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“Kaleb, I have nothing more to give.” The words come out in a trembly whisper. “I can’t give any more to this, to us.”
She did give everything… and I gave nothing. I took everything; I drained her.
“You initiated those papers for some reason, Kaleb.” She shrugs and takes a step back on her heel, away from my touch. “And now, I get to give back to myself so that I don’t die of sorrow like some damn Shakespearean tragedy or something.” She waves an arm out as two more tears freely fall.
“Please don’t cry,” I plead in a whisper as I step towards her again, but she backs away before I can touch her.
“Do you remember how you told me that the worst way your dad hurt you wasn’t with his fist, but how he tried to start anew? How he’d shape up, get off the drugs and be a loving father, and then on any given day when you’d least expected it, he’d pull the rug out from under you and turn back into a monster?”
I stand there, like an idiot, unaware of the ragged breaths heaving in and out of my body.
“I think I know how you felt now,” she sniffs, wiping at another tear, and the revelation destroys me. A war meaner and more horrific than the one I was in is taking place inside me. It gouges deeper when I watch her shoulders jerk inward as she fights back a sob. Tamping it down, she takes a deep breath and then another before saying, “Kaleb… I dare you to sign those papers. End our chapter so that we can both have a chance at making a life for ourselves.”
The knowledge of what she’s doing with those carefully selected words twists that knife deeper into my soul. She means what she’s saying, and it kills me, making me realize every bit of how I’ve made her feel, and in true me fashion, I act out instead of listening.
Stepping closer to her again, I reach out and delicately take hold of her face before bending to touch my lips to hers, the kiss soft and gentle, but I’m making sure it imprints my next words on her heart. “Not a chance in hell,” I tell her before releasing her and finally turning to walk away.
44
KALEB
My interaction with Luna didn’t go as I’d hoped, but about as well as I expected. But I’m not finished. I haven’t done all I can do, and I’m a long way from it.
The next thing I can do is continue northeast on the interstate, as there are things I can do in the Detroit area. I have a good few hours to get my thoughts together on the road, yet I still have no clue how I’m going to go about this next encounter.
The easier thing to do would be to just find Carter and get the gratification of beating him within an inch of his life, like I’ve been yearning to since Luna first told me about him. But I need to do something else first. While I want to avenge the woman I love, getting her back is more important right now. And besides, there are things I want to know first before any run-in with that fucking piece of shit.
And while she’s got her walls up right now, there are other aspects of her life I can try to appeal to… like the people important to her.
Plugging the address into my GPS was no issue for me, as it’s one I have memorized, and as I pull up in front of the gorgeous two-story white house with the expansive yard, I finally have a visual to the address I wrote to all those years ago as a kid. When I get out of the truck and shut the door, I walk up the driveway and glance at the black metal mailbox, trying to imagine Luna checking it for one of my letters.
I can hear the clattering of wood and the occasional blaring buzz of an electrical saw in the back, but I still ascend the porch steps to the front door. This is a situation where I damn well better mind my ‘p’s and ‘q’s if I want to get anywhere.
I give a few solid raps on the regal black door and lock my hands at the wrist in front of me while I wait. A minute ticks by and then another, and I knock again, waiting just a few seconds longer before taking my chances to check the backyard.
After trudging down the steps, I bear to the left of the house, coming around the side. There’s a tall wooden fence sectioning off the backyard, but it has a fancy gate with a latch that is unlocked. Pushing it open, I enter the well-kept yard to find it sprawling and spacious with a large back deck with bistro lights strung around the canopy. An apple tree with gnarly branches expands in all directions, shading half of the space.
And over by the detached garage stands my father-in-law, leaning over a saw table, carefully sending a plank of wood over its blade. The brash whine is too loud for me to even try to get his attention, so I just wander further into the clearing and place my hands in my pockets, waiting patiently for him to notice me – and preparing to have my ass gift-wrapped and handed to me in some way or another.
When the plywood splits at the end into two perfect half pieces is when Dr. Isaak looks up, taking only a couple of seconds to place me before looking back down to shut off the machine.
In a white t-shirt and blue jeans caked in sawdust, he makes his way around the table, snatching his protective goggles off his face.
“Kaleb,” he says, making my name almost sound like a curse.
“Dr. Isaak,” I greet back in a mild, non-defensive tone.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve coming here,” he points out plainly as he stops his gait – fortunately a safe distance from me. I may have special hand-to-hand combat training, but if I were a bystander, I’d be more afraid of the one of us that’s a father.
“I know,” I acknowledge penitently.
“I think my daughter’s been through enough, don’t you?” He tilts his chin up and raises his eyebrows expectantly. “It ends here.” He sweeps a gloved hand through the air in front of him.
“I agree,” I nod firmly, “and I know I don’t deserve to be heard out, but I was hoping you’d be generous enough to give me a few minutes anyway,” I confess truthfully.
“And why should I give you that chance?” he demands, his eyebrows angled downward in chagrin.
“Because if you do, I’ll make sure not to waste it. Luna is a gift to everyone she meets, and I’ll do anything to get her back,” I convey.
