She grabs our food and puts it beneath the counter to hide it from view so no one knows we’ve been here.
I grab the deadbolt and slide it across until I hear the heavy click of metal on metal.
“Maybe we should go out the back. We can run to my car before he gets here,” she says.
Run.
How sad is that?
Running from my own father.
Terrified and for my life.
He’s never been a stable person, but I’ve never actually feared for my own safety.
Am I about to do that now?
Would he actually have the balls to hurt his own daughter?
“No,” I say, turning away from the door. “I’m not running.”
“Uh, Holly? This isn’t really the time to play heroes.” She looks uncertain, slightly panicked.
“I just…I have to face him. Running away is only going to make it worse. Maybe if I face him head on, I can make him understand.”
Her lips press into a thin line.
“Okay. But I’m keeping my phone in my hand with 911 already dialed. Just in case.”
The gratitude that swells in me is almost too big to swallow.
My throat works around it anyway, my hands curling into fists at my sides.
“Thank you.”
32
LIAM
My foot slams down hard against the gas pedal, the old truck jerking forward like it’s just as tense as I am.
The phone’s pressed so tight to my ear I know I’m going to have a red mark there later, but I don’t care.
Reecestillisn’t answering.
“Come on,” I mutter, stabbing the call button again with my thumb. “Pick up.”
The screen glares back at me, stubbornly ringing as the cold night air whips in through the open windows.
I’ve got them rolled down despite the temperature because I need the air, need the sting of it in my lungs to keep my brain from locking up entirely.
My breath clouds instantly in front of me, a harsh reminder of how cold it is and how fast I’m breathing it in.
Jack’s voice from fifteen minutes ago is still replaying in my head, raw and edged with pain, like a busted guitar string.
“Carson showed up to my place. Punched me in the face before I even got a word out.”
I’d gripped the phone tighter, knuckles whitening around my kitchen counter as I’d leaned against it. “What the hell? Why?”
