did he only interfere with Mr. Hackle? Or was he also behind my mother’s accident?
It’s all I can think about as Lucy packs up. Once she has her bag, she follows me in her own car to the house I’m staying at, and parks beside me in the driveway.
Her amber eyes are wide as she exits the car. “You’re staying here? I assumed you would be at a hotel.”
I stare at the house. It’s small with two bedrooms. It suits me fine, but it might not look inviting to Lucy. But then, she isn’t exactly living the life of luxury I figured she’d be.
