Page 47 of The Dominator

“Meet me. We need to talk.”

“No Dad. I-I don’t trust you. You have no idea what I’ve been through the last few days. I can’t trust you after you did this to me.”

“I have things to tell you. We need to talk.” He sounded like he was choking up.

“You’re at work. You’re not trying to find a way to pay off the debt because it’s apparently an unpayable debt, unless you count putting your daughter on the table to become Ferrano property. You’re not coming to my rescue; you never planned to rescue me. For whatever reason, you sold me out. Your own daughter. I don’t know what I did to deserve this but I just wanted to extend the courtesy of letting you know I took off and I’m getting out of here before he catches me. I hope he doesn’t have you killed.”

“Sweet pea, I just need five minutes of your time, I just want to give you my side of the story, okay?” He sounded desperate.

I held the phone and squeezed my eyes shut.

“I have a bit of cash. I can give it to you, help you get out of town,” he said. “Where are you? I’ll meet you after work. I’m just here today doing inventory.”

I had $248 in my account and that wouldn’t get me far. I knew I’d have money deposited in about a week for my allowance from social services, if they hadn’t cut it off already at my disappearance. I didn’t care so much about Dad giving me money, although it’d be nice to have a little bit of help, but I did want answers. I’d been losing sleep over the fact that he’d sold me out. I wanted to know why he did this.

“Fine, West End shopping center but I can’t wait. I’ll be in the food court. Unless I think it’s dangerous, then I’ll be in the family washroom near the lockers by the food court. You can have five minutes to talk and then I’m out of here. I’ll wait twenty minutes. If you’re not here, I’m not waiting.”

“I’ll be there in ten or fifteen minutes. Thanks, sweet pea.”

I was parched. I went and bought a cold drink from one of the food vendors and sat at the table closest to the public washrooms so that if I saw anyone suspicious, it was a good vantage point; I’d be able to take off from here quickly.

The first thing I did after finding out that she’d taken off was call Greg O’Connor’s cell phone. I told him to not say a fucking word but to just listen. I didn’t want to even hear the douchebag’s voice. I told him that she’d taken off and that if he heard from her it was in his best interests to notify me immediately. He answered with a “Yes, Sir.”

I initiated a manhunt with fifteen of our guys, two cops, and called my PI. I had cars parked on the streets of Rose and Cal Crenshaw and the office and home of Susan DeLong as well as in front of that punk Nick’s apartment building.

Ten minutes later O’Connor called and told me where to find her. I hung up without saying goodbye. Thanks a fucking bunch, Asshole.

I didn’t call in help, I got in my car and drove there alone, texting Dare to call off the manhunt that I’d started. I called Pop’s house and told Lisa to hold dinner; that my fiancée and I would be there in an hour. She passed the phone to Pop, insisting he needed to speak with me. I rolled my eyes.

He knew she’d taken off from Tessa’s car and he thought it was hilarious. Him laughing at me pissed me off, big time. I knew he’d find it even more hilarious when he saw me with the injuries his little gift had bestowed on me yesterday. My brother had already seen me last night after the gym and I knew I wouldn’t live it down any time soon. Asshole was enjoying getting digs in at every available fucking opportunity.

I listened to Pop’s ribbing for all of ten seconds and hung up on him, got outta my car, walked into this mall and as soon as I neared the food court I spotted her sitting in the back corner by a frozen yogurt kiosk, looking timid, looking pretty in a black and white checked dress with a red collar. She saw me almost immediately and the look on her face was pure terror. She stood, pushing the chair back with her legs and it fell over. People were staring.

I shook my head at her, narrowing my eyes and warning her with my expression as I picked up my pace. She didn’t heed my non-verbal warning. She took off, knocking some guy’s tray filled with fast food garbage, out of his hands. She apologized and kept going, running in a pair of red high heels, clutching a red purse.

I didn’t want a scene, but I couldn’t help it, I ran after her. She wasn’t fast in those heels and I caught up to her about four stores away, catching her elbow and giving a squeeze. She let out a sound of despair and we were coming up to a hall, where there were utility rooms, so I shoved her down the hall and up against the wall. I took a deep breath in an effort to rein in my fury.

“We’re gonna casually walk out of here and get into my car and we are going to my father’s house for dinner. As planned. I’ll deal with you when we get home. Understand?”

Her eyes were feral. She wanted away from me in the worst way. She looked around like she was gonna bolt again.

“No, Athena. You aren’t gonna make a scene, you aren’t gonna do anything but what I’ve said. Understand?” I took her hand and put it under my arm and around the waistband of my pants so she could feel the butt of the gun I had back there.

She choked on a sob. I took her hand into mine and walked, fast. She struggled to keep up with me. She had tears in her eyes but she held it together as we headed to my car.

When we got in and the doors were closed, she let out a big breath.

“I don’t want to go to your parents’ house. Just take me back to your house and get the beating over with.”

I laughed. “The beating? You think that’s all that’s gonna happen?”

She stared at me wide-eyed.

I leaned toward her. “How ‘bout I burn the Crenshaw house down, put your douchebag of a father in the ground, castrate that punk you used to date, and pick one of your little girlfriends to be shipped off to a whorehouse in Mexico? How’s that for a start?”

She cowered against the door. I grabbed her chin and made her look at me, “You’ve really fucked up. Not only did you take off, but your actions have my sister thinking that things aren’t cool with you and me, and what’s with you and me is nobody’s fucking business. You broke two rules. Now I’ve had a good chunk of busy people involved in trying to find you and that means a lot of people know that my fiancée took off from me. Talk about an absolute cluster fuck!”

I squealed out of the parking lot, white-knuckled. “We’re going to my father’s house and you’ll behave yourself or you’ll be sorry. Very fucking sorry. So much for this morning, huh? Conniving little bitch.”

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