Time hadn’t been kind to him. He’d gained at least fifty pounds, and his face was pudgy and set in the lines of a man who was perennially dissatisfied.
The handsome QB who’d had all the girls drooling was no more.
At my words, Jeremy reared back in surprise, then his features twisted into a sneer. “Are you being serious? What the hell are you doing here, King?”
“I came to visit with Wynter. She’s nearly of age, so I thought now would be a good time to introduce myself.”
“What? After Ally and I were the ones who made all the sacrifices? You thought you could just waltz in and steal her from us?”
My hands balled into fists at my side. “I’m not stealing her from you.”
“Then why the fuck has she left home? Why the fuck did I have to bribe one of her friends to find out where she was working?”
“Dad, you’re embarrassing me!” Wynter hissed, her cheeks bright red, her mortification clear.
Jeremy’s expression turned bitter, and the glint in his eyes put me on edge. “I’m embarrassing you? I had to bribe Chelsea, Wynter. I’m your goddamn father and you’re treating me like I’m a criminal.”
Wynter whispered, “You are.”
Surprise filtered through me, but Jeremy bit out, “And he isn’t?”
One of the managers came out and called her name. Wynter swallowed. “I-I’d like you to go, please, before I get into trouble.”
Jeremy’s sneer made a reappearance, but before he could get another word out, I leaped forward, grabbed his arm, and dragged him off the terrace.
Turning back to Wynter, I shot her a calm look and told her, “I’ll be back later to walk you home.”
She gave me a shaky nod, and there was a cocktail of misery, anxiety, and gratitude in her eyes.
I never wanted to see that combination again.
Jeremy made to speak, but my grip on him tightened to the point where he yelped.
“You say another word to embarrass her, Kinnock, I’ll break your fucking arm the second we’re out of sight.”
“You son of a bitch,” he rasped, but he kept his voice low.
“That’s me.”
In this instance, Mom would have been prepared to own that label.
The second we were around the corner, I let go of him but I shoved at him so that he was standing a couple steps away.
“Firstly, I came here after she left home. I found her in a shit heap of a building when I’ve been paying three grand a month for her maintenance,” I snarled. “What have you been doing? Pissing that away down at the mahjong clubs?”
His first attempt at conversation was with his fists.
He thrust them forward and tried to smack me. I grabbed one of his hands, twisted it behind his back and up until he was crying out in pain.
Kicking his legs out from under him, I watched him settle to the floor with a bang that had him yelping from the force of the contact.
With him on his knees, I rumbled, “If you hit me again, I’ll start breaking bones. I’m trying to keep this pleasant for Wynter’s sake, but don’t mistake that for me not being willing to show you what a fucking shit father you’ve been to the girl I entrusted to you and Ally, you piece of crap.
“What’s this I’ve been hearing about you cheating on Ally? About all the goddamn gambling debts? The cops coming around on domestic violence calls?”
“Like you’ve never cheated on your women. Maybe you can’t even cheat on those whores!”
I kicked my leg out, my foot landing square in his trunk, sending him hurtling to the sidewalk. He didn’t have a chance to save himself and he cried out when his face collided with the concrete.
“Watch your fucking words.”
“My nose!” he sobbed. “My goddamn nose. You broke it!”
I scoffed. “I don’t break my promises, unlike you. What the fuck is with you? Going to the place where she works and embarrassing her in front of the patrons and her bosses?”
“She just left! I was ready to call the cops but Ally told me what had happened.” His voice was nasal as he cupped his broken nose. “I-I had to talk to her. She can’t just move out the way she did.”
“She didn’t feel safe—”
“And you, a dirty fucking biker, make her feel safe and her own family doesn’t?”
“No. I’m telling you I came here after she left home. I have nothing to do with this. You fucked it up yourself.” I shot him a disgusted scowl. “If I hear of you threatening her at school or at work when I’m not around, I’ll make your life a fucking misery, Kinnock.
“I’m pretty sure I know people who have favors owed to them by the Triads. I have no problem in getting them to call in your debt.”
His face blanched.
Because that was the reaction I needed, I retreated and started the short walk back to the coffee shop.
Of course, that was when the dipshit tried to jump me.
Seeing as I’d been prepared for it, his attack didn’t come as a surprise. Well, not for me. I grabbed his fist in my hand, twisted it until I heard it pop, then jabbed him in the throat before I spun him around and shoved him face-first into the wall.
Spitting the words into his ear, I growled, “You never did know when to back the fuck down, Kinnock. The only reason I let you adopt Wynter was because of Ally. Because she was a good kid, and she should never have ended up with a fucking moron like you.
“Don’t you fucking dare show your face around Wynter until you’re ready to speak to her with respect. If you don’t, then I’ll make you.”
As I snarled the words into his ear, I made sure to place pressure on the back of his head. Only when he yowled as his broken nose smashed into the wall did I relinquish my hold on him. Only then did I walk away.
This time, there were no surprise attacks.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Thank you
Thank you for giving me that heads up. It really helped. I can’t believe I got to talk with her. Also, thank you for making her not hate me. I deserve nothing less than her hatred because I let her down, but I know that you paved the way for me.
I’ll never be able to thank you enough for that.
I love you.
And I forgive you for being a dick earlier. Messengers always get shot—I knew that. It was why I was dreading telling you.
R
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re. Thank you
You didn’t deserve her hatred. You didn’t deserve to be the messenger who got shot.
You’re not the world’s dumping ground.
I hurt you. I love you and I hurt you. I’m a schmuck, and thank you for your forgiveness. I’ll try to make sure that that never happens again. I let you fucking down.
K
From: [email protected]