Page 43 of Hey, Daddy

“Let me have your keys and I’ll go move your car into a visitor’s spot while I’m down there talking to the lawyer,” I instructed.

“Um, it is in your visitor’s spot,” she replied hesitantly.

I let her go, smoothed her hair back, and cupped her cheek before saying, “It’ll be okay, Desi.”

“I know,” she said.

I guided her to the love seat that was taking up the side of the room I was on, then said, “Can you come outside with me for a minute?”

Nastya nodded, grabbed her phone and her keys and said, “Sure. I’ll lock up.”

I waited until we were outside before saying, “Thank you.”

“Should we, uh, call the cops?” she asked. “I stabbed someone.”

“No.” I snorted. “If he goes to the cops, he’ll have to say that he was trying to hurt someone, and I doubt he’s dumb enough to do that.”

“And if he is dumb enough?” I asked.

“Then I’ll figure it out,” I said. “I won’t let you get into trouble for this.”

She studied my face for a long second before nodding and following behind me as I headed down the stairs.

When we got down there, my eyes automatically scanned the lot, and they narrowed when I saw the Tahoe in my visitor’s spot instead of the Chevy Blazer I’d bought for Desi.

Anger started to suffuse me as I pulled my phone out and called my lawyer.

After explaining everything that’d happened, I hung up with the knowledge that this was finally it.

This was the last straw for me. I would never let her have the win even if it was going to keep the peace.

Not after learning that my daughter had nearly been raped because of my ex-wife’s stupidity.

After hanging up with my lawyer, I pulled up the Chevy app and looked at the location for Desi’s car.

It was in Oklahoma at a casino.

Out of town for work, my ass.

“How do you feel about a road trip?” I asked.

“A road trip?”

I nodded. “I need to go drop my daughter off with my brother for the day. Then I need to go get Finn, and then head to Oklahoma. I need to get Desi’s car, and I’m sure the fuck not leaving my ex-bitch of a wife a vehicle so that she can get home easily.” I paused. “And I only have a department-issued vehicle. They’ll frown upon me driving it that far.”

“And you want me to drive you?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said. “But first, I really need to make sure that I get Finn safe. If that sick fuck kills the dog, both Desi and I will be devastated.”

“Finn?” she asked. “He’s yours?”

“My dog, yes.” I nodded. “Got him when he was a puppy when Desi was in middle school. But Desi and Finn bonded hard, so I left him with Desi and Julia.”

“I think that I might want to kill her,” she admitted.

I snorted. “Get in line.”

“I’ll take you under one condition,” she said.

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