Page 80 of Cruel Devotion

“No. Yes?” She seemed unsure. “I, uh, meet him at the office, but…” She shrugged. “Let me ask around.”

I was curious now. She worked at an office as an administrative assistant, but I was sure plenty of important people and clients came in and out of her life there.

“Be patient, Haley,” she advised. “And have faith.”

I did. I had faith in love. Both in the love my sister had for me and her willingness to be excited with me and want to help me. In the love my aunt had for me to welcome Eli into our home.

But most of all, I had faith in the love that Eli showed me.

It was scary to hope, but I held on tightly to the bright glimmer of it that blossomed in my chest.

28

ELI

Iwished that I could’ve been proven wrong about my dad. When I left Haley at her house to call her aunt and rest with that morning sickness, I told her that I bet my mom would send my dad to throw all my things out of the dorm room. I’d been partly exaggerating. But I wasn’t wrong.

He was there. By the time I left Haley’s and drove Finn’s car back to campus, I found that asshole up on my floor, trying to do exactly what I’d half-heartedly predicted.

“Get out of my way, you little punk,” he threatened Finn.

My best friend stood there, not trembling and defiant as he looked my dad in the eye and didn’t move from the door to our room.

“Don’t talk to him like that,” Davina warned, standing next to him.

“Shut the hell up, you little bitch,” my dad growled.

“Sir, you need to leave the premises now.” The dorm security guard was older than us, but not by much. He still looked so young and naïve compared to my barrel-chested dad.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he growled as I walked up close to the situation.

“You need to leave before I call for backup,” the guard said.

Dad laughed, mean and rough. “Oh, sure. Call some pansy-ass idiots as your ‘backup’. I want my kid’s crap out of this room now.”

“Tough shit,” Davina snapped. “You’re not getting in here to touch anything.”

“You think you’re going to tellmewhat to do?” He lifted his hand to shove at her shoulder. “Little girl like you? Huh? You’re nothing but a disrespectful little girl who needs to learn her place.”

Finn’s jaw slid as he clenched his teeth, stepping in front of Davina to block her from him.

“Look out, here’s the hotshot who thinks he can?—”

“Stop.” I walked up, cutting right through the guards and the crowd of onlookers. Finn and Davina noticed me now as I took up the spot next to them, getting right in front of my dad.

“There he is. There’s the worthless piece of shit who used to call himself my son.” He leaned down, shouting so loudly, so angrily, that spittle flew from his mouth.

The act of my defiance was the tipping point to unlock the last level of his monstrous personality. He’d snapped. And I was so done with him that it wasn’t even funny.

“Don’t talk—” Davina’s retort was cut short by my dad reaching out to push her away.

He tried to, at least. I caught his hand and shoved him back, making his arm jerk awkwardly toward the side.

“You’re not here for them. You want to act like a mad dumbass, then take it out on me. That’s why you’re here, right? You want to try to pound in some lame demand for respect?”

“Don’t talk to me like?—”

I struck out at him as he reared up to backhand me. I beat him to the punch—literally—and landed a solid hook to his jaw. Putting all my pent-up anger and frustration into the hit, I heaved out deep, ragged breaths. My knuckles stung. My arm was tight. But damn, did it feel good to see him flounder and fall back on his ass.

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