Page 147 of The Last Good Man

His temper flared for nothing, and he was abusive to my mother. It took her some time to convince herself she could liveon her own.

Bythat time, I was old enough to work, and going to college had never been an option.

In the beginning, we survived on two incomes and whatever my father had paid in alimony.

He insisted on joint custody, although they had struggled to communicate with each other.

My mother fought him and gained physical custody, but he had visitation rights.

My sister, who was a kid at the time, and Noah, who was only a few years older, seemed to like the idea of scheduled visits.

They didn’t know his dark side as well as I did.

As crazy as it sounds, my father, who’s a lawyer, had threatened us and promised he’d make our lives a living hell if we didn’t comply, and I believed him.

The arrangement worked somehow.

That was untilhestarted a new family and became even more hostile and unreliable.

That’s how he got Rylee in trouble. He and his fancy lawyer friends.

That’s when everybody had to learn I’d stop at nothing to protect the people I cared for.

We never tried to make amends after my release. Andhenever visited me in prison.

A few people thought I wouldn’t make it in that environment, and my father was probably one of them.

To their surprise, Icame backstronger, bolder, and even more frightening.

So, no wonder Noah’s admiration for me only grew.

He knows I make money and rely solely on myself, and nobody dares to cross me.

“So what do you have for me?” I ask, setting my beer down after taking a swig.

I hired Noah to trail Melody.

He’s the only man I trust when it comes to her.

I gave him my ride for his enjoyment while he used his old beat-up car to follow her around.

He trailed her tonight after she left that dark alley.

The kid takes notes, and it’s all old school. Pen and paper, like my therapist.

“Yes,” he says, dragging his finger down the words he scribbled down as if they were significant bits of information.

“She went straight home.”

He ponders something while I let him play detective.

“Her windows were lit for about half an hour before her place went dark. That wasabout an hour or so ago.”

“Are you sure she didn’t sneak out?”

“Positive.”

I smile, but he can’t see me as he seems obsessed with his work.

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