AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re going to look me in the eye and tell me that nothing seems suspicious to you? That your father, who can’t be bothered to check in on you any other time, suddenly wants to meet up for fucking pancakes?”
That cuts me. Deep. But I don’t know if it’s the fact that Demyen’s trying to prevent me from seeing my own father or that he’s pointing out facts I don’t want to look at. “He’s my father, Dem. He wouldn’t trap me?—”
“Are you listening to yourself?” Demyen’s voice goes raspy with disbelief. “Did you hear anything he just said? He doesn’t care about you or your well-being?—”
“And you do?”
The room falls silent. I instantly regret lashing out at him like that, with those words in particular.
Demyen straightens. I almost think he’s about to storm out, but instead, he grinds his teeth until the muscle in his jaw pulses.
When he barks out a breathy laugh, it’s filled with sarcasm. “A lot more than he does, that’s for fucking sure.”
Again, I don’t know what to do with that information.
He collapses back into his chair and glares at me. Not in the way that makes me feel like he wants to hurt me, but more… well, how I’m feeling right now, too. Frustrated and afraid all at once.
“If you go, Willow stays.”
“Absolutely.” I’m ignoring the way my heart thumps at his unwavering protectiveness over my daughter. “I wouldn’t bring her regardless.”
“Because you don’t trust him.”
I don’t answer. I can’t answer, because I know exactly where he’ll go with it.
Which he does anyway. “You don’t trust him with your daughter, but you’ll trust himashis daughter?” Demyen curls his lip in a sneer. “Make that make sense.”
“It’s just better to not be seen in public with her, don’t you think? With the alert up and all.”
“Sure. Whatever you need to tell yourself.”
“Besides…” I stare at my fingers, which are now tugging at each other’s nails and flicking invisible dirt from the cuticles. A nervous habit of mine. “She’s safer here with you than anywhere else.”
Demyen doesn’t say anything. I don’t know what else there is to discuss. I sure as shit don’t know when that happened—when I stoppedfearinghim and startedtrustinghim. With my life, yes—but more importantly, with Willow’s.
I’m just not sure if I’m actually safe…
Or if I escaped a bear by running into a lion’s den.
64
DEMYEN
The punching bag swings away from me, but it still doesn’t feel like I’ve hit it hard enough.
I want to send it through the fucking wall.
She never.
Punch.
Fucking.
Punch.
Listens!
I swing a roundhouse kick just to feel the satisfaction of the blow reverberating through the heavyweight bag. The chain links suspending the bag creak and spin. I won’t be mad if they break and the whole thing crashes to the ground.
