Page 108 of Blood Moon

“Probably, but I want you to go back into the building, call an Uber using that credit card I gave you, and—”

“Daaaad.”

“Listen to me,” he said sternly. “This isn’t open to negotiation. I’d come and get you myself, but I’m an hour’s drive away, and I don’t want you staying there that long.

“Have the Uber pick you up at a door on the opposite side of the building, out of sight of the car, and don’t go outside until Uber gets there. Have the driver take you straighthome, and keep looking out the back window, see if that car is tailing you. Okay?”

“Can I come to you instead?”

“Molly—”

“Please, Dad.”

“Sweetheart, I’ve told you how rocky things are now. That’s why I have you taking all these precautions. I want to keep you safe.”

“I won’t be safe at home. Mom and I might fight each other to thedeath.” Her voice cracked and she added brokenly, “Hold on just a minute.”

John looked over at Beth, who was wearing a frown of worry. “Something’s going on with her,” he said.

“Is there anything we can do?”

“I don’t know yet.” He held up a finger when Molly said, “All right, I came back inside the school. I was about to lose it in front of everybody.”

“What’s going on? What’s the to-the-death fight with Roslyn about? Because you didn’t sit at the dinner table last night?”

With misery in her tone, she said, “I didn’t want to tell you this morning.”

“Tell me what?”

“They’re gettingmarried.” On the last word, she began to cry. “She’s marrying that stupid loser. They were going to break it to me last night. That’s why she went mental when I didn’t eat with them. Tonight we’re going out to dinner so I can get to know my new stepdad better.

“I’d ratherdie. I don’t want to know him better. I don’t want to know him at all. Mom said that tonight’s celebrationdinner is a command appearance, and that I had better be pleasant, if I knew what was good for me.”

She sobbed. “Dad, please, please, please let me come to you. I’ll do anything. I promise. Just don’t make me go back home. I can’t stand it. I really can’t.”

There was a lot of adolescent drama behind that plea. Nevertheless, it wrenched his heart and made him gut-sick that his daughter was so unhappy. It also made him furious at Roslyn for being a dictator rather than using a more diplomatic approach to announce her upcoming nuptials.

He tamped down his anger at his ex and spoke softly and earnestly to his daughter. “Molly, ordinarily I would say yes and to hell with what Roslyn thought about your staying with me for a while. But my situation could turn dangerous. I don’t know that it will come to that, but there’s a chance it will, and I won’t put you at risk.

“Give me a few days to smooth things over, and then I’ll have a face-to-face with your mother and see if we can work out an arrangement that allows you to spend a couple of days a week with me. She may be more agreeable to it now that she’s getting married. It would give her more privacy with her groom.”

“Oh, gawd, don’t make me hurl.”

“Can you hold out for a few days while I try and clear up some matters?”

“Do these matters have to do with the program about the Mellin case and Beth Collins?”

He considered lying, then said, “Yes.”

He looked over at Beth, who was losing her valiant battle with the network. For all he knew, in a few days’ time,matters would be much worse than they were now, but he had to give his daughter some explanation for why he couldn’t shelter her right now.

“Remember I told you that Beth’s job is to make sure that everything is accurate and factual?”

“Some of that program isn’t?”

“Since coming down here, she’s discovered that a lot of it isn’t. Until she green-lights the episode, the network should postpone it. Instead, it’s been bumped up a week. She’s been unable to persuade the powers-that-be to hold off. All to say that by poking into the Mellin case again, Beth and I have ruffled feathers. Angry people are coming at us from all sides.”

“You’re worried about me, but what about you? Are you safe?”

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