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Axel is my dad’s rival who does a lot of dealings in drugs and runs some gambling sites. Yeah, Honeyton’s really corrupt, mostly because the people who taint the town are rich enough to buy off the police, my dad and Axel being two of them.
If my dad finds out Mel is working for him, there’s going to be hell to pay. And he may not just go after Mel.
Since the person currently parked outside is either one of my dad’s men or Axel’s—I’m betting the latter—that means Mel may have pissed off Axel. That man seems to have a knack for that. He seems to have a knack for doing a lot of shitty things, like beating his daughter.
My jaw twitches as I remember how angry I felt when I saw him hitting Hadley. It reminded me too much of when my dad hit my mom.
I heard a scream first and looked out the window. Then I saw red and heard nothing but my blood roaring in my heart. I probably would’ve beat Mel’s ass if he hadn’t bailed like a fucking coward.
How he managed to raise someone like Hadley doesn’t make any sense. The girl is tough as hell and strong, and not just physically. Most people would’ve broken the fuck down tonight, yet she held it together. Underneath that tough exterior, though, she’s got to be hurting. I know because I’ve been there, especially when my mom died. And whenever I’m around my father, but that’s for a different reason.
I stay near the window until the car drives away. Then I lie down on the sofa, but I don’t doze off right away, my mind in worry mode.
I think about Alex and how I’m going to convince him to get away from our father’s world and into rehab. I also worry over Jaxon and if he’s ever going to get over this no-talking thing, something that started right after our mom died. Rhyland’s probably the easiest, but his racing concerns me. He’s getting more and more reckless every day. Scarlett’s a handful, too, but she’s only here some weekends. She mostly lives with her mom, though her mom’s new drug addiction is starting to make me question if perhaps she should be living with us full-time.
Yeah, my life is full of stress. Now even more so.
Hadley, Hadley, Hadley. She’s stuck in my mind. I want to help her get her sisters back, yet I’m not sure how I’m going to do that, or how I’ll balance helping everyone out. I barely have time as it is. But something about Hadley feels oddly familiar, and not just because she reminds me of myself. I’m unsure where the familiarity comes from.
The first day I saw her, I knew she was different from other girls. Hot as hell, for sure, and her toughness turns me on, even if that makes me fucking twisted. And that kiss … it was hands down the best fucking kiss I’ve ever had. Well, up until she kicked me in the dick. That part sucked big time.
I guess I sort of deserved it in a way, for being an ass to her when I first met her. But I was trying to protect Alex. Well, that and I suck at flirting. Rhyland’s always giving me shit about having no game. He’s right, but I spent most of my teenage years trying to be a parent. Even before I got guardianship, I took care of my brothers and my sister.
“You okay?” Rhyland asks as he wanders into the living room.
I nod, stretching out on the sofa. “Just trying to sleep.”
He plops down on the chair across from me. “Hadley’s staying in your room?”
I nod through a yawn. “It didn’t seem like a good idea for her to stay in that house alone.”
“I completely agree with you.” He kicks his feet up onto the coffee table. “I’m a little worried about you, too. You’re taking too much on.”
“I’m fine.”
“You always say that.”
“That’s because I always am.”
He sighs as he slumps back in the chair. “You know, it’s weird, but I swear she seems familiar.”
I turn on my side to look at him. “Who does?”
“Hadley.” He shrugs, while I pull my brows together. “I don’t know why, but it feels like I’ve met her before.”
“Yeah, me, too,” I mumble.
“Really?” he asks, and I nod. “That’s kind of weird.”
“I’m sure we’re just being weird,” I say. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that maybe he’s right. Perhaps I have met Hadley before. But when?
I guess it doesn’t really matter right now. All that does is getting Alex help, keeping my siblings out of trouble, and helping Hadley get her sisters back. I just hope I can handle everything
