Messy Love(88)

With a last scowl to myself, I left the bathroom and walked into the living room, finding my biological father sprawled on the couch, again. I kicked his foot and crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes at him as he groaned and opened his eyes slowly. They squinted at me and then he waved me off.

“What the fuck do you want?’’

“You and the drugs out. That’s what I want.’’

He laughed then, the same fucking laugh that gave me nightmares. “What are you going to do without the money if I get the drugs out, uh? Do you have a new job? A new inheritance?’’

“Shut up.’’

“You keep your mouth shut, son,’’ he snapped and jerked to his feet, swaying until he grabbed the neck of my t-shirt and tugged. I pushed him off and glared, determined not to let him get the best of me.

It took me two weeks to realize that there was nothing more to the man than what I had already known. The stuffed turtle was nothing more than a prop to use against me, probably stored somewhere for that reason alone. After all, the man lived to make my life hell.

“Or what? It's my apartment.’’

“Yeah, and you’ve let drugs in here, drug deals happened here too. What do you think cops will do if they get an anonymous tip?’’

“Your ass is on the line too.’’

“Oh, but I know that. Contrary to you, I know how this game is played. You? You’d end up in jail, with your dear family in tears and that piece of ass you can’t forget disgusted with you.’’

“Don’t talk about her. I told you already.’’

“Then don’t push me, son. Do you think I haven’t seen the way you look at the pictures on your phone? That’s weak.’’

“Better weak than a piece of scum like you.’’

“Because you’re so much better than me, Wyatt. Look around. You’ve let me in your life. You’ve let the drugs in your home. You’ve let scums like me here. You’ve watched silently a young man not much older than you get beaten to a pulp right where you stand because he messed up a delivery. You’re not better, Wyatt. My blood runs through your veins, never forget it.’’ He smirked at me then and pushed me with enough strength that I felt the bite of his fingers in my chest. I let the momentum take me away from him and watched him gather his joints, take a vial full of coke or heroin, I had no clue and left.

There on the coffee table, where my eyes couldn’t look away, drugs of all kinds were scattered. More were on the dining table and the entertainment unit.

If I wanted to protect my family, Ralph and Marissa before, now I wouldn’t be able to face them. Not with the way my life had turned.

Not now that the monster was back in my life and I was so damn lost that nothing else made sense other than the reality that awaited me in the future.

I would become the man I despised most.





MARISSA


“I can’t believe I’m letting you do this,’’ I muttered as I glared at Ralph as we hunkered down between two cars in front of Wyatt’s apartment.

It’s been two days since Danny’s visit, and it took only hours for Ralph to hear worrisome shit about Wyatt and what he was up to. I told him we should have called Danny Burton immediately, but Ralph didn’t want to cause trouble for his best friend without having all the facts. Getting the cops involved would be the last resort.

It didn’t cause him issues getting me to follow him in a spying game instead of going back to my parents for a family weekend with baby Paul and the new parents. Ralph played on my worries for Wyatt that overshadowed my pain and resentment.

“I didn’t have to persuade you too much, girl.’’

“Still.’’ I wiped at my eyebrows and the sweat coating my forehead as the sun beat down on us. “I don’t want to see some girl hanging on his arm.’’

“You wo—Fuck!’’ Ralph’s hand tightened on a side mirror as his eyes narrowed. Stealthily, I glanced over his shoulder and saw a weary man walking out of the building, rubbing his nose and squinting in the blinding morning sun.

“What? Who is it?’’ When Ralph didn’t answer me but kept his eyes on the man as if he was gearing up to murder him, I shook him. “Do you know this man?’’

“Yeah. Yeah, I know him.’’ When the man disappeared around the corner, his eyes swiveled to the windows of the second floor where Wyatt lived. We couldn’t see a thing from here. “That was Wyatt’s biological father.’’

“No.’’

“Yes.’’ Our eyes caught and we shared a common thought. What the fuck was going on here? “It’s worse than I thought.’’

“We need to let Danny know. Wyatt told me once that he’s dangerous.’’

“He’s also a screw up who hurt Wyatt repeatedly. Shit, the man did some shady stuff to Wyatt, and I don’t even know the half of it.’’

“Do you… do you think Wyatt is doing drugs?’’

“I don’t know.’’ He shook his head and stood up suddenly, putting an end to our spying game. I jumped to my feet and let Ralph's worry seep through me, getting my nerves to high alert and putting my heart through the wringer. Again. And still for the same man. “Wyatt had never been into drugs, but who knows with that man sniffling around. I should have known that something was wrong. Fuck, think Marissa! He ended it with you because of it. He pushed me away because of it. And Lydia, Danny, and Ava? It’s the same thing. He wants us away from the man.’’