My head snapped toward him so fast my damn neck hurt.
That ain’t helping, baby. Not even a little bit.
My dad’s jaw tightened, his lips pressing into a thin line.
“Because you wanted to.”
“Yeah.”
“You wanted to risk everything we built. Everything I trusted you with.”
“I ain’t thinking about business when it comes to Rory.”
“You should’ve been,” my dad snapped, his voice rising now. “You supposed to be smarter than that.”
“I’m human.”
“You a grown ass man,” he shot back. “Old enough to know better!”
Marlon didn’t flinch or blink. “I do know better.”
“Clearly not.”
“Look, I didn’t force her,” Marlon added, his tone still controlled but firmer now. “This ain’t one-sided. When I agreed to keep her over the summer, I told you straight up. I’m not into no kidnapping. She came of her own accord and everything we did was between twoconsentingadults.”
My dad shook his head slowly, like he couldn’t even believe what he was hearing.
“Cut the shit, Marlon. You know you have influence over her. She’s young and impressionable and you took advantage!”
“I made my own choices!” I snapped, stepping forward without thinking.
Both of them turned to look at me at the same time.
“Stay out of this,” my dad said, not even soft about it.
“You and I both know nobody can force her to do something she ain’t wanna do,” Marlon said, not breaking eye contact with him. “And yeah, she’s young, but she’s not a child.”
“She’s my child!” my dad roared, his voice filling the entire room. “Mine! And I thought you had enough integrity to leave her alone out of respect for me and my late wife! But here the two of y’all go, disrespecting her legacy and making a mockery out of her name!”
I covered my ears instinctively, squeezing my eyes shut for a second because it felt like everything was closing in.
“Marlon,” I whimpered, shaking my head, trying to ground myself.
“Dillon, calm down,” Marlon said, still trying to keep it level. “We can still talk?—”
“Fuck you!” my dad snapped. “There’s nothing to talk about!”
And then his hand went into his jacket. My stomach dropped before I even saw it.
“No—”
His gun came out.
I covered my mouth and screamed, the sound tearing out of me before I could stop it.
But Marlon didn’t move, or even step back.
He just stood there.
