Messy Love(91)
Danny Burton, my dad, was nothing like the policeman. I had always known him, but at this very moment, it hit me square in the jaw and left me pondering the urge to run. But I stayed put. If for nothing more than because seeing Ralph and Marissa had been the electroshock I had needed to put me back on track and dragging me out of the mess in my head to do something to get my life back to where it should be.
Dad rounded the car and beelined for me. His clear eyes ran from my toes to my head, cataloging everything in his head as his steps, sure and even, drew him closer to me. When he stood there right in front of me, I saw the worries and the disappointed. The latter was painful.
“Are you alright?’’
Just days ago, I’d have quickly answered with a harsh yes. But that was before. “No. Not at all.’’
He put a hand on the back of my head then. He was shorter than me, but that didn’t change things one bit. His comfort hit me, and I crumbled. I wrapped my arms around the only man I had ever considered my dad and held onto him tightly, shaking so damn bad I couldn’t control it.
“I’m here, Wyatt. I’ll always be there for you.’’ He hugged me back tightly and patted me on the back, not once putting an end to the hug. He waited for me to pull away, to get some composure back and dry my eyes before I stood straight again.
“I don’t know how to get out of this,’’ I said with a rough voice, betraying the emotions still hurting me left and right.
“That’s easy. We’re going to put them in jail. And your biological father? Trust me, I’ll do everything, so he never comes into your life again, not unless you make the first move. You don’t have to get in the middle of this shit again. I should have known he was sniffing around.’’
“You couldn’t have.’’
“Wyatt, I’m a cop. What do you think I did when we took you in? I looked him over, and it’s a wonder he never got arrested when you were still in his care. I’m pretty sure he had a few cops in his pocket.’’ He got his phone out and then looked at Ralph and Marissa. “You two, you need to leave. I can’t have others involved if we’re going to pull this off.’’
“What? But—‘’ Marissa started to protest, but one authoritative look from Dad and she shut up.
“I have friends at the police department that had been trying to get several of the people I’ve seen coming and going from Wyatt’s. I’m going to make a deal with them to say that we’ve been using Wyatt to trap them, but I can’t do this if you two are here. Got it?’’
“Do you think it’d work?’’ I asked with uncertainty when Ralph agreed and shook his head at Marissa when she went to protest again. That shut her up and when he whispered something to her, she sagged and shrugged.
“Yes, it’ll work.’’ He shrugged and stared at me intensely. “It’s not ethical, and it’s risky, but it’ll work. We’ll get them on a flag, so it should limit your involvement in court. You’ll have to twist a few things at the precinct, but it’ll be okay.’’
“And Mom?’’
“Better keep her out of this until it’s all sorted out. But let me tell you, you’ll have two very emotional female Burtons on your hands to deal with.’’ Once again, he looked at Ralph and Marissa. “Now, you two grab the first cab you find and stay put until one of us calls you back. Got it?’’
They nodded and with one last look, they walked away. My eyes didn’t leave Marissa, not until I couldn’t see her and I were sure she was putting miles between her and this godawful place.
“Wyatt.’’ I looked back at my dad and waited. “I know it’s hard, but I want you to tell me everything again while we wait for the team to get here. We have to work fast to pull this off.’’
MARISSA
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go up with you?’’ Ralph asked me gently, but with his knitted eyebrows and the way he gripped the steering wheel, I knew he needed alone time. I couldn’t blame him. I felt the same.
“No, don’t worry.’’ I forced a smile. “I never thought something like that was going on. I was so quick to paint him as an asshole.’’
“Hey, don’t feel bad, girlie. Wyatt has always been challenging when you get close.’’
“You’re worried, aren’t you?’’ I asked, and my own eyebrows slammed down.
“I have a bad feeling about this shit. Wyatt’s biological father doesn’t care if he hurt his son. I bet he likes it.’’ He waved off. “Don’t listen to me. I’m just pissed I didn’t listen to my guts earlier. I acted all butt hurt.’’
“You just said I shouldn’t blame myself.’’
“It’s different. You’ve known him just a few months. I’ve known Wyatt since we were seven, maybe earlier.’’ He sighed and offered me a tired smile. “Alright, if you need something call me, okay? It’ll probably take a while for Wyatt and Mr. Burton to…’’ he trailed off, and his weak smile vanished.
“Yeah, I know.’’ I cleared my throat when my voice cracked and opened the passenger door. “Call me if you hear anything.’’ At Ralph’s nod, I climbed out of the car and jogged to my building as my worries took a life of their own and constricted my throat and squeezed my heart.