Page 56 of Captivated By Danger

My dad rubbed his chin before massaging his neck. He always did that when he was confused about something. Diesel was only minutes away and I just didn’t have the heart to tell him that his baby girl was going to be with a man that she barely knew and that she’d already signed her life away. I was sure if I just flat out told Diesel no, he wouldn’t have a choice, but to leave me behind, but I wanted to go. I just wish that I didn’t have to look into my parents’ faces.

“Grey, I trust you. You’re smart and capable, but if this is a decision that you made on a whim just because… you know.”

“No, I don’t know. Tell me.”

He leaned forward and grabbed my hands. “Baby, you know how you’re always having knee-jerk reactions when something happens. And I want to know if you’re going to be safe.”

“Bobby, what are you saying!” my mother screamed. “She just sat here and lied to our faces, and I want to know what the hell you are going to do about it!”

He looked around me. “What I’m going to do is trust my daughter.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. The window was open, so I saw the black truck pull up.

My dad jumped up. “Who is that?”

“My ride to the airport,” I left the kitchen before he could respond.

I’d only packed a duffle bag full of my essentials and my laptop. After grabbing my things, I walked out of the room to see my dad putting his boots on, to go after my mom who’d already gone out the door.

“Oh God.”

When I got to the door, my mother was knocking on the driver’s side window. I prayed that Diesel kept his window up. Before I could make it down the steps, Kyle’s car came to a skidded stop behind Diesel’s truck.

“Oh my God.”

Kyle walked around the car and helped my grandmother out the back seat while Perris sat in the front seat.

My grandmother walked up, tightening her housecoat. “Now what’s going on?”

Before I could respond, my mother walked up, and yelled, “Tell her!”

“I am moving to New York for a six-week opportunity at Columbia.”

She looked taken aback. “And they are sending you rides and stuff for you? Stop lying. You are smart, but not smart enough to get in that school! And who’s going to pay for it!”

“Hold on now,” my dad defended me.

“Who are you moving to New York with? You don’t have any money! New York is not safe for you.”

“And neither is Citrus Grove!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. “Grams! I’ve had to sit back for years, nearly killing myself watching the man I once loved, love my cousin! About to marry my cousin! You don’t have to sit through that! I do! So, this is what I am going to do! This is me getting back out there and me dictating my own life!”

“You better watch your goddamn mouth! You met some man online, didn’t you? Didn’t you? This is what I’m talking about with you. You’re being stupid, Greysen! This is a stupid decision!”

“Do not talk to my daughter that way!” My dad roared, surprising me, my mom, and my grams. “She is grown enough to make her own decisions and while I wholeheartedly do not agree with her decision to spring this on us the day of, I trust her! And that’s what both of you are going to do! Period!”

Tears welled up in my eyes and slipped down my face. My dad’s threat fell on deaf ears as they both started yelling at me at the same time. The driver’s side door opened and a man dressed in a black suit hopped out, opening the back door. Diesel stepped out in the crispiest black suit that I’d ever seen. His vest was straight, and his tie was even straighter. Suddenly, I didn’t hear my mother or grandmother’s voices anymore. I’d lost my breath. It was hard to swallow. Everything started to move in slow motion. He’d buttoned his jacket as he walked toward us with a stern look on his face. His expression was even more unreadable than they normally are.

He stood over me. “Go get in the truck,” he commanded.

My mouth opened and closed.

“Now. Ms. Greysen,” he smiled, showing his beautiful rows of teeth.

My feet automatically started moving. The driver stood at the back of the truck waiting for my bag.

“You won’t be welcomed back here!” My grams said at my back, making me pause.

“Says who? This is my house!” my dad defended me once again.

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