by K. C. Crowne
Greg picked up many of his terrible, distrustful, and abusive qualities from her, and no way in hell was I naming my daughter after her.
“Skyler is a more fitting name for you, and I knew it from the moment I found out I was having a girl,” I told her. “But normally, yes, daddies get a say in naming babies, and it’s only right that we ask Mason what he thinks too.”
“Alright,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “I guess we’ll talk to him too.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get some say in the name,” I promised, pulling the blanket up higher on her. “But now, you need to get some sleep.”
“I’m just so excited, Mommy.”
I smiled, feeling a warmth in my heart. A familiar happiness I’d felt once I discovered I was pregnant with Skyler. “I’m excited too, honey, but we’ve got eight months to go. Do you know how long that is? You’ll almost be six by the time the baby is born.”
“I want the baby here sooner.”
“Oh no, we want the baby to stay put until he or she strong and healthy,” I said, instinctively putting a hand on my tummy. It was hard to believe that my belly was about to swell. Except for the occasional bouts of morning sickness, I hardly had any symptoms. Skyler had been an easy pregnancy too, so here’s hoping her brother or sister followed suit.
“Fine. I just wish the time would fly by,” she said. “Everything is so far away.”
Her sweet innocence. The youthful feeling of time passing by so slowly. One day, when she was older, she’d look back at this time and it would feel like it had flown by. Just like the years had flown by as a mother. It felt like only yesterday that Skyler was in my tummy, and here she was, almost ready to start kindergarten.
No, I didn’t want the time to go by quickly. I wanted it to slow down. I wanted to cherish these years with Skyler and the baby. I didn’t want either of them to grow up too fast, and I meant what I’d said - I wanted the baby to stay put, where it was safe.
Where no one could take him or her away from me.
Skyler’s eyes began to droop with sleep, and I sang to her softly until her breathing grew even and calm. I checked the time. It was only nine. How was it only nine? I was exhausted and ready to sleep myself.
I stepped out of the room, careful not to wake her again. I feared if she woke up for a third time, there’d be no sleep for anyone tonight. I wandered toward my bedroom when I remembered my cell phone. I had left it in the living room somewhere.
I grumbled as I turned around and went back to find it sitting on the coffee table. I picked it up and out of habit, turned on the screen to check for messages and missed calls. My phone was always on silent so I wouldn’t have heard it while taking care of Skyler.
And, to my dismay, there were missed calls. Several of them. And a text message to go along with it. All from Greg.
Call me now Danielle. I’m not joking.
I was too tired to deal with his bullshit tonight, so I closed the message and walked back to the bedroom. My phone vibrated in my hand.
Dammit, Greg.
I cancelled the call, but he called right back.
I stopped near the kitchen and debated what to do. I didn’t want to talk to him, I just wanted some sleep. I wanted him to leave me the hell alone.
Another text popped up on my screen. A chill ran down my spine as I read it.
Who was that man hugging you outside your house tonight?
God help me, Dani. Don’t make me come over there tonight.
My phone vibrated again, and I answered. I had no desire to deal with him in person.
I spoke quietly as I hurried away from the hallway and further from Skyler’s room. “Give me a second, I just got her to sleep and—”
“Who the fuck was that, Dani? Huh?”
I closed myself in the sunroom, far enough away from her room that she would hopefully not hear me and wake up again. My voice trembled as I spoke.
“He was a client, Greg, not that it’s any of your business,” I said. “How the hell did you even know someone was here?”
I had my suspicions that Greg had been out there, watching the house. But once I saw that it was Mason, I considered myself paranoid. Now I wondered if maybe I was right.
Maybe I hadn’t seen him, but he had been out there. Maybe he still was.
“A client? Bullshit. Unless you’re whoring yourself out, but then again, I wouldn’t be too surprised to find out that you were.”
I clenched my eyes shut. Do not cry, Danielle. Please do not cry. Don’t give him the satisfaction. You know he loves hurting you.
“He saw that I was upset and comforted me. I thought either you or Jim had been watching me, and I was scared. I broke down and he hugged me. That’s it.”
“I know you’re lying,” he said matter-of-factly, as if he knew the absolute truth.
“I’m not,” I said weakly. Yes, I was lying, but it was none of his business.
“You are,” he said sardonically. “You’re a liar and a whore. I can’t believe I ever had a child with you. I should have listened to my mother.”
I took a deep breath and counted to ten. I knew that if I argued, he’d just keep going, and his insults would become meaner and more personal. I had to be calm. I had to be the bigger person.
“I’m not lying, and I’m not a whore,” I said slowly. This was exactly why I couldn’t date or tell him about Mason, why I dreaded telling him about the baby.
“I need to revisit the custody agreement. I can’t have a whore raising my daughter. What kind of example are you setting?”
How does he know about the hug with Mason, I wondered? I wrapped myself in my arms around myself tightly. “How did you know someone was here?” I asked. “Are you watching me? Are there cameras?”
I began looking around the room wildly, suddenly fearful that he was watching me at that very second.
He laughed. “I have my ways, Danielle.”
The line went dead.
I stood there, looking around the room, trying to find a camera. When I couldn’t find it, I felt relieved, but only for an instant. When Mason and I hugged, there wasn’t another car on the road for miles in either direction, I was sure of it.
But Greg must have been out there. He had to have seen us. But how?
I knew he wouldn’t tell me, and it was yet another way he could control me. I shuddered. No, you can’t let him. Danielle, you need to break free from him.
I wasn’t sure how, but I would have to find a way.
He’d always been good to Skyler, but for how long? What would happen when she got older and started dating? Would he call her a whore too?
No, something had to give.
I had to find a way to break free from this asshole.
Mason
I strode up to the big, wooden doorway. I knew it was getting late, but the lights were still on inside the house. I tapped on the door, trying to be mostly quiet in case there were kids asleep.
What I wanted to do was bash the fucking door in, but I had calmed myself down in the truck. I had a plan of action. I wasn’t going to make things harder on Danielle by losing control of my temper.
My knock was met by silence at first, and I was prepared to knock again when the door swung open. An older man with grey hair stared back at me. He was wearing dark slacks and a dark vest over a white shirt. Oh, and a fucking white bow tie as well. I assumed he was some sort of butler.
Rich assholes always had butlers.
“I’m here to speak to Mr. King,” I said.
“At nine o-clock in the evening, sir?” The man gave me a once over, his disdain clear on his face.
I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Nothing too grimy or dirty, but not nearly as fancy as the butler’s attire either.
“It’s urgent.”
“I’m sorry, but he’s not seeing anyone at the moment,” the butler said curtly, preparing to shut the door in my face.
I reached out and forced the door to remain open. The butler wa
s easily approaching seventy, and he was a bean pole. He couldn’t shut that door if I didn’t want him to.
His eyes narrowed. “Will I have to call the police? I can just push a button and they’ll be here within seconds,” the man said with a snide grin.
“Let me speak to Mr. King.”
“Who is it, Frank?” a voice called out from somewhere in the house.
“It’s no one, sir,” Frank responded.
“Jim King? Is that you?” I yelled, towering over Frank and looking deeper into the house. “I have money for you.”
That’s all it took to get the old bastard to make an appearance. When dealing with greedy snakes like him, you have to know the way to their heart. And judging by the gaudy gold bannisters and massive chandelier hanging over the entryway, Jim King was easily convinced by money.
“I can handle this, Frank,” Jim said.
Frank stepped aside, but he eyed me carefully. “I just have to push a button,” he reminded me before letting Jim step into the doorway.
Now, I’d seen Jim in his ads and shit, but seeing the man in real life was a different story.
“I thought you’d be taller,” I said dryly.
The man was rounder than he appeared on screen, which made me think he was photoshopped. His hair was thinner too. But that face… Well, I’d recognize the face of a rat anywhere.
“Do I know you?” he asked.
“No, you don’t, but I know you.” I held out a wad of cash that made Jim’s eyes bulge out of his head. Seeing the look on his face, I was grateful I’d had the foresight to drive back into town and grab some money.
“There’s more where this came from too,” I said.
“Come inside,” he said, motioning for me to follow him into his house. “Let’s talk in my office.”
I knew how to speak Jim King’s language apparently. As I followed King into the house, I winked at the butler. Frank scowled at me as he closed the door behind me.
The foyer of his house, larger than some people’s entire homes, and had a wrap-around staircase leading up to a second level which overlooked the first. A massive crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling, and everything was accented with gold. I was certain Jim expected me to compliment his home, but the first description that came to my mind was tacky, so I kept my thoughts to myself.
We walked down a short set of stairs and down a hallway. He opened the door and waved me into his office.
The room was larger than it needed to be with a fireplace in one corner and several leather couches surrounding it. A mini bar was set up in the back of the room. Jim’s desk was in the middle of the space, facing floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the mountains.
Jim motioned for me to take a seat in a leather chair while he sat behind the cherry wood desk. He steeped his fingers in front of him and narrowed his gaze.
“I already told him I’m not interested in his proposition. So unless he wants to sweeten the deal, my answer remains the same.”
“I think you have me confused with someone else,” I said, placing the wad of cash on his desk. “I’m here to pay off Danielle Baker’s loan.”
Jim broke out into a fit of laughter and stood up from the desk. My gaze stayed on him as he walked over to the mini bar and poured himself a glass of whiskey. He didn’t offer me one, nor would I have taken one if he had. He turned back around and leaned against the bar.
“She’s motivated, I have to give her that,” Jim said, taking a large swig from his glass. “But it doesn’t work that way, Mr… I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
I stood up from the chair and walked closer to him. “Mason. You can just call me Mason.”
“Alright, Mason,” the man said in a demeaning tone of voice. “Let me explain our contract to you. I will not accept cash; the loan can only be paid by check.”
I pulled out my check book, which I had stowed away in my back pocket. “I thought you might say that.”
Jim shook his head and put his empty glass down on the bar. “No, see, I will only accept a check from Ms. Baker herself.”
“It says that in the contract?” I asked. “Because that sounds pretty stupid. You’d think you would want to get paid no matter what.”
“Yeah, but when you deal with customers like I do, you learn that unless the check comes from them directly, there’s likely illegal activity going on. Usually stolen checks.”
“It isn’t stolen, I assure you. You can check my ID and verify that the check is coming from my account.”
Jim shook his head again and gave me a smug look that made me want to punch him right in the face. “I’ve already done the background check and everything on Ms. Baker. I even talked to the bank directly. I know there’s nothing shady going on. I don’t know that about you, Mason.”
“You can do all that for me as well. I can wait.”
“I’m not going to do that, and let me explain why,” he said pedantically, and again the urge to drop him had to be forced out of my brain. “If I made an exception for Ms. Baker, I’d have to make an exception for others as well. I run a business, and I have rules for a reason. But that isn’t the only reason you can’t pay it off today.”
“Oh yeah?” I crossed my arms in front of my chest.
“The term on the contract states that I will not accept full payment before the end of the third month.”
“I don’t think that’s legal.”
“Are you a lawyer, Mason? Because I don’t get the feeling that you’re a lawyer.” Jim turned around and made himself another drink, calm as ever.
While I was ready to burst from rage. Hold it together, Mason. You don’t want to make it worse for Danielle by losing your temper.
“I don’t have to be a lawyer to know something is illegal. I’m sure I could look into the matter, or even hire a lawyer. I have plenty of money to do so.”
Jim turned back around, and if my threat bothered him, it didn’t appear to. His face was a mask, no emotion whatsoever.
“As I told Ms. Baker, I am ready to fight this - and if she wants to take me to court, it will likely take many months to get it sorted out. Even if she does win, she will have nowhere to go for months, and what would happen to that beautiful daughter of hers? I know her father is very eager to get custody of her.”
I didn’t even realize it, but I took a giant step toward Jim. My fists were now balled up at my sides, and it felt like my eyes were glowing red from anger.
“Is that a threat?” I growled.
“No. Just a fact.” He shrugged. “I expect the loan to be paid off, as outlined in our agreement, or the property will be mine. I will not negotiate this, so I think it’s time for you to leave.”
I lunged forward, couldn’t help myself. I shoved the smug asshole into the mini bar, glasses clanking at the sudden jarring. Several fell to the ground with a shattering crash. I had him by the collar of his shirt. He was a big man - round, at least - but not nearly as tall or as strong as me. For a second, fear flashed in the man’s eyes.
“Dad?” a soft voice spoke from behind us. “Is everything okay?”
I let go of his shirt, brought back to the here and now. I stepped backward and turned to find a child of about ten years old standing in the doorway. He had the same dark hair as his dad, but beyond that, there was little resemblance.
“Yes, Matthew, everything is fine,” Jim said, seemingly unperturbed. “Mason was just leaving. Weren’t you, Mason?”
I glared at Jim. Had his son not interrupted us, I might have done something stupid, but damn, it would have felt good to show this man that threatening Danielle would only to lead to trouble.
“Yes, I was just going,” I said, heading for the door. I grabbed the pile of cash from Jim’s desk and pocketed it.
Jim was right on my heels, with a hand on Matthew’s shoulder. He smiled smugly at me as we walked back to the entryway.
“Go get ready for bed, Matthew,” he said, patting the kid on the head. “Rosaline will
be right up to read to you.”
Matthew hurried up the stairs, his footsteps disappearing as he neared the top.
“I trust we won’t be seeing you around here again,” Jim said, opening the front door to his house.
I turned on my heels in the doorway, blocking it so he couldn’t shut it until I was damned good and ready. “And I trust that you will no longer threaten Danielle. She will pay your loan off. No need to make any more house calls. Are we clear?”
“We’ll see about that,” Jim muttered.
I took a step closer to him; the man backed up.
“Fine, I will not stop by her home.”
Footsteps walked toward the door. “Should I call the police, Mr. King?” Frank asked.
“And you won’t bring up her daughter or her ex ever again, do you hear me?”
Jim nodded. That would have to be good enough. I stepped backward onto the porch.
“No, it’s fine, Frank. Mason was just leaving.”
As the door shut, I had to tell myself it was a win. I had at least protected Danielle from his threats, but we’d have to find a way to get her out from underneath him as soon as possible.
I would make sure she was free and clear of that asshole.
Danielle
“Look who’s happy to see you!” I exclaimed as I opened the door for Mason and Calvin. Oscar was wiggling from head to toe beside me. He stayed in his place, obeying my commands, but it was clear the dog was happy to see the two men. He’d really taken a liking to Calvin.
We’d been working together for a few weeks, and I knew that the day was coming where I’d have to hand Oscar over to his new owner. They’d already been spending a lot of time together alone, but there were still things I wanted to train Oscar on - mostly things that were extra, not things the old man needed exactly, but they could come in handy. Things like helping him get things off the floor or alerting the neighbors or bystanders of a problem. We were also training him to pick up on Calvin’s blood sugar, since the man had diabetes.
