AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I hear you there, man. None of them can be trusted,” I say to spur him on. The sad thing is that I do feel this way. I can’t trust women, and I haven’t been able to for more than twenty-five years. Nathan’s eyes light up as he finds himself in the company of another woman-hater.
“Seriously! You try to help out one of those bitches and they turn on you and stab you in the back,” the man splutters, getting more worked up with every word he speaks. I get him another drink.
“I’ve been there. I’d love to put them all in their place,” I say, but feel sick even saying the words out loud. No, I don’t respect women, but that doesn’t mean they should ever be abused. I have Bill to thank for setting me straight on that.
“Yeah, I was just with my bitch of an ex-girlfriend tonight. I helped her out a lot. I gave her the know-how to start a successful career, and how does she thank me? By telling me to get lost, and getting a damn restraining order placed on me,” Nathan grumbles.
This isn’t what I was expecting, but I don’t show a reaction. “Sounds like a typical woman,” I say.
“Yeah, typical. Screw that whore!”
“How did you help her?” I casually ask.
“I found her when she was young, real young, and innocent, you know?” Nathan says with demented glee in his eyes.
I instantly tense. I suspect I’m not going to like what’s about to come out of this man’s mouth. “Tell me,” I say, and the man’s too wasted to notice I’m no longer as friendly as before.
“Yeah, she was sixteen, all roses and kittens, though her little sister was in some sort of coma or something, and it was messing with her head. All I had to do was play the role of her prince come to save her from a dragon or some shit. She was eating out of my hand within a few weeks,” he says with a wide grin as he thinks back to those days.
“Well, that doesn’t sound like anything new. All women will eat out of your hand if you rescue them,” I say with a scoff. “Someday my prince will comeand all that sort of crap.” I roll my eyes and make myself sound as if the man’s boring me. That does the trick. Nathan obviously wants to feel important, wants me to see how much power he has. He’s too drunk to realize he’s crossing more than a few lines.
“So I worked for a man who has a special client list. His clients like innocent young things. The guys pay a lot of money for them.”
“Sounds normal,” I say, though I have to prevent myself from gagging.
“McKenzie wanted me, so why not give it up to someone else first for a hell of a lot of money? I knew I could have her over and over after that. I don’t mind sharing my cows, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” I say. Can I stand to listen to any more of this? I’m not sure.
“Well, the bitch got what she wanted — look, she was sure hot to trot — and then acted horrified when it was done, like she didn’t secretly want it. I know she did. She snapped up the money, my share as well as hers, and went running so fast I didn’t have a shot at catching her.”
“How did you find her again?” I ask through clenched teeth as I motion for the bartender to give the man another drink. I don’t want Nathan to have a chance to sober up now.
“I heard rumors about her having her own business,” Nathan says. “I taught her how to do tricks and then she gives herself a nice little life. Then the little slut acts offended when I come back, acts like she doesn’t want me here. She doesn’t care that I have nothing. All she cares about is herself.” His shoulders sag and he leans against the bar, too drunk to hold himself up.
“That sounds tragic,” I say. I realize I’m not going to get anything else out of this piece of shit. What I really want to do is put my hands around Nathan’s throat and squeeze until the guy’s eyes bulge from his bloated head.
“Yeah, I didn’t even get to taste her goodies, if you know what I mean, and even now they’re some fine goodies. Shit! I made her, so I deserve a piece of her ass.”
I’m done with the conversation. Without another word, I pay the large tab and walk away from the bar. I need to talk to someone I trust, and the list of people is incredibly short. The man’s lucky I don’t leave him lying in a puddle of his own blood. It takes all the restraint I can muster to walk away. But I do what needs to be done. I’m not weak like my father. It takes strength to do what’s right even if in the moment it feels wrong.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Byron
I jump into my car and immediately head toward Bill’s house. I need to have some of these cobwebs cleared from my brain. I’m more confused than ever, and there’s only one person I truly trust on this earth, someone who has known my brothers and me and my parents and grandparents. This man is my real father, though not my biological one.
As I pull up to the house, I smile. It’s modest, and I spent many long and lazy afternoons here as a child. When McKenzie told me I don’t know what it’s like to live in a small house, I could’ve corrected her, but I chose not to. There had been no reason for her to know that for a few years, at least, I’d had a somewhat normal childhood in this very home. A home filled with love.
Bill and his wonderful wife, Vivian, made us do chores, taught us in the best way to have a good work ethic. If truth were told, I still enjoy working up a sweat. Hard work is good for both the body and mind. I was still a kid when I learned that from the old guy.
It doesn’t take Bill long to answer the door and invite me in. “Hmm. Two visits in a short period, and you’re still sporting the same expression I saw on your face the last time. What in the world is going on, my boy?”
“I just... I need to talk to you.”
“Well, let me rustle up some refreshments. This looks like it could take some time,” Bill says.
Before I can say anything, Bill motions for me to sit at the kitchen table while he searches the fridge.
