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“Lucas, I think he’s the one responsible for your injury. He didn’t deny it. He said accidents happen.”
Just like that, my shoulder throbs again and my jaw ticks on the side. “He wouldn’t get some kid to ram into me. That guy said it was an accident.” More importantly, this isn’t about me.
She shakes her head and straightens up. “So was mine, Lucas. It’s not about him being this random man in the background. He’s made it clear he doesn’t care and he’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants. Apparently, what he wants is you here, and me gone. You’re with the wrong daughter, apparently. I’ve been the problem from the beginning. The night we met? That sealed it for him.”
My lips turn down at that. “What do you mean?”
Allie swallows nervously and stares at the ground. She pulls at her dress and laughs, but I can’t tell if it’s sarcastic or maybe she’s losing it. “He saw us, Lucas, that night we met. He saw us in your car.”
“You mean he watched us? What kind of a sick son of a bitch watches something like that?” Add to that, Allie is his own kid. If he knew who she was, he could have pulled her from inside the car rather than whatever he did. Hold on to the information, I guess.
“Lucas, I can’t do this.” She’s giving in to Mark without a fight. Is she really going to let him ruin her life? She’s done nothing wrong.
Allie stares at her car parked in the distance, working her jaw back and forth. She’s never wanted to fight for herself before, but surely she would want to do something about this, right? This is her life we are talking about.
“We can say something, Allie. We can tell them what Mark said to you, and he can go to jail or something.”
“Who would we tell, Lucas? Don’t you get it? He covered up an accident. He’s friends with important people who would turn the whole thing around on me somehow because he’s going to be a president or something. If you think about it, the accident sounds like attempted murder to me. That means he could get away with actual murder. Mark gets whatever he wants and doesn’t care who he hurts in the process. This includes, apparently, his own flesh and blood.” She pats her hand against her chest.
“So, what then? You’re just going to let him hurt you? Let him chase you out of fucking town? What kind of weak shit is that, Allie? You’re better than this.”
She purses her lips and shoots me a glare. “No, I don’t care what he does to me. I’ve never cared about what people say or think about me. I won’t let there be another one of his ‘accidents’ near Jadon out of some sort of retaliation for whatever hairbrained idea you have with telling whoever you think will one, listen, and, two, give a shit.”
How does she have no will to fight this? She just wants to run? It’s the same as giving up on finding out who hit her when she was pregnant.
“I didn’t care before, thinking it really was an accident and maybe that person who hit me was afraid of the consequences. I let it go, Lucas, because I had someone more important to worry about. I still have someone more important to worry about. If it means we need to leave so that he doesn’t hurt my son, I won’t risk it. I won’t, Lucas. He’s too important to me.”
She pushes away from the wall and walks past me.
Biting off several curses, I rush to keep up with her. “You’re fucking running because you think he’s untouchable, but he’s not. We have that file and you can tell them everything he said. His threats to harm you? He can’t get away with that.”
“There’s no proof, Lucas. I’ll say one thing, he’ll say another. Don’t you get it? He’s cautious. He is aware of the steps he needs to take to protect himself.”
We make it all the way to her car, and she reaches into my pocket for the keys. “Allie, where are you going?”
“I’m picking up Jadon, and I’m taking him home. I can’t deal with this, Lucas. I’ll come back and get you after practice.”
“Allie, please don’t go anywhere.” I’m going to find Mark. He’s probably still around here somewhere. I don’t know what I’m going to say, but I’m going to make damn sure he leaves the two of them alone. “Please, just wait for me at home.”
Allie narrows her eyes to slits and pulls her brows together. “That’s what I just said. I wasn’t going anywhere.”
“Just promise me you won’t leave or do something stupid, okay? Just…” I swallow the lump in my throat. “Please, don’t leave.”
Tell me you’ll stay.
I don’t trust her decision-making right now. She was just threatened and I don’t want to let her go off alone. But if Mark is here, she’s fine. Once I know where he is, I know Tom will understand if I leave early. I need to talk her out of whatever she’s thinking. It’s clear on her face she’s thinking about running, and we’re not doing that.
She offers a small smile and nods. “I need to get Jadon, Lucas. I don’t feel right not being near him now.” She hugs my neck and holds on tight, sending my stomach to my feet. “I love you.”
Allie gets in her car and this time, it’s me she’s leaving behind while she drives away.
Chapter52
Allie
My stomach rolls in every direction, and I don’t know what to do other than panic while telling myself not to panic. Beads of sweat roll down my forehead despite my air conditioning blasting through the car. I’ve rolled through three stop signs and haven’t driven this fast ever.
My phone keeps ringing, but I can’t talk to anyone right now. I told Lucas I would go back home, and I meant it.
