Page 38 of Smolder

“He can’t breathe!”

Royal

Not only was he determined to go with me, but he was also driving the Bug. If I wasn’t so stressed about him seeing my dad like this, I would laugh at the picture he made. His tall body and broad shoulders sitting behind the wheel of my Grams’s Volkswagen Bug.

Before we had left in this car to head to the bar, Amory had convinced Maeme to go on home since Grams had taken her meds and was asleep. I hated having to rush off instead of thanking her properly and asking her about the evening. She had been so kind to come stay with Grams. I needed to get her address so I could send her a thank-you card.

“This place?” Amory asked as he slowed in front of Miller’s Bar.

“Yeah,” I told him. “Pull around to the back door. They normally have him back there so it’s easier for me to get to him.”

Amory nodded, but his jaw was clenched tightly. Not only did it stand out more, but the veins in his neck were also prominent I wanted to make that look go away, but I knew there was nothing I could do. He disapproved of my dad doing this. So did I, but this was life. It wasn’t like I could stop him.

The moment he stopped the car, I was already unbuckled. I opened the door to bolt out and get to the bar first. I wasn’t sure if he’d stay in the car or not. Hopefully, he would. My dad wasn’t a nice drunk. If he decided to go on one of his rants about me, then I didn’t want Amory to hear him. It was bad enough that the bartenders at Miller’s had more than once.

The door swung open, and Glenn, one of the younger bartenders, came out, holding my dad’s arm in a firm grip as he stumbled and cursed.

“Don’ wan’ no help from you!” he shouted.

Glenn ignored him, looking past me to the car and Amory, who I’d heard just get out of it. I hadn’t turned back and asked him to wait inside because it wouldn’t have done any good. The longer I stood out here, the more my dad would have a chance to do or say something.

“Let’s go home, Dad,” I told him, reaching to take his other arm and relieve Glenn.

“He got here earlier than normal,” Glenn said. “I tried to keep a watch on him, but he’s not easy.”

It wasn’t Glenn’s fault. He had a bar full of people to serve and wasn’t my dad’s keeper.

“It’s fine,” I assured him.

Glenn didn’t look so sure.

“Stop talkin’ ’bout me like I ain’t here!” Dad snarled at me. “Jus’ get in the damn car and take me home, you good-for-nothing slut. Look at ya, dressed like a whore. Look just like your momma did when I met her, and she’s a whore too.”

I felt Amory behind me and took a deep breath before pulling my father’s arm so he would start moving toward the car.

“Heard it all before, Dad. Let’s go,” I replied calmly.

The shame of hearing his hateful words was hard with Amory standing there, listening. I’d thought I was immune to it, but the sick knot in my stomach that came this time told me I wasn’t.

Dad pushed me, and I stumbled because of the heels I was still wearing. Normally, I handled his aggressiveness without issue, but I wasn’t dressed for it tonight.

“Whoa,” Amory said, grabbing my waist to steady me as he glared at my father.

“I’m fine,” I told him. “It’s fine.”

Amory didn’t even glance at me when he released me, then grabbed my father’s other arm and jerked him hard enough that he was the one falling forward this time. His arm was snatched from my hold as Amory basically carried him by his arm to the car.

My father began cursing and crying out in pain. I glanced at Glenn, who stood there, watching. He raised his eyebrows at me, then nodded his head before turning to go back inside.

Hurrying over to the car, I got the door and opened it to put him in the passenger seat.

“Lean the seat forward,” Amory ordered. “He’s going in the back.”

“Don’ sit in the back in my own fucking car!” Dad told him.

“You do tonight,” Amory replied, then forcefully shoved him into the car, where he fell onto the seat face-first.

He didn’t wait for my dad to get straightened out before moving my seat back and squishing him into the small area. The things my drunken father was gonna say on the ride home were going to be bad. Especially now that he’d been handled this way by someone I’d brought with me.

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