Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
I did as he asked, not bothering to eat anything since I was too upset to be hungry. Instead, I went up to my room and cried myself to sleep. Which was probably a good thing since I spent most of the night tossing and turning, unable to find a comfortable position as my mind kept replaying the confrontation with my dad over and over again. I didn’t understand how he could have changed so much in such little time.
I felt so alone. With my mom gone and no family in the area, I didn’t have anyone to turn to for advice. My friends from high school were spending their first summer break after college partying, and I hadn’t talked to any of them about my problems with my dad because I felt as though I’d already leaned on them too much when my mom died.
By the time the next morning rolled around, I was tired and sore. And I hadn’t come up with a way to stop my dad from destroying my future for his own selfish reasons, whatever they were.
The next few hours passed painfully slowly as I hid in my room and waited for him to sleep off all the beer he’d most likely drunk last night. Another big change from the man who’d barely finish one can when I was growing up.
I wasn’t surprised that he still smelled like a brewery when he finally came into my room a little before noon. “Get your ass outta bed. We need to go to the bank. Now.”
Climbing off my mattress, I dressed, then grabbed a thin cardigan from my closet and pulled it on. The sleeves were short, but they were just long enough to hide the bruises on my arm. The last thing I needed was for someone at the bank to ask awkward questions while I filled out the paperwork that would give my dad access to my college savings.
When I got downstairs, he was already waiting at the door for me. “Hurry up, Tessa.”
“I’m almost ready to go, but I don’t—”
“You don’t, what? Want to give me back my hard-earned dollars when it’ll save my life?”
“Your life?” I echoed, glancing down at my bare feet. All I’d planned to say was that I just needed to put on a pair of sandals.
“I’m still not sure how it happened. I never would’ve put so much on the line in that poker game if I hadn’t been up by a fuck ton.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “But then I was on a losing streak, and before I knew what happened, I was in too deep. Now because some asshole had better luck than me, I need to come up with sixty thousand dollars before my bookie takes it outta my hide.”
My dad had a bookie. And he owed the guy the equivalent of three years of my college education. All from one poker game, if my dad’s irate muttering was to be believed.
I was still trying to wrap my head around the bombshell of information he’d just dropped when he yanked the door open and stomped outside, yelling at me to hurry up again. I didn’t feel as though I had any other choice, so I slipped on my sandals and grabbed my purse. Then I headed off to the bank with my dad…to destroy my future.
The old saying about what you didn’t know couldn’t hurt you wasn’t true in this situation. I had no clue that my dad had a gambling problem, but I was the one who would pay the price for his mistake.
2
PHANTOM
“I don’t take checks,” the florist snapped as she guarded the door to her delivery van.
Rom growled, and I grabbed his arm, holding him back. “Calm the fuck down, brother. You think not having flowers will upset your bride? How ’bout if her groom is in jail?”
“Jail?” the young, pinched-faced florist squeaked.
I shot her a warning glance. “Relax. No one is going to do shit to you. I’ll run to the bank and get cash.” I pointed my finger at the uptight woman who had shown up to deliver the wedding flowers. “But you better unload and get everything set up, or that might change when I return.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, but then they went wide when she glanced to my side. I followed her gaze, seeing my prez, VP, and a few other brothers in the Silver Saints MC standing beside us. “Um…okay…just be sure to bring—”
“Yeah, yeah,” I cut her off, already stomping to my bike parked a few feet away. “Just get your bony ass to work.”
I didn’t hear if she responded over the roar of my motorcycle engine starting, and I didn’t give a fuck. With a chin lift from Mac, the president of my MC, letting him know I’d handle things from here, I pulled out and headed into town.