Page 21 of Vicious

“Linsey?”

Shaking her head, she took a few more steps back as I rose from the chair. Her hand shot out, stopping me. “Please don’t. I know you don’t want me here. You were very clear. As soon as I find another place, the girls and I will leave. Until then, I can be civil, if you can.”

“Let me explain.”

“No,” she shook her head, “There’s nothing to explain.”

With that, she left me in the kitchen as she walked up the stairs. Following her, I noticed she turned left at the top of the stairs and entered the last spare room. Looking to my right, then left again, I walked down the hall, seeing all the girls’ room’s doors open. Each of them was sleeping. When I got to the last door, I knocked, then turned the knob to find Linsey sitting on a full-size bed, her head turned towards the window.

“Please leave, Vicious,” she sniffed.

Regretting everything I said and how I acted, I did as she asked and closed the door, knowing I had made a big mistake. I never wanted to hurt her, and I didn’t know why it was bugging me so much. I barely knew the woman. Walking into my bedroom, I looked around. It was as I remembered. Nothing out of place. Only it felt wrong.

Eight

Vicious

“Dad.”

Moaning, I rolled over to see my daughter standing over me. Yawning, I rubbed my face. “Yeah.”

“Why are you sleeping on the couch?”

“Because I messed up.”

“What did you do?”

“Didn’t keep my mouth shut when I should have. Is Linsey awake?”

“Already dressed and at the clubhouse. The girls too. Told her I was going to wait for you.”

Sitting up, I stretched, feeling the ache in my back. Though not as good as my mattress, the couch was far better than the piece of shit I slept on at the clubhouse. Getting to my feet, I headed for the kitchen to find it spotless, all for one coffee cup next to the coffeemaker.

“Want me to make breakfast?”

“I already ate with Linsey and the girls,” my daughter said, taking a seat at the bar before asking, “Dad, why is Linsey upset? She wasn’t herself this morning. It looked like she was crying.”

Pouring myself a cup of coffee, I took a drink and sighed. I wasn’t ready to have this conversation with my ten-year-old daughter. Loved Beth to pieces, but I didn’t want to involve her in my crap. Bad enough, she admired and respected Linsey.

“I said some things in anger, thinking I was alone. Only I wasn’t and she heard.”

My daughter tilted her head but said nothing as she looked at me. Elizabeth never blurted out anything without thinking about it first. It was one trait of hers that she didn’t get from me. I could see the wheels turning as she tried to figure out what I could have possibly said. It wasn’t like me to go off half-cocked.

Instead of digging deeper, my daughter got to her feet and said, “Dad, I like Linsey, a lot. Don’t mess this up.”

Stunned, I watched my daughter turn and leave before I heard the front door close. The gauntlet dropped. It was the women in my life against me and considering it was now five against one, there was no way I was going to win.

I knew Elizabeth wanted a life here. Hell, I had this house built just for her. The ol’ ladies loved and doted on my daughter, giving her the female attention she needed. But the second Linsey arrived, my daughter gravitated towards her. There was something about Linsey that my daughter loved. I saw it clearly now. Linsey wasn’t just my daughter’s teacher, she was more. They formed a friendship, a bond that I didn’t understand.

Leaning against the counter drinking my coffee, Matrix walked in the back door and stared directly at me. “You fix this shit?”

“Can’t fix something if she won’t even let me talk.”

“Well, you better figure out something fast because Linsey just gave me her two weeks’ notice. She’s leaving Vicious. Samuel is upset. He loves Linsey and so do the other kids. The ol’ ladies are in a fucking uproar. They are trying to talk her into staying, but Linsey’s mind is firm. Said she won’t stay where she isn’t wanted.”

“Fuck.”

“Look, man, I know you like her. We all know except you. You gravitate towards her like some love-sick puppy. It’s sickening. So, whatever your problem is, forget about it. Take one for the fucking team and fix this shit because if Linsey leaves, no one will forgive you,” Matrix said, before leaving, slamming the back door behind him.

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