Page 32 of Protecting Tiffani

“Or better yet, tell her how, when she left your home and started proving that she could stand on her own two feet, you forced Mrs. Sandra to sign her business over to you. Making you the boss and landlord, putting you back in control. You hired Brad here to keep an eye on her and make her life hard so she would end up running back home to you. But what neither of you saw coming was my dad. He started paying her rent. Making sure it was all documented so you couldn’t evict her. That’s when you told this piece of shit here,” Levi points at Brad, “to do whatever he thought was needed to get her back under your thumb.”

“What are you talking about, Levi? Your dad never…”

“Oh, will you shut up, you stupid fucking girl? For someone so fucking book smart, you sure are fucking dumb when it comes to common sense, aren’t you? Did you really think that I would allow my daughter to turn out to be a disgrace to my name? Dating the poor boy who didn’t have a future? Throwing your life away to walk on the wild side? I should have locked his ass up for rape like we had planned.”

“Rape? He never raped me!” This can’t be happening right now. The room starts spinning as my heart races in my ears, creating music that only I can hear.

“You were seventeen. He was eighteen, which made it rape. Then you left home, still choosing him over the person you should have been with. So yes, I own this place and put Brad in your life to force you to see the error of your ways. This may be a small town, but we have standards, and you are a Summers. That means you will live up to those standards, starting now. If only Mr. Hill would have kept his fucking nose out of it, and if Mr. Save The Fucking Day here would have stayed where he was, you would already be back home where you belong.”

“No, I wouldn’t. You stand there calling me stupid but listen to yourself. I would rather live in a fucking cardboard box, begging people for spare change, than ever live under your roof again. I couldn’t take the pressure you constantly put on my shoulders. No one is fucking perfect, and you’re too obsessed with your fucking image to notice that it was killing me trying to live up to everything,” I scream at him, clutching Parker’s arms around my waist. They are the only things keeping me from tearing my father’s head off.

“Standards? What standards are you talking about? Stealing money from the town that trusts you? Taking grant money that was supposed to go toward fixing the park to fund your little addiction to a certain white powder? Or what about the higher taxes that you put in place? Where did all that money go?” Adam questions.

“I’m the mayor. That’s part of my duties. To decide where the money is needed the most.”

“That’s true, but up your fucking nose isn’t a place that should ever have been on the list. And tell me, Mr. Mayor, what good did the citizens of this town get when you spend thousands every night on Mick’s strippers?” Uncle Sonny counters.

“Come on, Mr. Summer, we’re all laying the truths out on the table here.” Levi baits him.

“Fine, you’re right. All those things are true, but the great thing about being mayor is no one in this town will believe you. They’re all loyal to me, and there isn’t anything you can do about it.” He sneers at the three of them. “Now, Tiffani, I’m sick of this shit. It’s time to go.” He moves toward me at the same time as Levi. Parker releases me, moving to stand beside Levi in front of me, blocking my view of everything. Someone’s phone starts to ring.

“You’re right, Mr. Mayor, no one in this town would do anything about it since all the cops are on your payroll but let me introduce you to an individual who isn’t someone you can pay. FBI Agent Dawson,” Levi’s uncle says. The bell above the door jingles as someone, who I presume is this agent, steps through. I push through the two men in front of me to see what the fuck is going on.

“Mr. Summers, you need to come with me.” Another agent steps in from the back door, heading for Brad, who has now sat up and is looking around like he’s as confused as me right now. “Mr. Lee, you are under arrest for distributing pornographic images with subjects under the age of twelve. Anything you say can and will be used against you…” The agents led them outside, with my dad and Brad insisting that they didn’t do anything wrong. Without thinking, I push through the doors after my dad.

“Wait, can I tell him something before you take him where he belongs?” I ask Agent Dawson.

“Make it quick.” He turns my father around to face me. I hear the door behind me open and close, but I’m done keeping the worst thing that happened to me a fucking secret. It’s time everyone found out.

“You aren’t the only one that has been keeping a secret from everyone, so have I. For almost five fucking years, I have let this secret eat at me, filling me up with so much guilt and heartbreak, but I’m done. It’s time for you to carry some of the guilt for me, seeing as how it was from all the stress you caused me to be under. You forced the boy that I loved more than anything to leave me, you kept piling your ungodly high standard on my shoulders, and all that has done more damage than you ever knew. Because of all that, I miscarried my fucking baby. For years, I thought it was all my fault, that I did something wrong, but not anymore. I didn’t do anything wrong, you did. You were damned and determined to make my life hell, and you succeeded. I hope you rot in hell for what you did.”

Gasps come from the men behind me, but all I focus on is the smug smile on my father’s face. I just told him that he caused me to lose his grandchild, and he doesn’t look the slightest bit confused or hurt. “Oh yes, I was wondering when you would finally let that little secret go. But sweetie, you have it all wrong. You neverlostthe baby. I made sure to get rid of it. No grandchild of mine was going to be born a fucking Hill.” My body sways as I try to understand what he just said. Arms catch me before I hit the ground, but I can’t say the same for my father. Adam has his arms wrapped around a struggling Levi as my father lies on the ground with blood coming from his busted lip.

“What the fuck did you just say, you son of bitch? Adam, let me go. I’m going to kill him. Uncuff him, Dawson, give him a chance to defend himself before I snap his neck!”

“Levi, calm down. You know I can’t let you do that.” Agent Dawson bends down, pulling my father up by his arms. I can’t stand the sight of him, so I turn into Parker’s chest.

“It’s okay, Tiffani. Come on.” He picks me up like a baby cradling me to his chest, taking me away from the chaos. Levi and my dad yell at each other, but I tune them out. Parker makes his way up the stairs, placing me on the countertop. “Do you still have the tea I bought for you?”

I can’t form the words needed to answer his question, so all I do is point to the cabinet by the fridge. My father’s words repeat over in my mind, slowing down, and his voice morphs into what I imagine a demon’s voice would sound like. “You never lost the baby.” Lost, that’s the word I focus on. What did he mean by that? If I didn’t lose the baby, then what happened? My hands go to my flat stomach as grief grabs my mind and pulls it into darkness.

The door to the apartment flies open, and I scramble off the counter to cling to Parker. Levi storms in, pulling at his hair and mumbling to himself. I’ve never seen him so pissed off, and for the first time, I’m scared of the man in front of me. My hands, full of Parker’s shirt, start to shake as my eyes watch Levi pace to the bathroom door and then back to the front door. It’s as if he hasn’t seen us standing here watching him until the coffee pot that Parker put on starts to gurgle. Levi spins around, pinning me with a look so full of hatred that I let go of Parker and move away from him.

My back hits the counter as Levi crosses the room, nostrils flaring, breaths coming out hot and fast. In the blink of an eye, he’s chest to chest with me. His hands are gripping the counter beside my shaking body, caging me in. “You should have told me about the baby, Tiffani. I had a right to know. When did you find out you were pregnant? Huh?”

“L-Levi…”

“When, Tiffani?” He screams at me so loud my ears start to ring, and spit lands on my face, making my eyes close automatically. I feel the air shift around me. I no longer feel Levi’s hot breath fanning over my face. In its place is the feeling of Parker’s soft cotton shirt. Opening my eyes, I’m staring at Parker’s back.

“This is between me and her, Parker. Get out of the fucking way. I won’t hurt her, but I deserve fucking answers,” Levi demands. Parker’s body moves back suddenly as if Levi shoved him.

“No, I’m between you and her. You’re way to fucking upset to be talking to her right now. Calm down, and only then will I think about allowing you anywhere near her.”

“Fuck you, Parker. She isn’t yours to protect, and she doesn’t need protecting from me.”

“You’re unstable right now, and that’s understandable, but getting in her face like you just did is crossing the line. You both hid things from each other. Put yourself in her damn shoes. She lost the baby, and by the sound of it, she went through that all fucking alone. That had to be terrifying for her. So back the fuck up, take a few breaths, or so help me, Levi, I will lay your ass out right now.”

Gripping Parker’s arms, I move a little to the left so I can see Levi. I’m not scared of him hurting me physically, but emotionally I’m terrified. He’s right; he had a right to know, and while he kept things from me, nothing is as big as this. At the end of the day, I fucked up worse than him, and it’s unforgivable what I kept from him.

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