Page 202 of The Reluctant Hero

“Don’t younow, Suzanne,me, Edward! I’m going so I can spit all over his corpse, bury him, dig him up, and piss all over the casket. He’ll never rest! Even death won’t see me coming. Neither one of you pussies can stop me, either! Where’s my goddamncutting board!”

“Top drawer,” I mutter flatly. Dad repeats it in a softer tone. Mikael looks like I hit him in the face with my baton. It’s a beautiful sight.

“And the meat cleaver!”

Even I cringe at the shriek of rage. Cade’s eyes are wide as he takes a step back.

“Pumpkin?” Dad asks, sounding a little panicked.

The pet name makes every one of the men across from me narrow their eyes. I don’t appreciate the sudden hate because my Dad still sees me as a kid.

“The wrack by the stove, like it always is,” I rub my face in exasperation.

“If we’re not careful, it’s going to be buried with whatever pieces are left of that asshole,” Dad mutters. His voice fades out as he guides Mom to the weaponry she prefers.

“Why are there only onions to chop?”

“You wanted to be able to cry on demand, remember?”

Her continued ranting supports the violent sound of chopping. I let out a rueful sigh, my lips turning up in a smile.

“Code talk, pumpkin. You know the rules.”

Dad sounds closer while my mom’s voice fades even more into the distance. He has his serious voice on, and he’s getting out of her earshot.

The rules. He wants me to tell him as much as I can with very little information so he has deniability when Mom yells at him over something I’ve done. He says his surprised act is more effective that way. To me, he oversells it and makes it obvious.

I try to grab for the phone but Mikael lifts it higher with a dark glare. Asshole.

“Nine one one. I’m putting you on mute because I’m going to get lost in Mexico. I’m doing some solo dental work. Imean it, Dad.” I flounder after that. I can’t really say anything else, or he’ll start investigating. That’s something I do not want.

As soon as the word Dad leaves my lips, the four guys stiffen up with surprise. I can tell they’re trying to calculate what’s going on. The fact that my father is asking questions gives this a new dimension. And Mikael’s dumb ass is the one who took the phone. He looks ashamed of himself, all his silent anger draining away in a helpless tide.

Jake looks excited. He and Ace seem to be the only ones who realize the person chopping the hell out of some onions is my mom. Both of them look approving. As if she wouldn’t turn that cleaver on them in a heartbeat.

Dad takes a second to think about it, and Mikael’s hand relaxes on the phone. If he thinks my mom is done, he’s mademistake number two. As soon as she finds out Dad isn’t in eyesight, she’s going to hunt him down. We have limited time here. The phone is still close to his ear, too. I’m not saying anything.

Dad lets out a weary sigh. “We haven’t done this in years. Hang on, I want to make sure I’m getting the message. Big trouble. No contact. You’re hiding. You’re going to beat someone up. And some smarmy motherfucker called this morning to let us know that moron is dead to see if you’re here already, so you want us out of town. You’re keeping us on the bench.”

Mikael’s eyes narrow in confusion. Cade rubs a hand over the back of his neck. They’re staring at me as if they can psychically tell me what to say next, and I’m not getting the signals.

“I’ll tell your mother we’re going on vacation to celebrate your freedom. Mainly because I don’t have enough bail money for the both of you. Don’t make me pick a side, Amanda. Your mother doesnotget calmer over time.”

I scoff at the imagery of him bailing me out and trying to explain it to Mom when she’s released. Although she’d probably handle it better than I did.

“I don’t have a place to hide you, Dad. Just leave me behind.”

“That’s why you’re my favorite child,” he huffs a laugh and then gets serious again. “We aren’t allowed to know anything? At all?”

“I’m youronlyfucking child, and absolutelynot,” I snap.

“Alright, pumpkin. No more questions. And language. If your Mom hears you, that will make this worse. We need to take her down a few notches. Distract her before she can dig deeper.”

I nod, unable to say anything. It kills me that I can’t have their backup for this. But it could killthemif I let it happen. This phone call will have to be enough.

“I’ll handle your mom on my side. After that, you’re going to take care of business. I know you’ve got whatever this is. I believe in you. No teeth left, Amanda Jane. Just like I taught you.”

“Soft food for life,” my brows furrow as I accept that imagery and start popping my knuckles.

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