Page 17 of Fight for Me

“Fair enough. Okay. Is your mother aware of the abuse?”

Jenny snorts and answers bitterly, gettinga little worked up. “Of course, she’s fucking aware, she’s had it fucking worse.”

Shit. I probably should be more delicate about the whole thing, but it’s hard not to punch my fist through the wall when I hear about women getting hurt by the hand of a man who’s supposed to protect them. “Then where is she now?” I ask in a slightly gentler tone.

Tears spring into Jenny’s eyes, but she keeps them at bay. “Mom told me to leave. Wanted to stay with him even after everything. Says she loves him.”

“Not unusual in cases with spousal abuse,” I grunt.

“We’re not a fucking case! She’s my mother, we’re all just people!” She fumes, her arms uncrossing to grab onto the edge of the counter.

I nod and decide to change the subject. “What exactly happened yesterday?”

She mulls over her answer and then sighs. “Look, Brody. Thank you for letting me crash here, you are a godsend, truly. But this is still private. As soon as I have a plan in motion, I’m out of here. So, we don’t need to do this. I’ll disappear, and you will be free of whatever it is that makes you care about my situation.”

“God damn it, Jen! Not this shit again.” I slam my coffee mug on the counter and march closer to Jenny, who looks startled. Her eyes widen as she looks up at me.

I feel like an asshole for yelling, but I can’t contain my frustration when she’s being so... so fucking Jen.

“You have no idea how dangerous your father truly is! I can’t tell you the details, but trust me, beating on women and children is not his only sin. I need to know everything, so I can help you create said plan so we can potentially do something about it. You’re a fucking minor, Jen! If you still refuse to press charges and continue to lie for him, then there’s nothing that I can do to stop him from coming after his runaway daughter! How do you think this will end? The first police patrol that catches sight of you will be on your ass and soon enough you’ll be back at your house with him!”

Jenny’s face turns white, her eyes dashing to the side. She grabs her throat and gulps loudly.

Shit. Way to go, man.

I try to think of a way to console her but curse when my phone starts ringing. Seeing it’s from work, and I can’t ignore it, I tell Jen I have to take this. She gives me a nod, and I walk out to get the call in my bedroom.

“Brody,” I mutter impatiently.

“Hey, man. It’s Diaz.”

The chirpy voice of the police officer grates on my nerves, but I swallow my annoyance down and respond with, “Oh, hey. What’s up?”

“It’s all good. Hey, listen. I’m sorry to be calling you on your day off, but I know the guys don’t always keep you in the loop so I just wanted you to know that something big happened with the sheriff yesterday.”

I straighten up and hold the receiver tighter in my hand, now fully engaged in the conversation. “What kind of something are we talking about?”

Diaz clears his throat and I can hear him moving before there’s a sound of doors closing. Then he says in a hushed voice, “Look, I observe stuff, and I know you hold a special interest in our shady boss.”

“I don’t know what you’re getting at,” I mumble and sit on my bed.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. The thing is, I’m not a fan of the sheriff either, and my kid goes to school with his daughter. I heard some rumors. If they’re true or not, I’m not certain. What I do know is that some things here ain’t right.”

I'm gesturing with my hand as if he could see me. “Diaz, get to the point.”

“All right. Yesterday, after you left, we got a call from the sheriff himself to send a patrol and an ambulance to his house.”

“Who was the ambulance for?” I inquire, already assuming it was probably for Jen’s mother. Poor woman.

“That’s the thing, it was for the sheriff himself,” Diaz says excitedly, surprising me.

When I don’t reply right away, Diaz continues with his story and I can tell that it brings him immense joy to be, for once, the one with hot gossip.

“The thing that’s fucking suspicious as all fuck is that he claims his daughter has assaulted him and her mother, stole some money, and then ran away from home.”

“No way would anyone believe that she’s capable of that,” I snort.

“And here’s where you’re wrong. The girl’s mother has backed his story up. So now that Jennifer girl iswanted for questioning.”

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