Page 15 of One Night Rendezvous

"You don't know that, not really. You don't know what it was like listening to him and my mom scream at each other when I was a kid. It was very scary. He knows all of the buttons to push, all the ways I show my anxiety, and he preys on it. It's a game to him." She wraps her arms around her stomach, almost as if she's holding herself together. "It's not a game to me. This is my real life."

I don't want to diminish what she's gone through, but at the same time we all have shit. "You've made it through, Ash. Whatever he's done, you've made it through. You're still here, standing tall and proud. No matter how you were raised, you're the type of person who doesn't take shit from most. Don't take it from him. He doesn't deserve it."

She walks over to her couch, sitting down, and putting her head in her hands. "He doesn't, but it's still there all the same. That fear, that trauma, it doesn't go away just because you shove it into the closet and hope that you forget what your parents did to you. Ya know?"

Fuck do I know that. I don't share with anyone the shit I saw as a child, or what I've done as an adult. "I do, but I also don't want you to turn back to shit you don't want because he's threatened you and made you feel small. Fuck him, and fuck that."

Ashley wipes her eyes, giving a watery laugh. "You're right, fuck him and fuck that. But, Ford, I'm scared."

Her lower lip trembles, and I take her into my arms, holding on tight. "He ain't gonna touch you. I swear to God. He will no longer hurt you."

Her eyes say she doesn't believe me, but I refuse to let this end on that note. Reaching forward, I dig my fingers into her hair, and bring her lips to mine. This kiss is a promise that the future will never be as bleak as her past.

Days Later

I got the previous car I was working on out of the garage, but I've already spent that fucking money. I check my bank account. It's getting very close to negative again. Who knew it would be so expensive to raise a kid? I remember hearing so many people say that as long as a kid has love, they're good.

What a goddamn lie that is. Felicity needs food, clothes, I need gas to take her everywhere she needs to go, and then just stuff she requires for being a little girl. That's only going to get more expensive the older she is. The pressure is immense. I push my hat off my head and scratch my hair. It's a nervous habit I haven't been able to shake.

It's quitting time, but I'm seriously contemplating starting to drive for DoorDash when Isaac comes up to me. He tilts his head toward mine. "I heard that if I need something slightly not legal done, you're probably the person to come to."

Now this pisses me off. This little shit has given me bad vibes since he started, and now he's asking me about the legality of what I do? "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

"Yeah, you do." He sneers. "I know you came in here early, you stayed late, and don't think I didn't see the car that sat over there under a tarp leave. After it left, you ate out quite a bit, which I know you couldn't afford before. I'm not stupid."

Shit. If he's noticed, then I haven't been as careful as I'd hoped. "What do you want?"

His lips curve in a smile that's completely dangerous. "I have someone who needs help to get rid of a mistake they made."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" I'm intrigued, but I'm not ready to commit.

He walks over to the door leading outside the garage and invites someone in. Doogie follows him, and I hate the look of these assholes together. "My friend, Doogie, made a bit of a mistake. Isn't that right? I told him I thought you'd help him, since I noticed what you were doing."

Doogie and I eye one another. "No deal."

"It's not that easy." Isaac grabs my arm.

"Get your hand off me. If you know what's good for you, you'll never touch me again." The words are low, full of venom.

"My bad, but you need to listen to him, because he has a lot to offer you."

I cross my arms over my chest and give him a look. "What are you going to say to me that'll make this offer worth my time? What are you going to say that's going to make me want to betray your daughter. You know I live next door to her, don't you?"

"I have fifteen-thousand dollars with your name on it. Make this go away and I'll make your money problems better. Everyone in town knows how hard up you are, Ford. I hit somebody and I ran. Jail time will be thrown my way and I think we both know that I have a bullseye on my back if I go to jail. I've been there, done that, and I owe a lot of people." He gives me a wink. "So what do you say? Wanna work together?"

Do I want to? No.

Do I need to? Yes.

Am I willing to fuck up what I have with Ashley? I'm leaning toward no, and that's a fucking first for me. Any other time in my life, I've burnt it all down. This time, I don't want to.

THIRTEEN

Ashley

Gina is in a MOOD. I don’t know what her issue is, but she’s getting on my last fucking nerve. Half the morning she moped around the office and acted like she’d lost her best friend, and now, going into the afternoon, she’s so pissed off you can’t get near her. It’s like sharing a workspace with a feral cat.

“Ashley, if you have time to lean then you have time to clean,” Gina all but spits the words at me.

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