“You should have told me. I came to you to ask for your help to keep McScroodge off her back. You should have told me he’d evicted her,”I interrupted, my own disappointment seeping in.
I’d asked him a few months ago if there was any way he could buy Bella some more time to get the money for her rent, and he’d agreed to help. I knew I was being unfair, though. Hehadhelped her several times, yet it hadn’t been enough.
He sighed.“I did what I could, Tris. I thought she’d manage to find the money.”He slumped in his seat, rubbing a hand over his forehead.“I’m sorry I couldn’t help her anymore, but you have to understand. If I lose my job,thenwe risk losing our home.”
It was my turn to sigh as I collapsed into the chair opposite him.“I know, Dad.”I closed my eyes, regret flowing through me.“I’m sorry. I let you and Mom down. I…I got so angry, he evicted Bella, and now she’s got no choice but to leave town.”
Dad’s head lifted, and he met my stare across the table.“Doesthatmean she’s going back to her Dad?”I shook my head, and he visibly relaxed.“Thank God.”
I’d confided in him after Bella told me about the abuse she suffered, needing guidance on how I could help her through. In my eyes, my dad was the wisest man I knew, and he hadn’t let me down when I asked for his supportthen.
He never let me down.
“Her friend has offered her a job and a place to stay, but it’s in Lincoln Vale.”
“That’s what? Six hours away?”
“Yeah.”
Silence filled the room, and I wondered how long it would be until the officer came to take me back to my cell, when my dad surprised me.“I’ve spoken to Ben.”
“McScroodge?”
Dad grimaced.“Yeah. The cops told him it was my son they arrested. He wasn’t best pleased and wanted to press charges. But I’ve managed to talk him out of it.”Stunned, I could only stare at my dad. I may not have known McScroodge, but his reputation preceded him.“He won’t press charges, but in exchange, you have to clean up the mess you made.”
It took every effort not to react. It wasn’t my fucking mess, and the thought of going anywhere nearthathouse orthatman infuriated me more than I’d ever been in my life. But there was no way I was going to stitch Bella up.
“That’s not all,”Dad continued, not quite able to meet my gaze.“He wants you to decorate the whole of his house at your expense.”
“You’re kidding me-”
“Tris, you broke into the man’s house, smashed his windows, and sprayed paint everywhere. You branded him a murderer. Whatever you think of him, he isn’tthat. You’re lucky he agreed to the deal I offered. You know you could go to jail for what you’ve done. What would your sisters have done without you ifthathad happened? What wouldIhave done without you, Tristan?”Dad bellowed, and despite me being an adult, I couldn’t help but recoil under his furious tone.
I couldn’t ever remember a time when my dad was angry at me.
Thoughts churned in my head. Was it better to face jail and a criminal record than spend my hard-earned cash fixing damage I hadn’t caused? The other option was giving Bella’s name up to the cops and letting her deal with the consequences of her actions.
But there was only one answer. With a heavy heart, I met my father’s gaze across the table.“When do I start?”
“Tomorrow.”
Ben
Iwoke in a foul mood. Hardly surprising, seeing as a number of my windows had to be boarded up after the thug broke them andthensprayed paint throughout the house. Ifthatwasn’t bad enough, the second I opened my eyes, the wordmurderergreeted me,justlike the same word painted onto my driveway greeted my neighbors.
Why I had been branded a murderer, I didn’t know. Sure, I’d evicted people who had later gone on to die, but I hadn’t been the one to end their pitiful lives. If people couldn’t look after themselves properly, it wasn’t my fault.
Death was coming for us all; somejusthappened to meet their fate early. Didn’t mean I was responsible.
It was damn typical. The one evening I decided to stay late in the office instead of coming home to carry on working, and the little shit decided to wreck my place. If I had been home when he broke in, he wouldn’t have been in one piece when the cops came to arrest him.
For reasons I would never understand, I allowed Rob to talk me into not pressing charges, instead getting me to agree to his son fixing my house up. The only reason I agreed was so I didn’t have the hassle of dealing with the police and a court case. I had enough on my plate as it was.
Besides, by agreeing to Rob’s offer, I was going to be getting the damaged interior decorated for free, which was more than what would have happened had I pressed charges. I’d stipulated to RobthatI didn’tjustwant the mess cleaned, I wanted the whole hog. New kitchen, new windows, fresh coats of paint, all at his kid’s expense.
I wasn’t convinced the boy would stick to my terms of the agreement, so when the bell rang at five minutes to seven the following morning, I was more than surprised. Flinging the door open, Rob stood on my doorstep, looking sheepish. Next to him, his son.
I’d never met Tristan Crutchens before, and the instant my gaze landed on him, I wanted nothing more than to squash him like a bug under my shoe. I couldn’t say what made me feel likethat. Perhaps it was the cocky smirk spreading across his chiseled features, or the factthathe’d turned up in a tight t-shirt showcasing his muscles, but was covered in paint and had holesin it. Or maybe it was the way his gaze traveled over the length of my body before he licked his lips.
