by Mia Ford
I walked toward the door, hearing her tiny footsteps following after me. It was definitely time to go, and I could tell by Josie’s silence that she needed some alone time with her father. All I could do was support her choices and be there for her whenever she needed me. I walked to the door and opened it, stepping out onto the porch and watching her follow me out. She slowly closed the door and turned to me, a thankful look on her face.
“I’m sorry we have to cut the night short,” she said, pulling me close to her. “As you can imagine, I have a whole lot of questions for my father.”
“I know,” I said, smiling. “Just remember what I said. I am here for you, no matter what. If you need me, just call, and I’ll come right over. You are not alone this time around. I’m here for you.”
“Thank you,” she said, leaning in close to my ear. “I love you.”
The words flowed from her mouth and into my brain, sending shocks to my chest and stomach. I kissed her softly and pulled back, looking deep into her eyes. She smiled, knowing what I wanted to say and leaned up, kissing my nose. I watched as she walked back inside her house and shut the door behind her. The words, “I love you,” made me feel like the luckiest man on earth. I seriously felt like I was floating on cloud nine, unable to plant my feet on the ground. Time after time, I had watched my friends fall in love and start to act differently, and now, I knew why.
Josie was the first girl I had ever actually loved, and the feeling was absolutely amazing. I jumped into my car and headed off, replaying the thought over and over again in my head. I loved this girl, and it wasn’t just any love. I knew I would love her for as long as I had air in my lungs. I knew I would want her every time I was around her, and there was no stopping that. Despite the intrusion of her father and his addiction, this night had been the best one in my entire life. I had finally realized what being in love was all about, and I never wanted the feeling to end.
Chapter 16
Josie
I was exhausted. Between the hot sex with Blaine and the fact that I stayed up all night trying to find out who punched my father, there wasn’t a whole lot left of me. My father refused to tell me what was going on, and he’d turned to his computer screen, completely ignoring me. I stormed away and shut myself in my room, raging mad.
I stuck my neck out every single day for that man, and he had the audacity to hide his whereabouts from me. He didn’t have any respect for all the things I did for him, and even after all this time, I still couldn’t help but feel hurt by that fact. When I went to bed, I still couldn’t sleep. I laid awake in my bed, thinking about my father. Although I acted tough on the outside, on the inside, my thoughts were much more kind and caring for my dad. I was terrified that he had fallen in with the wrong group of people, taking loans that he could never afford to pay back, and satisfying his gambling addiction with that.
I had no idea what to do about this new twist on his old problem. I had seen him get tangled up with the wrong guys before, and it never turned out pretty for anyone. They had beaten the crap out of my father, and I had to empty my savings to pay back all the money he was indebted to them for. I was lucky that it appeased them, but I knew if it happened again, it would not be as simple or clean. I didn’t know what to do, no matter how hard I thought about it. If my father had gotten himself into trouble again, it meant I was in trouble, too. I had every right in the world to know what happened, but still, my father sat silent.
I was so incredibly frustrated by that man, and I was still pissed off the next morning after a restless night. I got dressed and made it to school early, not wanting to sit at my father’s breakfast table in an awkward silence. I sat down at my desk in my empty classroom, pulling out my phone and realizing that Blaine had texted me. I was so caught up in my father that morning, I had completely missed his texts.
Blaine: Hey there, beautiful. Do I get to see you tonight?”
Josie: I wish I could, but with my father back, I need to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with him. I need to focus on him now, knowing that things cannot continue to go the way they have been. I can’t take much more of it.
Blaine: I understand. Did you find anything out about the bruise on his chin?
Josie: No, he won’t talk to me about it. I’m getting the silent treatment like my students give me.
Blaine: I’m sure he will tell you in time.
Josie: I’m sure. Anyway, speaking of students, mine will be here soon. I’ll text you later and let you know how everything went.
Blaine: You better. Love you, sweetheart.
Josie: Love you, too.
I smiled as I read the texts out loud, excited that I could say those words and know that they were true. I went through the rest of my day in robot mode, just trying to get to the end of the day without any emotional outbursts. When school was over, I took a deep breath, knowing the only thing I had to look forward to that night was forcing my father to admit to me what he had done. I wanted Blaine to be by my side so badly, but I also knew my father barely talked to me, much less my new boyfriend that he probably didn’t even recognize.
When I got home, my father was still sitting at the computer and didn’t even look up to say hello to me. I walked into the kitchen and started dinner, pulling out a pot roast and potatoes because I knew it was his favorite meal. I thought maybe if I got him in a good enough mood, he would open up to me a little. At least, that was what I hoped would happen. Whether it would work or not was a completely different story. I stood there in the kitchen, thinking about everything while dinner was cooking. When I pulled it out of the oven, I set the table and called my father over to sit down. He grumbled something and walked over to his seat, looking at the food but not changing his expression.
While we were eating, I ran over what I wanted to say in my head several times, trying to come up with the words that would break through to my father. Ever since he had fallen deeper into his addiction, he had blocked me out and had become incapable of any emotional connection with me at all. It was really difficult to get to the root of any of his problems when he refused to talk to me about them. He had long passed the arguing stage where he tried to convince me he was fine. Now, he just grumbled and whispered under his breath. The fact that he was so miserable broke my heart, especially since I could clearly remember my father as a jubilant and kind man, who loved me very much. Even after his gambling addiction took hold, he would come home and thank me for staying when my mother up and left.
“Dad,” I said, putting down my fork. “I want to talk. Something has got to change here. We can’t keep living like this. I don’t know who did that to your face, but I can see that you are back on a dangerous path. If you can’t open up to me, I can’t help you, and I’m terrified that something horrible is going to happen to you. I love you so much, and it kills me to see you getting hurt.”
I stopped and stared at him, waiting for a response. He pushed the food around on his plate and mumbled something to himself. He shoveled some potatoes into his mouth and went on with his meal, ignoring everything I was saying. However, as a fist started pounding loudly on the door, he could no longer ignore his surroundings. I watched my father’s face go from angry to fearful very quickly, and his fork tapped against his plate as his hands began to shake. He was absolutely terrified, which made me scared to go to the door. I sighed and pushed my chair back, but he reached out and grabbed my arm, shaking his head. We sat there silently for several moments, hoping that whoever it was would think we weren’t home and would leave.
However, as I went to sit back down, the pounding started again, and I realized this was no random person at the door. It had to be whoever my father had pissed off recently. I took in a deep breath and shrugged my father’s hand from my arm. I got up and walked over to the door, hoping that it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. I needed to know just what we were facing and how deep my father had gotten into trouble. I didn’t have the kind of money saved like last time, so I prayed it was minor comp
ared to that. I took another deep breath and opened the door, almost afraid to look up at the people standing in the doorway.
I tilted my head as I stared out at a tall, thin man with slicked back black hair and a very tall and large woman with a scowl on her face. She looked like she already had plans for me, and I grabbed tightly to the doorknob to stop my hand from shaking. I looked back at the man and stared at him as he flashed a huge smile.
“Hello there,” he said with a thick Italian accent. “I’m Paulie. I’m a friend of your dad’s.”
I stood there staring at him, knowing my father didn’t have any actual friends. This guy was not your typical suburban guy, and I knew he was here on business, not pleasure. Before I could say anything, Paulie’s eyes shifted behind me to my father sitting at the table. His grin turned menacing, and he pushed past me before I could even think about inviting him inside. I turned and watched as he stood next to my father at the table and leaned over into his face. My father was gritting his teeth and listening to Paulie curse at him under his breath. The woman shoved past me, and I turned, closing the door behind us.
I turned back toward them and watched as the woman followed after Paulie. I couldn’t help but notice the coldness in her eyes. When she looked at me, it was like she was looking through me, and it was an eerie feeling. Paulie was still standing over my father, casting his shadow onto the wall and obviously bullying him. I couldn’t completely hear what he was saying, but I didn’t like the tone of his body language at all.
“What do you want?” I asked, needing to find out the details and get these people out of the house.
“Oh, there is no financial attachment to this debt anymore,” Paulie said, standing up and looking at me. “There was a bit of money owed, but I worked something out that would take care of the debt.”
I didn’t know what he was talking about. If there was no debt left to pay, then why were they here? I didn’t give a shit at this point, so I stepped forward with clenched fists.
“You hear that, asshat,” Paulie said shouting at my father. “You are so weak, and now, your daughter will pay the price for your debt.”
“You guys need to leave, now,” I said sternly, trying not to show just how nervous I was. “I’m serious. Get out of my house.”
“Harry,” Paulie said, snapping his fingers at the large woman.
She stomped over to me, grabbed me by the back of the neck, and leaned me backward so I knew it was time for me to listen. Paulie grabbed a napkin from the table, and as he wiped his mouth, he chuckled and walked over to me. He pulled his face in close to mine and yanked at my arms, twisted behind my back.
“The cops are going to be here really soon,” he whispered, running his hand down my face. “You are going to agree with everything that they say, and you are not going to mention that we were here. If you don’t agree with the cops, or you tell them anything about this little business, then I will kill your precious father. I am done playing these bullshit games.”
Paulie stepped forward again, and I could smell the whiskey on his breath. I turned my head to the side and closed my eyes as he grabbed my breasts and squeezed them. He looked at me and ran his finger down my cheek, clicking his tongue. I felt absolutely disgusting, and I just wanted to make him leave my house.
“You should really think about your choices,” he whispered. “When you do, remember that there are worse things that could happen outside the prison. Stay straight with the story because there are a lot scarier things that could happen to you if you don’t go to jail and take the fall for this.”
Paulie nodded his head at Harry, and she dropped me, pushing me forward onto the floor. I sat there, watching as he walked out the door and into the street. I felt completely helpless and dirty, and the fear had bubbled back up into my stomach. I didn’t know what my father had gotten us into, but it seemed to be really bad. This time around, they were making house calls, which meant that they were serious about everything. Just as my life had started to get simple, this bomb was dropped on me. Only this time, I hadn’t seen it coming at all.
Chapter 17
Blaine
Although I couldn’t be with Josie tonight, supporting her through this difficult time in her life, I knew that I could at least sit back and relax, enjoy a glass of wine, and celebrate my first few days at the office. I hadn’t heard from Josie all evening, so it was surprising to me when my phone went off and her face popped up. I grabbed it, assuming since she never called me, it must be somewhat important. When I put the phone to my ear, I could hear Josie crying and saying something to her father. My heart sank, realizing something bad must have happened.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Blaine,” she said, panicked. “Oh, God. Everything is such a mess.”
“Take a deep breath,” I said, trying to understand her through her sobs. “Tell me what happened.”
“These two people came to the house,” she said after breathing deeply. “It was a man and a woman, and they threatened me. I really don’t know what’s going on. I feel completely disoriented.”
“Everything is going to be okay, just take a deep breath,” I told her. “There is nothing that we can’t handle together. Tell me everything that happened.”
“Well,” she said, sniffling. “They said that my dad owed them a lot of money, but that they didn’t want money to pay off his debt anymore. Instead, they had another idea, and it involves me. It was terrible. The woman put me in a choke hold, and the guy groped on me, telling me I better go along with it. I don’t know what to say or do.”
As soon as I heard her say that he was planning something else and it included her, my mind instantly went to a dark place, imagining what kind of terrible things could be done to my sweet, innocent Josie. I was so angry that the wine glass I was holding shattered instantly in my hand. I groaned as blood began to seep out and drip on the hardwood floors. I shook the excess glass from my hand and sat there for a moment, trying to put together the jagged pieces of the puzzle that Josie just handed me. Her father had really gone and done it this time, not only putting himself in danger, but dragging Josie along for the ride. I knew I should have gone over there. I just didn’t want to overstep my boundaries, and I wanted Josie to make her own decisions. Whoever these clowns were that put their hands on my girlfriend, they had some kind of diabolical plan, but I couldn’t quite see what was coming.
I stood up from the couch, with Josie still on the other end of the phone that was stuck between my shoulder and my ear. I walked over to the sink and started to clean the glass out of my bloody hand. I winced each time I pulled a piece out, letting the water run over the bleeding wounds. As the glass fell into the sink, I could hear sirens on the other end of the line. Josie’s breath quickened, but I figured that she had called them after the people had busted into her house. It was a good thing she was getting the cops involved. She didn’t need to handle any of this on her own.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“The police are here,” she said, sobbing.
I wasn’t sure why she was so upset about the cops, but at least she would get to make a report, and maybe they would do something to keep her safe while they looked for these assholes. She had been through a lot, and I really wanted to go there and be with her. I thought, though, it might better to wait until after she had dealt with the cops. These things were confusing enough without adding another face to the picture. I wasn’t there, and although that pissed me off to no end, there was nothing I could do to help the cops. I figured I would just be in the way if I showed up while they were there. Josie was tough, and I knew she could handle this. I had complete faith in her abilities.
However, as I watched the blood from my hand, I began to hear shouting on the other end. At first, it was muffled, but then, as the phone fell from Josie’s ear and hit the floor, the voices became more clear. There was way more than one or two cops there, and they were shouting for Josie to get on the floor and put her hand
s over her head. There was a bang that sounded like someone slamming a door shut, and the officer started to read Josie her Miranda rights. Immediately, I grabbed the towel from the edge of the sink, wrapping it tightly around my hand. Nerves shot through my stomach, and I ran through the house, throwing my shoes on and grabbing my car keys. I left the house and jumped in the car, speeding out of the neighborhood.
Josie had just called me, telling me she was attacked, but for some reason, the police were arresting her. Nothing was making sense, but I knew I had to get to her as fast as I possibly could. As I drove along, the houses passed by me in a blur, and the realization that my girlfriend was going into police custody hit me hard. She was the sweetest and kindest person I knew. There was no way she’d committed any crime that would warrant the police bursting into the house and arresting her like that. I couldn’t even imagine how terrified Josie was at that moment.
When I got to the house, I parked down the block, allowing space from the police. The entire area was already taped off, and it was crawling with cops. It looked like a murder scene, only there was no body and no criminal. I pushed through the crowd and up to the tape, reaching down to lift it and go under. A police officer stepped forward and put his hand up.
“I’m sorry sir, you can’t go past the tape,” he said in a deep voice.
“I’m the family lawyer,” I argued.
“I’m sorry, sir,” he said. “This is a police crime scene now. No one is allowed past the tape.”
A crime scene? My mind began to swirl. Immediately, I was terrified that something had happened to Josie. I scanned the area, looking everywhere for her, but she wasn’t standing outside. I had been on the phone with her when the cops arrived, so unless one of them killed her, she had to be inside with the police. I nodded at the cop and moved back, walking toward the front of the sectioned off area. There were several officers standing around the trashcans, and one of the officers held what looked to be a large knife that I had never seen before. There was dried blood on the blade, and they were obviously logging it into evidence. What did a butcher knife in a trash can and two obvious mobsters have to do with Josie, or her dad for that matter?
