I closed it behind me as I walked out into the dark night and called the chief. Dawson answered in two rings. “Comfort? What in the hell are you doing calling me in the middle of the night?”
I didn’t know if I should be flattered or offended that he had my number saved in his cell. “The security system was tripped at the Thompson place, but it was a false alarm.”
“Is that right?” Dawson asked suspiciously. “You two are mighty deserted out there. This wouldn’t be a domestic that you’re trying to cover up would it? You know your daddy had quite the temper.”
My hand fisted at my side. My pop wasn’t anyone’s hero, and he was a loud drunk, but he’d never laid a finger on my mother. If he had, he would have ended up in a grave a lot sooner than he did. “Skylar’s clearing it up with ADT now, but if you want to drag your ass out here to see for yourself, be my guest.”
I hung up before the jackass with a badge could talk any more shit. As I turned to head back inside, I inhaled slowly and did my best not to let what he’d said rile me up any more than I already was.
“You can see Luna tomorrow. I know she’d love to see you but you can’t be here.” I heard Skylar say as I opened the door.
When I walked in, I saw that Richie was now standing with his back to the front door.
“You need to leave.” She held her hand out, pointing toward the door.
“Come on, I just need five hundred. That’s all.” Richie grabbed at her outstretched arm, but she pulled it back.
“She asked you to leave.” My tone was deadly calm, but that couldn’t be further from what I was feeling inside.
“I just need a few hundred!” He ignored me and reached for her again. This time he managed to get a hold of her forearm and she cringed in pain.
I crossed the room in two steps and grabbed him by the back of the neck hard enough to let him know that if he didn’t let her go, he’d be in a world of hurt. He got the message and lifted both hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I’ll go.”
I started walking to the door to throw his ass out, dragging him along with me.
“Wait!” Skylar skirted around me, so she was standing in front of us. “Let him go.”
“Yeah! Let me go!” He shouted. “You’re hurting me.”
I wasn’t.
“Just give us a minute,” Skylar bargained, blocking my path. “I just need to talk to him for a minute. And then, he’ll leave. I promise.”
I stared down at her eyes, pleading up at me.
“Where’s Luna?” The last thing I wanted was for Luna to wake up to this. I knew what it was like to be woken up in the middle of the night to people arguing. Before my mom passed my dad was a functioning alcoholic, but he was still an alcoholic. And he was a belligerent drunk.
“She’s not here. She’s at Mrs. Birch’s.”
As much as I didn’t want this guy alone with Skylar, I knew it wasn’t my place to put him out. This was her home and as much as I hated it, this was her child’s father.
I released my hold and Richie folded in two and coughed dramatically. I might have felt bad if I’d been choking him, but since I’d had a hold of the back of his neck. I knew he was doing it for effect.
“I’ll be right outside.”
“Thank you.” She exhaled and I could see the relief in her entire posture.
I stepped back out onto the porch and closed the door behind me again. I could hear Skylar talking, but couldn’t make out what she was saying. Since eavesdropping was out, I did my best to calm down. My blood pressure was through the roof and the last thing I wanted to do was fly off the handle. I needed to stay calm. Losing my shit on that low-life might make me feel better but it wasn’t going to help Skylar, and that’s all I cared about.
It felt like hours but was probably only a few minutes later when I heard Skylar’s voice getting louder as she walked toward the door and opened it. “I’m done, Richie. I’m not going to bail you out anymore. You can call your parents or figure it out yourself, but you can’t keep putting Luna and me at risk.”
“Skylar come on! Please!” He begged. “This is the last time, I promise.”
Her eyes met mine and I could see that she was ready for my backup.
“Come on, Richie.” I stepped back inside and he cowered. I didn’t touch him, just held out my arm indicating where he needed to go. “I’ll take you to the bus stop.”
He looked between us, and I could see that he wanted to argue, but in the end his shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Thank you,” she said to me as we walked past her.
By the time we made it across the field to my truck, I knew exactly where I was going to take him, and it wasn’t the bus stop. I didn’t know if he’d go for it, but I had to give him the option. Not for him, not even for Skylar, but for Luna. She deserved better, and if there was even the slightest chance to give her that, I had to try.
CHAPTER 35
Skylar
I was pacing in front of the window, wondering if I’d done the right thing by letting Hank give Richie a ride to the bus station. I should have insisted on going with them.
What if Richie mouthed off?
I knew how he could be. Even before his addiction, he’d gotten into verbal altercations with people. He had a very confrontational personality. And his addiction had only exacerbated that particular personality trait.
What if Richie said something offensive or threatened Hank?
Would Hank lose his temper?
Would things turn physical?
No.
I wasn’t sure how I knew it, but something deep down told me that Hank would never hurt Richie. Not even if he deserved it. Because Richie was Luna’s father.
I checked the time, again. They’d been gone for over twenty minutes. It was a five-minute drive to the bus stop. Five minutes there, five minutes back. Hank should be back by now. It’s not like there was any traffic on Firefly Island, especially in the middle of the night.
The floors that Hank had just finished were going to have a hole in them by the time I was through. I’d paced them so many times, back and forth, back and forth.
My mind was going a million miles per minute coming up with every possible scenario that could be delaying Hank. I checked the time again. He’d been gone for twenty-five minutes. At thirty, I was going to call him. Or send a text. Maybe send a text.
I was weighing which option seemed less overbearing when I saw the headlights of Hank’s truck coming down the drive.
“Thank God,” I exhaled as I stepped onto the porch and waited for him to pull up.
As soon as his truck came to a stop in front of the house, I called out, “How did it go?”
“Fine,” he said through his window that was rolled down as he shut off the engine.
When the door opened and he stepped out all of the anxiety that I’d been trying to manage, flooded through me. I walked down a step. “He didn’t say anything, or I mean, he wasn’t rude? Was he? Did he give you a hard time? Did he ask you for money? I can pay you back if you gave him money?” I couldn’t catch my breath and I realized then that I might be hyperventilating.
Hank didn’t respond. He walked up to me, stopping right in front of me. We were face to face since he was standing three steps below me. Instead of offering me a paper bag, Hank lifted his arm and brushed back the hair that had fallen across my forehead and cheek. The roughened pads of his fingertips grazed my outer ear lobe as he tucked it behind my ear.