My dad spins on the group, glaring at her. “Did you know about this?” he asks, angrily waving the piece of paper in her face.
My sister takes a step back at his outburst.
Seconds later, my dad’s shirt is in Big Dan’s fist. “Don’t you come at my wife like that, brother. I’ll knock you into next week.”
Dirk tries to push between them.
“Oh my god. You all knew!” My dad yells pulling away from them. “Fuck you!” He shakes his head in disbelief. The sad look of betrayal on his face makes me double over. “Just … fuck!” He rushes past everyone, heading inside.
“Dad, wait!” I rush after him and everyone follows.
He storms through the warehouse, knocking aside anything that gets in his way. I’ve never seen my father like this. Never.
“Dad, please,” I beg as he slams the front door open and heads toward his bike.
Dirk pushes past me and grabs him by the arm, spinning him around. “Stop!” he barks.
My dad rears his fist back and pops my uncle right in the nose. Lily and Daisy both scream as blood pours down Dirk’s face.
Dad backs up, his expression falling as he realizes what he’s done. His head drops, and he looks at the crumpled letter in his hand, now stained red. He lets it fall to the ground, looking away from us. “Don’t follow me.”
And then he gets on his bike and speeds out of the lot.
It’s quiet except for the roar of his bike as it fades away.
Daisy is the first to jump into action. She places her hand on Dirk’s back, ushering him into the warehouse. “Let’s get you inside and get this stopped.”
For the first time in my entire life, I see my uncle drop his shoulders in defeat. He lets her lead him inside. When they pass me, she pauses. “He’ll be okay, Jackson.”
Honestly, I don’t know if that’s true.
She continues into the warehouse with Dirk. Lily walks over and picks up the crumpled piece of paper from the ground.
I place my hand over hers, stopping her. “You should sit down first.” I look to Dan for backup.
He takes the letter from her and hands it to me. “Inside, now,” he calmly orders.
She looks from him to me.
“Please. I can’t have you running out of here like Dad just did. I need you by my side,” I tell her.
Her face softens and she nods, letting Dan take her hand to lead her inside.
My head falls back, and I stare up at the bright blue sky. “Dammit, Mom, this is a lot.” I sigh, dropping my gaze back to the bloodied letter in my hands.
Lexie comes flying into the parking lot. She gets out of her car and rushes toward me. “Oh, Jackson, I’m so sorry. This isn’t what your mom wanted.”
My head pulls back. “You knew?”
She stops dead in her tracks, her bottom lip slipping between her teeth.
“I’m not mad,” I say, holding up my hands. “Just confused.”
“She gave me the letters. They were supposed to be given out in order, but …”
“But now people are finding out out of order?”
Lexie nods sadly. “I’m sorry. I told her she should have picked someone else. I knew I would mess this up.”
