Page 56 of Mustang Summer

“He doesn’t give a shit about food, Dad.”She shook her spoon at Milton and ignored the bits of batter splattering the floor.“You came here to intimidate me and my dad.Mission accomplished.Now get out.”

“Josie,” Bill wheezed.His face morphed to beet red, but not out of anger.His large frame shook with agitation.

Mr.Milton rose in a smooth motion.He was two inches shorter than Bill and carried much less weight, but he still seemed to tower over them.

“We’ll talk later, Mr.Alvarez.”His amused gaze slithered to her.“I look forward to working with you.”

“I don’t,” she retorted.

He chuckled and sauntered out as if he had all morning.

She and Bill stood still until the front door shut.She went to the window and watched as his surprisingly tame four-door car drove off.Then she stormed to the door and flipped the deadbolt.

When she returned to the kitchen, her dad was in the seat Milton had vacated, his head in his hands.

Skipping over the obvious questions she should ask, she went for the one gnawing at her.“He’s the reason you kicked me out of the garage when I was sixteen, isn’t he?”

Bill nodded and dropped his hands, his expression weary.His eyes drifted shut.“We’d lost our health plan and your mom’s blood pressure meds were expensive, so I borrowed a little against the garage.”

“From Don Milton?”

He lifted a shoulder in a helpless shrug.“He lends money when a bank won’t.But…it wasn’t even time for the first payment and I came to work to find him watching you.”

“I don’t remember.”

“You were under the car with your legs sticking out.I didn’t like the way… Anyway, to pay him back, I started taking on the side work, ya know.”

Oh, yeah.She knew.The locked doors.

“I didn’t want you where he could get to you, but I wanted to make sure you were close so I knew where you were at.”

“What did you think he’d do?”

“Does it matter?”

The anger that’d been simmering for a decade faded.Still there, but not stoked by as much resentment.“Did Mom know?”

“I told her what she needed to know.”

There it was.That arrogance of her dad’s that never set well with her.

He must’ve read into her expression.“She was sick, Josephina.I took care of her and I took care of you.Just like I’m going to keep taking care of you.”

“I’m an adult now, Bill.You don’t need to hide bad things from me.”

He waved her off.“You don’t need to be mixed up in this mess any more than you are.I’ll take care of it.I met with Gage this morning and we have a plan.”

Her hands fisted.Of course, he’d talked to Gage already.How much of the trouble they were in was Gage’s idea?“What’s the plan?”

Bill stood up, his wary gaze drifting in the direction Milton had left.“We’ve got it covered.Don’t worry about it.”

He adjusted the waistband of his ratty jeans and wobbled out of the kitchen.She abandoned her pancake batter to go after him.

“Don’t worry about it?The less I know, the easier it is for a guy like that to sneak up on me.Like he just did.”

He paused in his trajectory that led to his recliner.“That reminds me.You need to make sure you’re with me or Gage at all times.Don’t go around town by yourself until I pay back Don Milton.”

Her eyes bugged out.Did he seriously think she was going run to Gage for protection?What would she do when he banged Camilla, or what’s-her-name?Wait outside the door?

---