Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
“He didn’t mean to break his daughter’s fucking ribs?” I growled.
Tessa cringed. “Well, he was upset and shoved me, and I fell against the couch.” She grabbed my arm when I shot to my feet, ready to hunt the motherfucker down and break every one of his bones. “I’m not making excuses for him. What he did to me was wrong. Everything he has done. But it’s hard for me to think that the loving father I once had has disappeared completely. He hadn't physically abuse me before yesterday, and it wasn’t on purpose…he was only focused on himself. I don’t think he really even processed that he’d hurt me. He’s acting out of desperation.”
That got my attention, dragging up the memory of his expression when he dragged her away from the bank. “Explain,” I demanded as I sat back down.
Tessa sighed and told me about her mom’s death and the change it had brought in her father. “Growing up, he was everything a dad should be. Loving, happy, and I was his little princess.” Moisture gathered in her eyes, and I used my thumb to wipe one away when it escaped. Her tears gutted me.
“During the days right after her death, he started to pull away. Soon after her funeral, he barely spoke to me anymore. He was gone all the time, and when he was home, he was in a bad mood. I—” She stopped, and her face flushed as her gaze dropped to her lap.
“You can tell me anything, sweet girl,” I urged her. Then I admitted, “Nothing you say will come close to the shit I’ve done. Don’t be embarrassed.”
“I was so relieved to leave for college,” she said, her shoulders drooping. “Maybe if I’d stuck around, I could have helped him—”
“Don’t,” I grunted. “This isn’t on you, Tessa. That motherfucker is a grown ass man whose daughter needed him. Don’t go blaming yourself for shit that’s outta your control.”
Maybe I should have felt an iota of sympathy for the man losing his wife. However, there was no compassion in me because he’d been so selfishly absorbed by his own grief that he’d not only neglected his daughter but treated her like a pawn to feed his addiction.
“Anyway,” she continued after giving me a soft smile. “I found out recently that he had a gambling problem. He owes his bookie a lot of money. That’s why he was so upset. He tried to empty my college fund, but the bank called me for permission. I had to be the one to withdraw it, and he was angry when I confronted him.”
“That’s what you were doing at the bank?”
She nodded. “But they can’t cut the check for a couple of days.”
I made a mental note to get the information for her account and give it to Grey. “I know someone who can figure something out so your dad can’t get his hands on your money and you can finish school.”
Tessa’s gaze swung over to the fireplace where a large family portrait hung over it. “I don’t really care about school, to be honest. My first year there was fine, I guess. But it mostly was a means of getting away from my dad. I have nowhere else to go, and without that money, I’m stuck here.”
“Not anymore,” I grunted as I pushed to my feet. “You’re coming with me.”
She shook her head, then dropped it back so she could look up at my face with an expression of wonder. “I don’t even know your last name. But for some reason, I feel safe with you.”
I smiled and bent down to clasp her hands and pull her up. “You have good instincts,” I told her. Instead of saying what I really wanted to—that she was mine. I’d thrown enough at her, I didn’t want to push my luck. “Go pack a bag, baby.”
“Where are we going?”
I turned her toward a staircase across the hall and patted her ass to get her moving. “Right now, I’m taking you somewhere to have your injuries checked out.”
“A hospital?” Her face screwed up like she smelled something bad. “I don’t like them.”
“Good thing I know someone who does house calls,” I teased.
“Then why aren’t they coming here?”
I sighed and walked her over to the bottom of the stairs. “It was more like a figure of speech, baby. Now go get some shit so we can go see a doctor. No hospital, I promise.”
She came back down with a small duffel less than five minutes later. I took the bag, then put my hand on her back and guided her out the front door. We walked to the driveway, and she halted. “Where is your car?” she asked as her gaze swept the empty driveway and the curb in front of the house.
“No car,” I murmured, pressing on her back to get her moving again. It was the wrong time for a confrontation with her dad, and I’d already tested chance by staying at her house for so long since I had no idea where he’d gone.