Page 92 of Clean Slade
“What—” I glanced at the dead body in the living room, a million things going through my head that I couldn’t quite articulate.
Why had he killed him? How had he killed him? And how did he do it with such ease—grace almost?
Had he done this before? Was that what he was hiding? And why did things about him suddenly make sense?
There had always been something about him I couldn’t put my finger on. It wasn’t just the secrets I was sure he was keeping from me. It was a side of him I felt I’d never seen but was always there, under the surface, on the precipice of rising to the top but never getting the chance.
It was a long way from the terrified King who’d come to us asking for help and the panicked man who couldn’t figure out what to do.
“I-I’m sorry, Slade. I didn’t want you to see this. I really didn’t. But…he came into my home. He tried to hurt my girl. I…I couldn’t let him live. People like that in my world won’t stop on the first attempt.”
He sounded rushed but didn’t show much remorse.
“What’s going on, King? Who is Salieri? Who…who areyou?”
I had more questions, but I couldn’t voice them all just yet. So many questions, and I didn’t know if he’d offer answers to them.
“You must think I’m a terrible, awful man. You must want to run away. But…please. Before you run, can you…can you please stay with Mac? I’ll take care of this. I just need to know she’s safe with someone I can trust.”
As he spoke, the veneer started to crack, and flashes of the King I knew pushed through again.
It was like he was two men trapped in one body, each fighting for control.
His eyes slowed as they turned red, staring at me, pleading with me, saying things unspoken but equally loud.
“I’m not leaving you alone after this. I…we’ll deal with this together.”
“You don’t have to. I don’t deserve that. I just need Mac safe.”
The way his voice broke and his shoulders sank, it felt like he was giving up. Like he was accepting his fate, whatever that was.
A fate he didn’t want for his daughter.
“And what about you? Who’s going to keepyousafe?”
I didn’t know what to make of what he’d done, but surely that didn’t change who King was or what he was running from.
It didn’t change the way his eyes lit up when he looked at his daughter or the way he smiled when she talked back to him as if he could see a piece of himself in her.
It didn’t change that he groomed dogs for a living and hung out at a witch café, making light conversation with people who knew and loved him.
“Do you still think I need saving after what I did?” His voice was barely audible, and that only made my chest wrench harder.
“Now more than ever,” I said.
We stayed there watching each other for a few moments as if we couldn’t quite decide what to do with ourselves.
“Daddy?” Mac’s voice carried over the house, and it startled him.
King looked down at the dead body and watched the hallway.
“Go. Be with her. I’ll make some calls.”
He turned but stopped.
“Please don’t tell them. What I did. At least not tonight.”
“Don’t worry. That’s not the kind of call I’m making.”
