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“Riley?” Shock and a hint of guilt resonate in his voice, but he recovers quickly, putting on a falsely friendly tone. “Hey, listen. I don’t know if your sister told you, but I’ve got a situation. Are you girls still living over in those triplexes over at Centerview?”
Dammit. How does he know where we live?
Chloe’s been listening in on our call, and her eyes go wide as she shakes her head as she mouths, “I didn’t tell him.”
I put my arm around her shoulders and give her a quick squeeze as I answer Frank, ignoring his question about our shitty apartment. I don’t know how he found out we were living here, but Chloe doesn’t have to worry about me being mad. I know it wasn’t from her. She may have a softer heart than she should, but she doesn’t want anything to do with our asshole father either.
“I don’t care about whatever hole you’ve dug for yourself today,” I tell him. “We’re not bailing you out.”
Not again.
Mom died fifteen years ago, when I was ten and Chloe was three. I stuck around as long as I could stand it, learning to take care of myself, take care of my sister, and toughen up enough to manage both. But all the way up until the day I got my sister out from under his roof, Frank kept trying to guilt her into “helping” him.
He knows better than to ask me for anything anymore, but the fact that he’s still keeping tabs on us, still going behind my back to work on Chloe, has me seeing red.
“Now, Riley,” Frank starts. “That’s no way to talk to your old man. Raising you girls wasn’t always easy, but I put in my time, and I deserve—”
“You deserve jack shit,” I cut in, furious. “You’re a fucking deadbeat, Frank, and you always have been. You’re not getting a damn cent from either meorChloe. Not ever again. Lose her number, because you’re done freeloading off us, asshole. You’ll have to find another way to deal with your shit.”
“Hey, hey, hey! Hold up now,” he splutters. “You girls are myfamily.I just need a little—”
I stab at the screen to end the call, cutting off whatever he was about to say.
He’s not family.Chloeis my family. If I could remove every drop of blood I share with Frank, I’d do it in a heartbeat, but at least I can do this.
I block his number on her phone, then toss it aside. “Don’t talk to him again, okay?”
“Okay,” she says, shoving her long blonde hair behind her ears.
I frown. “You don’t owe him anything, you know.”
She twists the hem of her shirt between her fingers, avoiding my eyes. “I know.”
“Good,” I say firmly. “Because he seems to forget that fact all the time, and if he keeps trying to worm his way back into your life, I’ll beat his ass.”
“You’ll have to switch out your mood ring first,” she jokes. Leaning closer, she taps a finger against the small purple gem I’ve got pierced on the side of my nose.
I picked this one to go with my hair today, but I’ve got another one—a black faux-diamond skull—that Chloe always says I wear when I’m pissed the fuck off and ready to do something about it.
She’s not wrong.
“I’m going to bed,” I declare, hauling myself off the couch. I lean down as I pass Chloe, pressing a swift kiss to the top of her head like I used to when she was a kid. “Goodnight.”
“Love you,” she mumbles, reaching up to grab my hand before we separate. Her voice is a little subdued, which tells me just how much our dad got to her.
God, I fucking hate him. But sometimes, I also worry that Chloe is too soft. Not that she doesn’t know what a shitty place the world can be, but I’ve managed to shelter her from most of the worst that Halston has to offer.
I can’t really regret it, though. My little sister will be okay. She’s only soft on the inside, and that part of her… well, it reminds me of some of my best memories of our mom. The ones that would makemesoft if I didn’t keep them locked away for safekeeping.
But unlike Mom, who died before she ever got the chance, I’m going to make sure Chloe has a chance at something better. And I’ll do anything to make that happen.Anything.
Because I love her too.
As far as I’m concerned, in this whole shitty world, my sister is the only thing worth giving a damn about.
2
MADDOC
