Page 58 of Conquered Obstacles

Grace swallowed loudly. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to you, but you’ve been…”

“I love you so much, baby girl,” she whispered, going over to her and hugging her tightly. “I don’t care what shit I’m dealing with or my grief. I will always be here for you.”

“You would, but apparently I was absolutely the right person to make the tiger show his stripes,” I told them. Emily’s parents started to argue with me and bitch about me going over the line, and I lost my patience. “Shut up and listen because you’re about to see why you are horrible parents.”

I put my phone on the high-top table and played the recording of my phone call to Kary so I could get the guy.

Mary swore under her breath right in the first few seconds, guessing how hard it had been for me to endure some asshole treating me that way.

When the recording was done, I met Grace’s dad’s eyes with the anger he deserved. “The only mistake I made in what happened to me was that I didn’t trust my gut and push back before I was brutalized.” I looked at Emily’s parents. “That when I told my older brother my concerns that something was wrong and he brushed them off, that I should have had family who listened to me!”

“He really raped her,” Emily rasped. “And I missed it. I believed her that it was school—do you think it was more than once? Why didn’t she even tell me? Oh god, what if he has pictures of her?” She turned to face her parents and I was so proud of her. “Would your fucking reputations have meant more than that?

“I’m not your fucking property! You’re supposed to love me more than what people think of you. Your job is to protect me! Aren’t you ashamed that you’ve been failing at it? That you’ve left me to handle this alone.” She gestured to me. “My boss who barely knows me immediately did all of this the day we talked to her. What is wrong with you that you are—”

“That’s enough, Emily,” her mom snapped.

“Oh no, you don’t get to pull the parent card when you allowed her near a sick monster and you didn’t listen to her,” I seethed. “He was touching her hair. He was saying things about her looks and body. If you don’t understand that was already over the fucking line, then you are—I would put any man in the fucking ocean if they did that to my daughters!”

“My client doesn’t mean that literally,” Justina cut in.

Sgt. Adams snorted and gave her a look to save it. “Legally, I would say the same. As a father, I fully agree with her.”

Glad he did.

“I’m sorry, Gracie,” her dad whispered, reaching for her. He acted like he’d been slapped when she stepped away and moved towards Irene.

“I should be able to tell you any time a man makes me uncomfortable. It’s not me being sensitive that a man in his forties says my new hairstyle makes me look older or more attractive,” she rasped. “Or that he wouldn’t let me leave the door open and checked my phone was facing up on the desk like he was worried I would be recording what he said.”

Sgt. Adams couldn’t hide his shock at that one. His gaze met mine and I nodded, seeing the red flag I did.

“I have questions if he’s targeting them because they work here,” Emily’s mother said. “He said that he sent you flowers and you rebuffed him. This could be all your fault that our daughters were pulled into your drama. Again.”

“Over the line,” Kary growled.

“Way over the line,” Sgt. Adams agreed.

“Now I’m your daughter and you care?” Emily chuckled darkly. “You were going to toss me out if I messed up my chance to get the guidance counselor’s recommendation and a few inappropriate comments about my looks weren’t something to bitch about, right, Mom? I should be lucky to be pretty enough that he would notice and put me ahead of others.”

Mary caught me before I reached the woman. I had gone towards her fully intending to… I wasn’t sure.

Slap her. I hope I was only going to slap her.

I felt a bit better when I saw her dad seemed a bit upset at hearing that, but he cleared his throat. “Okay, we can discuss this more at home. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Ms. Baker, but we’re her parents and will handle it from here.”

“Will you actually?” I challenged, not hiding my disgust. “Or will you threaten to toss your child out again? How embarrassed are you that you’re this incompetent and now others know it? Will you punish her for that?” I simply raised an eyebrow at him when his eyes filled with anger. “I suggest you choose how you handle what comes next very carefully.”

“Are you threatening us?” her mom seethed.

“That’s your first reaction?” Justina asked, not hiding her disgust. “Seriously, everyone has parents, but not everyone should have children. Unreal.”

I couldn’t agree more. “Emily is over sixteen, so what does that mean in this state, Justina?”

“She only needs to be in the military, married, or have full-time employment to no longer be beholden to her parents instead of waiting until eighteen,” Justina purred. “There’s no formal emancipation process in Massachusetts under those terms unlike the others we’ve had to handle that were in the system.”

“Meaning with all these witnesses, I could declare Emily has a full-time position with me, and she could live in my apartment above the bakery right now,” I told them. “How would that look to all of the people you’re so worried about how you appear? More so than the well-being of your own fucking daughter?”

“You’ve made your point,” her dad bit out.

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