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My friends always question why I spend my free time just watching her practice instead of hanging out with them, but they don’t understand. This is the only time I get to watch her without her father using us hanging out as a punishment against her. So yeah, I am out in the heat of the summer, hiding in the little shade I can find, to watch my girlfriend do stunts and cheers when I can be doing a million other things.
Today is going to be one of those days that I won’t be able to make her practice, which sucks. At lunchtime, I send her a message telling her a particularly difficult project car came in, and the boss assigned it to me telling me I couldn’t leave until the job was done. The work means I will be making overtime pay which will be going straight into the savings fund I created for Emma and me, but it also means that our normal hangout would need to wait until tomorrow.
My phone is sitting on the toolbox nearby that I had rolled over to use for work and I haven’t bothered to check in for the last three hours. I know Emma saw my text about not making it and I’m sure she isn’t thrilled, which is exactly why I haven’t bothered to check it. I am already frustrated over the car and annoyed I’m not going to see her. I don’t need to be pissed off as well at whatever crazy idea Emma will try to concoct.
Most high schoolers want to have fun with their summers, hanging out with friends and just relaxing. Emma just wants to spend her time with me, which truthfully, I don’t mind because then she isn’t at home dealing with whatever her family forces her to do. With fight night coming up tomorrow, Emma has been even more clingy this week than normal. She loves watching the fights, she just hates when I am the one fighting. I don’t know how many times I have told her I will always come out on top; she never believes me.
Well, that’s a lie; she had believed me until the one fight I lost. My opponent had gotten in a brutal hit to the side of my head and had almost knocked me unconscious. The only thing that kept my eyes open was the blood-curdling scream Emma had let out when my body had fallen to the ground. To this day I still never told her that the reason I had gotten distracted and hit was that I caught a glimpse of her father and younger brother in the crowd watching. Her brother had been focused on the fight, but her father… was busy staring at her standing up on the platform. After that night I refused to allow her up on the platform again. No, now she is ringside with my trusted friends keeping watch behind her. The three of them are immovable and make sure not a single soul ever touches her.
“Trevor!” my boss shouts over the music in the bay.
“What?!” I shout back, pushing myself out from under the car I was working on.
“Visitor!” he grumbles before I hear the door between the bay and office slam shut once again.
Who the fuck is visiting?
I’m not expecting anyone and the shop closed thirty minutes ago. My one buddy left an hour ago after finishing his last car, saying he was going to meet the guys at the river for a bonfire. I told them I’d meet them there after I finished up, though I knew I had about three hours at least of work left on this car. And that was if I was lucky and everything cooperated.
Standing up, I grab a rag from my toolbox and whip the oil from my hands. As I turn around, I come face to face with none other than my green-eyed brunette, Emma. Her eyes are puffy and red letting me know she has been crying. Her hair looks a little disheveled, but I can’t tell if it was from her practice or something. What I do know is that seeing her look like this breaks my heart.
“What’s wrong?” I question, my voice coming out harder than I meant.
“You weren’t there,” she whispers so softly I almost can’t hear her over the music.
I head towards the radio to turn it down a bit while I contemplate how to answer her. I hate not being there, but we both know I can’t always show up every day. I know this isn’t because she has attachment issues; it's something else. Emma and I can go a couple of days without seeing one another and it not be an issue, so whatever has her this upset is more than just me not showing up today. My first suspicion is always having to do with her father, but I can’t keep blaming him for everything automatically either, even if I want to.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” I soften my voice as I walk back over to her. “I sent you a text as soon as I found out. What happened?”
“I needed you there!” She wails, throwing herself into my chest. Immediately my arms envelop her and hold her tightly against me as her shoulders shake with her sobs.
Fuck. She is absolutely killing me here.
“Emma, baby.” I run my hand down her back. “You know your tears kill me. I need you to tell me what happened. I know this isn’t because I wasn’t there.”
Slowly her sobs begin to subside, and she sinks deeper into my chest. She says something but her voice is muffled by my chest and I can’t understand a word she says. When she doesn’t hear a response from me, she finally pulls back and looks up at me.
“Sorry,” she wipes the snot from her nose on the back of her hand. “My dad…”
“What the fuck did that asshole do?” I growl, cutting her off. The one time I try to convince myself it doesn’t have anything to do with him is the one time I’m wrong. I will be making him pay for his crimes against her, one way or another.
“He showed up to practice right after you said that you couldn’t make it.” Her voice breaks, and I see her start to shake in front of me. “He… he said that he was going to hurt you if I didn’t do what he said.”
“Emma, what does he want you to do?” My words come out clipped. I can feel my body vibrating with anger. If we have to run away right now, today, I’ll do it.
“I’m going away for the rest of the summer. My father said that the family is going away and to say my goodbyes. If I fight and try to stay, then he will hurt you.” Her voice breaks at the end.
I let out a breath at her words. Going away for the rest of the summer is nothing compared to half the things that went running through my head with her words. Robert Decloure is a wild card and could have come up with a million different things to punish his daughter with and control her by. A trip away is barely anything. The only problem I see besides not getting to spend time with her is that she probably won’t be allowed to use her phone so I won’t be able to check on her.
“Emma, a summer vacation with your family is normal.” I start, hoping she will help explain to me what is so horrible about it.
“Nora’s getting married during the trip. It’s arranged. She’s never even met the guy.” Her voice begins to switch from sad and scared to angry.
Ah, that’s the issue. She knows that is exactly what her father will one day do to her. I know it was well. He’s hinted at it plenty of times when I’ve dealt with him to protect her. He sees her as a way to gain more power and money. In his eyes, females mean nothing. Emma’s brother William is just a couple of years younger than her, and he already has been showing up for meetings with Robert and has been learning the business since he could walk and talk basically. Emma has never wanted any part of that lifestyle, and I’ve worked my ass off so far to make sure she doesn’t have to. In the back of my mind, I know it may be for nothing, and Robert will still use her as he wants, but I will fight tooth and nail to ensure he doesn’t.
“You and I both know I will never let your father marry you off for money and power. It’s not happening and never will. The second he tries, I will wage war on him. You are mine, Emma.” My words come out sharper than I mean as I pull her back into me and hold her.
Even if it kills me, I will keep her safe.
