Page 168 of The Trouble With Bad Boys

Jaxon shakes his head. “I don’t know.”

“Well, find out because if you don’t, I won’t believe you.”

Folding my arms across my chest, I sit down hard on the bed. “If you can’t answer those questions, then you should just go.”

He begins to pace back and forth from one side of my bedroom to the other shaking his head. I’ve seen him like this before. Jaxon is the kind of man who expects people to believe him when he tells them something, and the fact that I’ve pretty much just said I don’t buy any of this bothers him.

Good. It should. No one should come into someone’s life like he has mine tonight and lay all this madness on them. It’s not right.

Suddenly, he stops in front of where I’m sitting on the bed and stares down at me with a wildness in his eyes that frightens me. “Michner. Rudolf Michner. That was the guy’s name. I don’t know what your father was doing with him, but that’s his name.”

I reach over to my nightstand and grab my phone to call my father. “Fine. I’ll ask my father about him, and if he admits to knowing him, then I’ll believe you.”

My father’s phone rings a few times, and I get ready for it to go to voicemail, but then he answers like he always does, so sweet and happy to hear from me. “Tia, honey. What’s up?”

“Hi, Dad. I need to ask you something, and I want you to be honest with me. Please, can you promise to do that?” I ask, my heart slamming into my chest because I’m so scared to hear his answer to my question.

“Sure, honey. What’s on your mind?”

“Dad, do you know anyone named Rudolf Michner?”

I expect him to answer immediately, but the phone falls silent. Why isn’t he answering?

“Did you hear me?” I ask, hoping the phone call simply dropped or went out for a second there.

“Yes, honey. I heard you. Where did you hear that name?” my father asks, avoiding answering my question.

“Please, Dad. Just tell me yes or no. Do you know a man named Rudolf Michner?”

My hand shakes as I hold the phone to my ear and await his answer. Why isn’t he simply answering me?

“Yes, I do, honey. He’s dead now, though, but I did know him. Why do you ask?” my father answers in a low voice.

“How did you know him?” I ask and look up at Jaxon as he waits to hear what I’m hearing.

“It’s a long story, honey. Maybe someday I’ll tell you, but not now.”

“Yes, now!” I say, practically sobbing. “I need to know, Dad. How did you know that man?”

Again, the phone falls silent, but I don’t wonder if the call dropped this time. I know what’s happening. I’ve seen this before when my parents fight. When my father’s in the wrong, he hesitates to say what needs to be said.

Finally, he answers, “I had to borrow money off him. After what happened to you, I wanted to take you and your mother on that trip. Do you remember how much fun we had when we went to Spain for those two weeks? Well, I didn’t have the money to pay for all of it, so I borrowed some. It’s okay, though, because I paid it all back.”

My heart sinks as I listen to his explanation. He needed that money because of me and what I was going through. He’s in trouble because of me.

“Okay, Dad,” I say with so much sadness it practically drips off every word. “Thank you for being honest. I have to go now. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay. Are you feeling sick or something, honey? You don’t sound right tonight.”

“I’m fine. I’ll talk to you later.”

My heart feels like it’s going to break after hearing the answer I dreaded. Setting my phone back on the nightstand, I lie back on to the bed as I try not to cry.

“What did he say?” Jaxon asks, but I turn my back to him.

When I don’t answer, he climbs onto the bed and wraps his arms around me. “It’s going to be okay, Tia. I promise I’m going to take care of it.”

Something about the way he says that makes me want to scream. I turn in his hold and stare into his dark eyes as rage fills me.

---