“It is. And it’s something you have to live with if I do it. At the same time, you’ll have to live with yourself if I don’t and there’s something really wrong with him.”
I lean against his car, and run my hands through my hair. I don’t know what to do. I’d hate Tina if she did something like this to me. And I’m positive, it would take me a long time to forgive her. It would cause a rift in our relationship, and it would never really be the same again. “I don’t know what to do,” I say as I rub my temples.
“You have to go with your heart, Molly.” Dylan moves in front of me, cradling me in a tight embrace. Resting my head on his chest, I listen to the rhythmic sound of his heartbeat. “There’s no right or wrong decision. Whatever you decide has consequences.”
“And that’s what I’m telling myself.” I exhale, frustrated at myself, and angry at Tina for putting me in this position to start with. “Can I think about it?”
“Absolutely. There’s no pressure from me. The offer is there, and when you’re ready with whatever decision is most comfortable for you, just let me know.” He kisses the top of my head. “But Molly, I really do have to go,” he says.
“I know. Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
He leans down, lacing his hands in my hair. His lips brush against mine. “You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow night, right?”
“Of course.”
He kisses me, making my tummy flip, and my heart beat quickly.
Dylan gets in the car, and leaves.
I really, really like him.
Heading inside, Mom and Dad are sitting in the dining room. Zhen’s still asleep by the back door, and Zorro is laying at Dad’s feet.
“Is it me, or are there red flags with Preston?” I ask.
“Yeah, there are some huge red flags. Something doesn’t sit quite right with me about him,” Mom says. Dad nods.
“Tina’s with him, and I’m scared.”
“We’ll talk to her when she gets home,” Dad says.
“Um, I’m not sure what to do,” I say, pulling out a chair and sitting opposite my parents.
“With what?” Dad asks. He picks his coffee cup up, and sips.
“Dylan offered to do some investigation on his parents. I don’t want to say yes, but a part of me knows by Preston’s reaction, he’s hiding something.”
“He is. He certainly became uncomfortable when Dylan started asking questions. I can tell you, Preston wasn’t happy with those questions,” Mom says.
“Should I let Dylan dig around? If I’m being honest, I wouldn’t forgive you or Tina if either of you did it to me.”
“It’s not about invading her privacy. It’s about keeping her safe. And if she’s with someone who’s either not going to do everything in his power to make sure she’s safe, or, if he’s going to use her for something, then we need to know,” Dad says. “Either way, Tina will be hurt. If we do nothing, and he tries to extort money or sex out of her, she’ll be hurt. If we poke around and find nothing, then she’ll be hurt we didn’t trust her.”
I feel physically sick. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I think it’s a good idea if you take him up on his offer. We’d like you to do it,” Mom says.
I nod my head.
My parents are right. Either way, this sucks.
“It’s time.”
“No, I don’t want to go.”
“You can hear the music, can’t you?” the boy in the white t-shirt asks.
“I can’t hear it. I’m not going.”
“Take the bunny, Neve. You have to do this. We go over this every time.” He’s frustrated with me. “This is why we’re here. We need to protect her. We each have a role to play.”
Startled, I wake covered in sweat. “What was that?” I ask.
Zhen stands and comes to lay right beside me, his head lying on my lap.
Blinking, I try adjusting my sight in the dark.
I try to sleep, but every time I close my eyes, I see images of the stupid white rabbit. I sit up, push the covers off me and head downstairs to get a glass of water. Turning the faucet on, I pour water into my glass, and take a huge gulp.
I hear the front door open. Placing my glass on the counter, I walk to the foyer to see who’s sneaking out, or sneaking in. I suspect I know which and who.
“Tina,” I say as she tries to close the door as quietly as possible.
“Shit!” She jumps when I call her name. “Are you waiting up for me?” she attacks me verbally, like I’m doing something wrong.
“No, I was getting a drink of water. Had a dream, or nightmare…I’m not sure.”
She looks me up and down, and steps forward. “Are you okay?”
I shrug. “I can’t remember all of it. Except for this stupid white rabbit.” I’m getting so disheartened, because I don’t know why I keep seeing it.
“Like Alice in Wonderland?”
I chuckle. “I wish, but no. A stuffed rabbit. Anyway, where were you?”
“Ugh, stop trying to control me,” she grunts at me through a tight jaw.
“Hey. Stop this shit, Tina. I’m not trying to control you. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but you’re so different.”
She walks past me, about to ascend the staircase. I grab her upper arm to stop her leaving. “Ahh,” she cries out in pain.
“What the hell?” I pull her back, and lift her shirt sleeve. There’s a large bruise on her arm. “How did this happen? Did Preston hurt you?”
“What? Don’t be stupid, Molly. I walked into a door knob.” She stares me straight in the eyes, and I can see she’s lying to my face.
“You walked into a door knob? Is that the bullshit story you’re sticking to?”
“It’s the truth,” her voice elevates.
“I’ve never seen a door knob that high. Unless you were pushed into it. And do me a favor, yell as loud as you want, because it’ll wake Mom and Dad.”
We both look up the staircase to see if they’ve woken. She holds her breath, and I secretly will them to wake. “I swear, it’s not what it looks like.”
“Yeah? How do you think it appears to me?”
“You think Preston hits me. He doesn’t. He loves me, so much. He told me he’s never felt like this about anyone.”
“I’m sure,” I say sarcastically. “Which is why you’ve got a bruise, because he loves you, right?”
She steps closer to me. Her jaw is tense and there’s a wild fire burning in her eyes. “It was just a stupid accident. I was being dumb, asking him questions about his parents, he got mad and shoved me aside. See? I was stupid. He said he was sorry. That’s all it is.”
“That’s all it is? You can’t be so blinded by him that you don’t see this is a form of domestic violence.”
“He said he was sorry,” she says again through a clenched jaw. “Drop it, okay?”
“I can’t let this go, Tina. He’s dangerous. He’s already making us fight over him. Is he really worth hurting all of us?”