Page 26 of Rival
Just as I lift my head to look at him through watery eyes, I see his lip curl up in disgust. “You’re done there. You ain’t goin’ back. Fuckin’ whore.” He murmurs the last of his words into his bottle as he starts swallowing it down.
“You signed me up to volunteer. He’s the foreman the church hired to supervise the job. I swear, that’s it. Mr. Thorton gives us instructions and we follow.”
My father storms back over and grabs my hair at my crown to lift my head so he can look into my face. His unfocused eyes dart over me, probably looking for the truth in my words.
“I won’t have you embarrassin’ me with the church.”You should be embarrassed by the way you drink and hit me. I hold my thoughts inside as he continues. “You can go back tomorrow, but I swear to God, if I hear that you’re talkin’ or flirtin’ with thatasshole…” He trails off and gets in my face. “I’ll fuckin’ kill ya myself.”
I can’t breathe.
Lungs tightening and chest aching, I force myself to remain frozen in front of him.It hurts. Every thump of my rapidly beating heart is painful as it forces the blood through my veins. I know my father has never cared for me, but to hear he hates me so much he’s threatening my life is beyond my comprehension.
There’s a heavy pulse where he struck my face, and I know I’ll have a bruise by morning. My skin is already tight, swelling high on my cheekbone. I let my eyes fall to the ground as he keeps slurring.
“Corb and his brother are comin’ over tonight to watch the race. Fix up dinner and disappear into your room. If I see your face or hear even a creak of you walkin’ around up there, I’ll get rid of ‘em and come up with my belt. You hear me, girl?”
“Yes, father,” I croak out.
I wait in place until he shoves the door open roughly, only after he grabs a few more beers, before I hurry into the kitchen to prepare dinner. I flinch as I press a frozen bag of vegetables against my cheek, only for a moment, then throw together the dinner my father set out. The cold was just enough to take the edge off for the time being.
I know tonight isn’t a night I’ll eat, so I make sure everything is prepped and laid out for them before filling a glass of tepid water and a baggie filled with ice. With a quick word to my father that dinner is ready, I escape upstairs.
It’s not long before I hear a couple of engines, then voices. I easily identify my father and Corbin, speaking loudly over the sound of the television. I strain to hear Griffin’s voice, and every now and then, I get a little piece of him here and there, but he’s fairly quiet compared to the other two.
Hours pass, and I never stray from my bed, my body locked and determined not to make a noise my father could complain about. Eventually, their conversation dies down, only the sound of the announcer from time to time, then a soft snore filtering up to my room. Moments later, I hear one door slam shut, just before an engine starts up and wheels over gravel let me know our visitors have left.
I blow out a soundless breath and sit up in my bed, rolling my head back and forth to stretch out my neck. My muscles feel like they’re pulled from how tense I held myself, doing my best not to make a sound.
A soft knock at my door startles me and I stare at it, wide-eyed, heart beating twice as fast.I swear my father was just snoring in the living room. Did he decide to come up here after all?I can feel my inhales pick up in panic until I hear the soft voice.
“Edith? You awake?” The muffled voice of Griffin surprises me and I freeze, not knowing if I should answer.What the hell is he doing?“Tell me I can come in.”
I swallow down my nerves, then as softly as I can, I answer. “Come in.”
My door cracks. I realize all the lights are off in here, so I only see a shadow of his large body slipping into my room before he shuts the door behind him.
“Christ woman. It’s pitch black in here. Your dad’s passed the fuck out. Turn on a light for me.”
I jolt from my frozen state and quickly fumble for my lamp, illuminating my room with a dull yellow light. Siting up straight in my bed, I tuck my feet under me. “What are you doing in here?” I whisper, tugging at my melted baggie of water, no longer cold after icing my cheek for a few hours.
I’ve never had anyone in my room before other than my father, so this feels as if I’m breaking a million rules. Griffingrins, then his face falls when he sees me, the light highlighting the side of my face.
“What thefuck?What happened to you?”
His eyes are on my face, and I touch my cheek. “Nothing major. Just had a mishap today. Why are you here?”
“Your dad said you weren’t feelin’ well, so I wanted to make sure you were okay. Seriously, what the fuck happened?” He reaches out and brushes the tips of his fingers over my swollen skin at the same time his knee hits my mattress. I jerk when I feel his fingers, and he pulls his hand back quickly. “You hurtin’ bad, darlin’?”
I tug harder at the bag, unable to stop looking toward the door where my father could burst through at any moment. “I’m fine. I’m working on that barn build. Accidents can happen. Griffin, you shouldn’t be in here.”
“Don’t worry. I swear he’s passed out for the night. He said you made the food tonight, and I wanted to tell you it was amazing.” I can feel my heavy pulse beating out the side of my throat at his compliment. “I was listening for you to come grab food for yourself to tell you. Did you eat?”
I pull my legs in closer to my body when he sits near me on the edge. It’s overwhelming to have him so close in my personal space and I’m not sure how to act with him here. The thought that my father could walk in at any moment is forefront in my mind, so my eyes keep darting to the door.
Without thinking, I mumble, “I wasn’t hungry. Are you sure he’s asleep?”
Griffin stretches across my bed and picks up a book lying on my nightstand, then turns it over in his hand. “What are you reading?”
I eye the spine and let the smile grow. “It’s Count of Monte Cristo. Do you know the story?” A low rumble outside has both of us turning to the window. When I find his eyes as soonas it dwindles, he’s grinning. Apparently, we’re getting a storm tonight.
