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“It is, too, my damn business!” My voice is rising as my temper gets the best of me. “You can’t just do whatever you want and think it’s not going to affect us! Because it does! All the time! You don’t pay the bills, you don’t take care of us, and you haven’t since Mom died. And if she were here, she’d be so disappointed in you—”
He lunges from the truck and strikes me across the face so hard my ears ring.
I move back, cupping my cheek, when he comes at me again, this time bringing his hand down on top of my head. My teeth clank together as tears sting my eyes and blood drips from my nose. Shock whips through me.
Holy shit, he’s going to beat the shit out of me.
He comes at me again with his fist raised, but stumbles, giving me just enough time to swing around him.
I start to take off up the driveway when he grabs my hair. I let out a cry, more tears falling from my eyes. I’m not even sure if the tears are from the pain in my body or my heart. I don’t even care anymore.
Balling my hand into a fist, I swing at him, my knuckles colliding with his shoulder. He grunts, but then yanks on my hair harder.
“Goddamn, Hadley, why can’t you just let this go!” he screams out. “You don’t even know what you’re messing with!”
“A monster!” I shout as I grab his hand and try to pry his fingers off my hair. “Let me go!” I scream.
More screams echo. Not mine.
I glance toward the house and spot Londyn striding forward. Payton and Bailey are by the side door, Payton holding Bailey back with tears streaming down her eyes.
“Let her go!” Londyn shouts at our dad.
Either he doesn’t hear her, or he’s lost his mind, because he only yanks on my hair harder and spins me around toward the truck.
“No!” he yells, his grip constricting. “You couldn’t just leave me alone. Why can’t you just leave me alone?” His voice catches.
I think he might be crying, yet he still doesn’t release my hair.
“Mel, let her go.” The firm voice belongs to a guy, but it takes my wired mind a second to connect a face to it.
Blaise.
“Stay out of this,” my dad snaps at him. “This is none of your business.”
“Do I need to remind you who my father is?” Blaise asks calmly as he hoists himself over the fence and lands in our yard.
Rhyland is just behind him, worry flooding his features as he glances from me to my dad.
“Now, let go of Hadley, get in the truck,” Blaise order as he reaches us. “And get the fuck out of here before I call the cops.”
“Too late.” Londyn moves up beside Blaise and Rhyland who’s reached us now, her wide eyes fixed on me and Dad. “I already called them.”
“Shit,” my dad and I say at the same time.
My dad quickly releases my hair and dives into his truck, slamming the door. I start to storm after him—no way am I letting him just take off and leave this mess to me—but arms are wrapped around me, holding me back.
“Just let him go,” Blaise says softly in my ear. “It’s better if he’s gone.”
“I don’t want him here”—tears fall from my eyes, but my tone is so hollow—“but if he’s not, my sisters are going to get taken away from me. He needs to give me guardianship first.” I’m about to crumble, fall to pieces that I may never be able to pick up.
I suck in a breath. Then another.
Don’t fall to pieces, Hadley. Keep it together.
Then I hear the sirens, and I damn near collapse.
“We’ll help you,” Blaise whispers, holding me up. “But you have to keep your shit together, okay? They’ll probably take your sisters for a little bit, but I can help you get them out. I promise.”
