Page 8 of His Win (His Obsession 3)

My mouth fell open as she turned on her heel and walked out of the room. A moment later, I heard her stomping back up the steps.

"Veda." My father's comforting touch landed on my shoulder. "She's just in shock, that's all." I heard the tears in his voice.

“She forced me to work for her," I said to the empty place where my mother had stood. "She never let me have my own life. I was Nicole’s fucking errand girl. I did everything for her." My voice rose as anger mixed with my grief, until I was screaming at the ceiling. "If anyone would want to run away, Mother, it would be me!"

"Honey, calm down." My dad wrapped his arms around me. "She's in shock, Veda. That's all. She's in shock. As am I."

I turned my face into his chest, my tears wetting the front of his shirt. "Why does she hate me, Daddy?"

For once, he didn't try to defend her. "I have no idea, honey. But it’s not your fault. You’ve never done anything wrong.”

And with that, I exhaled, all of my anger leaving me as quickly as it had come on. I just didn't have the energy for this right now.

"Come sit down with me."

He took my hand, and we went into the living room, where I answered his questions as best as I could without telling him anything he didn't want to know. I told him they would release her death certificate as soon as they caught the guys who killed her, and he took me at my word. "I have to be careful not to lead them to you, Dad. So I can't be here a lot."

"Can you call at least?" he asked. And his gray eyes were so desperate and sad that I found myself nodding.

"Whenever I can."

I stayed with him all afternoon as we cried and remembered and smiled through our grief. It was healing to sit there with him. Something I didn't realize I'd needed until just that moment. He didn't ask about her body, and I was grateful, because there was no body to bury. But he did want to plan a memorial service. I agreed to stay in town until then and help as much as I could.

My mother never came back down.

When I left, promising him I would call soon, I snuck back out the same way I'd come in. The sun was just starting to set, and I was anxious to get back to Sammy's apartment. I felt too exposed out here in the open.

I was halfway back to the apartment when I noticed the same car had been following me since I'd left my parents’ neighborhood. I kept driving as my mind raced. It was probably no one. But what if it wasn't. My heart thundered in my chest as I took a sudden left, heading toward the highway and away from Sammy's apartment.

The car behind me followed, nearly hitting an oncoming car in the process.

I was being tailed. "Shit. SHIT."

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