Page 30 of Bring Me To My Knees

What the fuck?

“I’ll get that taken care of,” I assure her.

Once she leaves the room, I dial Riley’s number immediately.

“Yes?” she purrs.

“Why the fuck didn’t your dad make the payment?” I hiss, trying not to get as worked up as I feel.

“I have no idea. Maybe you should call and get loud with him. Fuck off, Clark,” she says, before hanging up on me.

I squeeze the phone, looking up to the ceiling. I’m so fucking sick of that family. If I knew how to get myself out of this fucking mess, I would have done it a long time ago.

I straighten up, lifting my phone and hitting the call button next to her father’s name.

“Hello, Clark. What can I do for you?” he asks, as if he doesn’t know that he’s fucking with me.

“The nurse at Glenview just told me that my mother’s payment wasn’t made. I was just calling to see if you knew what was going on?” I say, a lot calmer than I feel.

“Ah, yes. Well, Riley told me that her trip to the beach was less than thrilling. She mentioned a couple of fights. I figured you wanted a chance to make it up to her before I made that payment,” he says coldly.

I slam my eyes shut, cursing silently. This motherfucker and his daughter are out to ruin my life.

“Of course, sir. That was the plan all along,” I lie.

“I’ll see to it that the payment is made as soon as I get confirmation from Riley,” he says, hanging up.

“Fucking piece of shit,” I mutter.

I walk over to the seat next to mom’s bed and sit down, putting my head in my hands.

“I wish I knew what to do, Mom. Fuck, this is hard.”

I know that my mom would not want me to be going through this. She’d be so angry if she knew what I was putting myself through. But I can’t let her go. I refuse to give up on her. I’ll do whatever I can to make sure she’s safe and taken care of. If that means I have to make a deal with the devil, then so be it.

I send a text to Riley, asking her if she’s interested in a date tonight, even though I’d rather do anything than see her. She agrees, and I sit with my mom for another half hour before the nurse comes in, letting me know that the payment has been made.

She puts her hand on my shoulder, with the same sympathetic look in her eyes. I fight the urge to shrug her off.

I don’t know how much longer I can do this. I briefly wonder if I should try and find my father, but then I realize I’d be trading one deal with the devil for another. I’m not sure which would be worse if I’m being honest.

* * *

On my way back to Mitch’s house, my phone rings, so I connect it to the Bluetooth in my car.

“What’s up?”

“Where are you?” Mitch asks.

“On my way back to the house.”

“Oh good. I’ve got some things going on and I’m not going to be home tonight. Do you plan on hanging out? I just hate the thought of Marley being there alone for an entire night,” he says.

My hands grip the steering wheel.

“I’ve got a date with Riley,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Will you be home after that? I’m sure you're not planning to be out all night with her,” he says.

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