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My head snaps over, and I see Callie’s dad standing in his pleated khaki pants and button-down shirt glaring at me. He looks surprisingly…sober. He looks tired, older, and beaten down. I don’t feel sorry for him. He hurts the person I love, making me despise him. He destroyed my family.
“You have no right coming here.” I shut the hood and wipe the sweat from my forehead, probably smearing grease across it. I’m exhausted. I have work here to finish up for my dad, and I don’t have time for him today—or any other day for that matter.
“You know what needs to be done, kid.” He walks around the equipment and runs his hands over the car my dad is restoring for a customer. “This one’s a beauty.” I don’t want him in here touching our stuff. He has a lot of nerve coming here.
I sigh, getting even more frustrated. “Don’t touch our stuff.” I glare at him. “What do you want?”
“You need to leave town. Leave Callie and go.”
I roll my eyes and grab a grease rag and a few tools to put away. “Whatever,” I mumble. “You think you can just run everyone off, Hamilton? Like your daughter?”
“My daughter is going to college. Without you,” he drones.
I shut the hood of the car. “No, your other daughter,” I say as the color drains from his face.
“We had a deal. She was supposed to keep quiet.”
I glare and shake my head at him. “You’re a piece of work.”
“I will destroy her,” he quips. “Just like I did your mother and sister. I won’t stop, and I’ll make everything worse for everyone you care about if you don’t leave. I’ll start with Callie, and I’ll cut her off. She’ll have nothing. Be nothing. All because of you. Is that what you want? You want to see Callie fail and not become a doctor? It’ll be your fault, you know.”
Anger fills me to almost a boiling point as I glare at him. “My dad has been more of a dad to her than you have. And the fact that he still cares about your daughter after what you did to him and our family shows the kind of man he is versus what you are. You don’t deserve Callie.”
His face reddens, and he glares at me. “I will make sure she fails if you don’t leave. I will ruin her. Then I will ruin your dad. I won’t stop until I destroy everything you love and care about. Are you ready for this fight? Because it will only end with everything you love destroyed.”
I stare at him in disbelief. “You would destroy your own daughter just to spite me?”
“I did it once already with your mother.” He shrugs. “You have no idea what I would do to make sure she doesn’t end up with you,” he says with a smile that makes my stomach curdle.
Jesus. I hate him even more.
“I will ruin this shop,” he continues. “Your dad will have nothing by the time I finish. Everything he’s built here will be gone. Then I’ll go after the club. I’ll ruin every single member of the Eastern Bones. I’ll destroy their jobs. I’ll get all the cops that I have in my back pocket to put every single one of them in prison for a long time, starting with your piece of trash dad. You want that on your conscience? You really want this war on your hands? Because it will be all your fault. I will destroy everyone. I’ll enjoy it, too.”
“Get out. Get away from me.”
I’m shaking because I’m so angry right now. I hate this man with every fiber of my being. He’s the reason I don’t have a mom or a sister. He’s the reason Callie has struggled. I just want her to get away from them.
“I’m never going away. I won’t stop. Ever. You remember that. But if you leave, I won’t hurt Callie. She’ll become a doctor,” he taunts as he leaves, not looking back.
I sit on the rolling stool and place my face in my hands. I’m so tired. Tired of fighting to belong. I just want it all to go away. I want Callie to be safe and to get out of here. If I keep her from going off to school, what kind of person does that make me? I’m selfish if I don’t do what he says, and she can’t go to school. She’s worked so hard for this and prepared for this for as long as I’ve known her. I just want her to be happy, no matter what. And maybe that’s not with me. Maybe I’m in the way.
I know my dad would fight him back. But would he win? Would it be worth it? My dad doesn’t deserve any of this. Neither does the club. If I leave, then they will all be safe. I’m the problem here. I’m the one who should just go, then they will all be safe.
I love Callie so much. Too much. Enough to let her go so that she can pursue her dreams. I would never want to hold her back. I’ve always known that Callie is probably too good for me. And she’s too good for her shitty family. If I leave her, I know Mrs. Winters will watch over her.
I know what I need to do will hurt a lot of people. But I have to do it.
now
I knock softly on the door. My dad stirs in his hospital bed, and his eyes flicker open. He tries to sit up, but pain washes over his face. He’s tangled with the wires, and occasionally, a few chirps are heard from the machine monitoring his vitals. My heart drops seeing my usually healthy dad in this state.
“Don’t sit up.” I pull a chair close to his bed and lean forward.
“Don’t give me that look,” he grunts. “I’m fine.”
“Fine is not the word I would use to describe you right now, but I’m relieved to hear that you’ll be okay.”
“Callie fixed us both up.” He coughs and winces.
