Page 76 of The Professor
I resisted going to her. She was stronger than I’d initially given her credit for. I had to remember that.
“Some kind of human trafficking and—”
“What? Are you insane?” Vince frowned.
“It feels like that, it really does, but they’ve let him out. All he did was take her phone and laptop, to protect her name, to protect us.”
“I don’t need protecting.” Vince shook his head.
“She had a pseudonym, her number is in this book, a criminal’s address book and…”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Fuck.” Vince closed his eyes and scraped his hand over his crew cut. “This is a shit storm of crazy.”
“I know. But we need to speak to Dad. Find out what’s going on from him.”
“I agree.” He looked at me. “Can you watch my sister for me?”
“You don’t even need to ask.”
“But not here. I don’t want her here.”
“I’m coming with you, Vince.” Chelsea jumped up. “I want to see Dad, too.”
“No, let me go first. If this is all true—which I hope it isn’t—I have an apology to give, and I’d rather do that on my own.”
“But…”
I pushed away from the counter. “She’s safe with me.”
He eyed me. “You reckon?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
“So what was this emergency you mentioned?” He turned his attention back to Chelsea. “What happened?”
A knot formed in my stomach. This wouldn’t shine me in a good light.
“We went to a club and—”
“What club?”
“Red Leather?”
“You took my fucking sister to a sex dungeon?” He rounded on me again.
I stood my ground. “She’s an adult, surprise, surprise, she has sex.”
He made a low growling sound. “Fuck.” He turned to Chelsea. “What happened there?”
“This guy, this asshole, he had a gun, he dragged me outside, he was going to rape me, strangle me and, and…”
“Fuck,” I muttered. She was going to say it. I couldn’t stop her.
“And I shot him.” Chelsea clasped her hands beneath her chin.
