Page 103 of Contention

She can almost hear the false smile on his lips when he says, “Maybe I wanted to hear the sound of your voice.”

At first, Kara thinks,you don’t.Then, the lonely little girl inside of her lifts her head in hope that her father is telling her the truth. That he loves her, that he misses her. That sort of hope is dangerous.

“Tell me about this job of yours,” he says suddenly. Very earnest and open. “You’ve been successful, I hope?”

Shifting away from Nick’s gaze, irritated that he’s witnessing this phone call, Kara hunches over herself, clutching the phone to her ear. She gets up and strides towards the bathroom, looking for some privacy. She shuts the door as Nick frowns at her from the bed, looking put out, blue eyes narrowed.

Too fucking bad.

Once alone, Kara starts telling her father about how she’s been working criminal cases and such. She tells him briefly about the recent one, though she omits the fact that she actually lost the case. That still stings.

He makes a few interested noises as she tells him about how things have been, but she senses he’s getting to his limit. He’s never been good at faking his interest for long, but sometimes Kara likes to pretend that he cares. She’s always wanted to believe he feels a sliver of affection for her.

Switching the conversation over, she asks him about how he’s doing and if his parents are doing well. A safe topic. It’s always better if he talks about himself. Kara realizes that much of it is likely exaggerated and false, considering his very high opinion of himself. She plays along, fawning over him in a sweet voice; the way she knows he likes.

Why does she do it? Because when she does, he practically vibrates with positive energy, happy with her. It almost feels like adoration. Even if it’s a poor ghost of it.

Towards the end of his long story, his tone shifts in a cagey manner that puts Kara on edge immediately.

“There’s something else…” he starts saying slowly.

Here it comes. Kara can almost taste disappointment on her tongue, bitter and acidic. “What’s up? Are you alright?”

“Well. Funny you should mention that.” He pauses carefully. “There’s a small matter with the police.”

Oh.Oh. Mentally, Kara imagines glass shattering and she exhales very slowly, trying to contain the slash of anger that burns through her hotly. She can’t stop the way her voice goes deadly flat. “What did you do?”

He gasps, as if stabbed by her words. “Why do you assume I’ve done something? You always assume the worst. You’re overreacting, as usual. It’s just a small thing…”

“It’s never a small matter with you!” Kara cries out viciously, her voice echoing back at her. Well, her calm was nice while it lasted. Her nails dig into the palm of her free hand and she wants to punch the mirror. She wants to dance on glass. “What’s going on? Do you want to tell me why youreallycalled?”

There’s always a reason. She knew it all along.

He pauses and Kara can imagine him with his tongue in his cheek as he considers how he’s going to spin whatever horror he’s about to tell her. She can imagine him with his dark eyes looking upward as he crafts something fast, thinking of ways to spin things in a not-so-awful light.

“Don’t take that tone with me. Besides, it’s just an annoyance, really.” Her father’s tone is light, almost extremely casual. “I’m being investigated for embezzlement.”

Kara blinks, almost wondering if she heard him wrong. He’s not a stupid man, surely he didn’t just say what she thought he said? Then again, he’s a smart man with a devious, calculating mind. Perhaps it isn’t as far-fetched as Kara would hope.

In his head, he probably thought he was brilliant enough to get away with it. The more Kara pictures it, the more horrified she becomes. Suddenly, it doesn’t seem ridiculous anymore.

“Did you do it?” Kara asks with gritted teeth, staring at the wall as if she’s ready to blow a hole in it.

“Did I what…?” There’s a smile in his voice and it’s infuriating.

Losing her temper, Kara says slowly, “Did. You. Do. It?”

There’s a soft little chuckle, so familiar that it nearly crawls down Kara’s spine. “Who can say?”

Cupping her hand over the mouth piece, Kara screams her frustration, unable to hold it in. How could he do this?

There’s a knock at the door and Nick asks, “Is everything alright in there? Kara?”

“Go away!” She hisses like snake, distracted, already thinking through how her father is about to ruin her life all over again.

“Kara, I thought I heard something strange-” her father says into her ear.

It takes all of her willpower to calm herself, forcing a fake grin onto her face, as if it will help her believe the words that are about to come out of her mouth.

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