Page 34 of Daddy's Dirty Little Secret

18

AMELIA

Irushed into the company bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before I bent over and puked everything I ate at breakfast. The greasy sausage roll I had from the fast food place this morning had been a terrible decision, and now my body was making sure I regretted it. I spent the next few minutes leaning over the toilet, my stomach heaving even when there was nothing left to come up. I could feel the cold sweat on my forehead as I sat back, waiting for the dizziness to subside.

After a while, the nausea started to fade, and I wiped my mouth, trying to breathe evenly. The bathroom was empty except for me, which was probably for the best. I couldn’t deal with anyone seeing me like this. I leaned back against the wall, taking a deep breath before I flushed the toilet.

I stared at myself in the mirror, trying to pull myself together. My face was pale, and my hair had fallen out of place from all the retching. I looked like I hadn’t slept in days, which wasn’t the case. I was exhausted all the time. And the bargain breakfast? I’d never make that mistake again.

Just as I grabbed a paper towel to clean myself up, a coworker walked in and gave me a concerned look. I’d seen her around accounting, but I didn’t know her personally.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked in a gentle tone. Her bag, slung over her shoulder, brushed over the counter as she turned to set it down.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, forcing a smile, though I wasn’t fooling either of us. She could clearly tell something was wrong.

“You don’t look fine,” she said, pulling out a mint from her bag and offering it to me. “Here, this should help.”

I hesitated but took the mint, grateful for the small gesture. It wasn’t going to fix the way I felt, but it helped mask the lingering taste in my mouth. I nodded at her, forcing another smile.

“Thanks,” I said, popping the mint into my mouth. I stepped away from the sink, still feeling a bit shaky, but managing to keep it together. I had to get back to Godwin who was waiting at my desk. I’d rushed off before we even got started going over the numbers.

I walked back to my desk, still feeling weak, but I couldn’t waste any more time. The office hummed with the usual noise—people typing away, phones ringing, the steady buzz of busy coworkers. Godwin was sitting down as I approached, looking up when he saw me.

“You look like death,” he said, his voice a mix of concern and amusement. “Did you drink too much last night?”

I shook my head, sitting down at my desk, trying not to slouch. “No. Just ate something bad for breakfast.”

Godwin raised an eyebrow, not convinced. “Are you sure? Because you don’t look like you’re doing too hot.”

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, not wanting to linger on the topic. I had spent enough time agonizing over the nausea I was feeling. I wanted to blame the sausage, but I knew there was a possibilityit was more than just a bad breakfast. Still, I tried to focus on what I was really stressed about. My dad.

I grabbed the card with Victor Hayes’s name on it from my desk drawer where I stashed it this morning and handed it to Godwin. “I need you to look at something. Do you know this guy?” After coming down from my anxiety-induced panic after Dad bit my head off, I decided I had to look into this guy.

He took the card, his eyes scanning it before looking back at me. His expression changed from casual to serious. “Yeah, I know him. Victor Hayes. He’s a loan shark out of Vegas.”

My stomach flipped again, this time for a different reason. “A loan shark?” The words felt like tiny hammers drilling the truth into my brain very painfully. Dad hadn’t mentioned needing a loan for anything. And why not borrow from Xander? Why a loan shark?

“Yeah,” Godwin said, nodding slowly. “He’s known for being really harsh with people who owe him money. He doesn’t mess around. People get in deep with him, and things…don’t always end well.”

My pulse quickened as I absorbed his words. I hadn’t expected this. “What do you mean, ‘don’t end well’?” Dad was in real trouble here. That ledger with the business card was serious business. More than half a million dollars of serious.

Godwin leaned in, lowering his voice. “There are rumors that people have disappeared, gotten in over their heads, things like that. He’s connected, and he’s not someone you want on your bad side.”

I felt cold, and it wasn’t just from the nausea that still lingered in my stomach. If Hayes was really that dangerous, why the heck was I digging into him? What had I gotten myself into? And what had Dad gotten himself into?

“Great,” I muttered, feeling the weight of the situation settling on me. “Just what I needed.”

Godwin leaned forward farther like he didn’t want anyone to hear him. “Amelia, I’m telling you, Hayes doesn’t mess around. I’ve heard stories—people who’ve had their hands cut off, families attacked. He’s ruthless, and if your dad’s in the middle of that, it’s bad news.”

I felt my stomach turn again, but not from the food. When I finally spoke, my voice was heavy. “I went through my dad’s desk. There was a card with Hayes’s name on it. And the numbers—those dates, the amounts—it’s all there. My dad’s been borrowing money from him. I’m sure of it.”

Godwin’s eyes narrowed. “So your dad’s mixed up with him?”

“I think so,” I said quietly. “The ledger I found—it’s a record of debt. It’s not just some coincidence. My dad owes him money.”

Godwin let out a low whistle, leaning back in his chair. “That’s serious, Amelia. Hayes doesn’t let people walk away from that kind of debt.”

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice steady. “I don’t know what to do. I just know he’s in trouble.”

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