Take Me with You (Take Me #2)(53)
I sighed heavily and let out the secret I’d been holding back from everyone but my family and Ari. “He killed my mom, and I watched him do it.”
Miller’s mouth dropped open.
“That’s why he went to prison. He was supposed to serve twenty years, but he got out in thirteen for good behavior.”
“Fuck, man.” Miller staggered over to me and collapsed into the chair across from me. “Why did you never tell me?”
“I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t want anyone to know…to f*cking pity me. My aunt and uncle and Sydney knew. Then, I told Ari at the ski lodge.”
“You should have told me. I feel like a shit friend now.”
I shrugged and settled back into the seat. “I couldn’t. I thought I could control it. The music helps, man, but now that he’s out…”
“Have you seen or talked to him?”
I nodded. “I talked to him on the phone after Ari’s birthday party and told him to leave me the f*ck alone and not to contact anyone I knew, but he didn’t listen. He showed up at my place while Ari was there. I don’t know what the f*ck to do, Miller. I have to call my uncle and get him to talk sense into my dad. I don’t want him to hurt Ari.”
Miller ran a hand back through his hair. “You think he’s going to do something?”
“He blamed me for what had happened with my mom because I ran into the room when he was holding a gun to her. He shot her and claimed it was PTSD from the war. Then, he told me he was coming after me when he got out. What do you think?”
“You have to go to the cops, bro.”
Fuck, why did everyone keep saying that?
The cops were f*cking useless. They weren’t going to protect Ari. They wouldn’t do anything but serve a f*cking restraining order that my dad could walk right through at any time. Yeah, he was an ex-con, but that didn’t mean the police would do anything more to stop him.
“I’m not f*cking doing that. We’ll f*cking figure it out without including those idiots.”
“What if you don’t?” he asked quietly.
I couldn’t even think of that. I couldn’t f*cking think of something happening before I could figure out what to do. I needed to talk to my uncle and convince him to stop my dad. My uncle had seen and talked to him. He had to have some sway.
It already f*cking felt like a ransom situation. I’d give my dad whatever he wanted as long as he left me and Ari alone. I couldn’t stomach the thought of him finding out how important she was to me, that she was my whole f*cking world. I could imagine the look in his eyes and what he’d say to me.
He would take the one thing I loved most in life because I’d taken the thing he loved most. He thought it was only my fault. So, why should I get to find love and happiness when he was left without the woman he loved?
He’d never acknowledged that it was of his own doing.
If he’d gone and gotten help for what had happened to him…
If he’d talked to my mom about the problem…
If he hadn’t moved us away from all their friends and medical professionals and left us stuck in Middle of Nowhere, Tennessee…
If he had just done something…anything…
No, no responsibility from the old man.
That was asking too much.
Now, I was here, thirteen years later, trying to clean up his mess—again.
“I spoke to my uncle.”
“Good,” I said softly.
I’d been trying to remain calm, but my hand had been itching to call the cops all afternoon. I knew Grant didn’t want me to. I also knew he didn’t think logically or rationally about anything regarding his father. I didn’t want to go against his wishes before he got back to me though, so I’d held off.
“What did he say?”
“He’s going to get a hold of my father and try to meet up with him. I think he’s starting to understand how much I want to f*cking steer clear of him. My father is a determined man, but I think my uncle can talk some sense into him.”
“Okay. Do you know when that’s going to happen?”
“Hopefully, today or tomorrow. I think it’ll get him out of Princeton for some time, so you won’t have to worry.”
I blew out a breath. Thank God.
I wanted to be strong during this, but all the horror stories Grant had told me were taking over the reasonable side of my brain. Truth was, I didn’t know how to deal with the situation. I didn’t want to obsess about it. What if it ended up being nothing? But I didn’t want to blow it off either in case it was truly dire.
“You’re not going to like this, Grant, but if I see him again, I’m calling the cops.”
“Ari—”
“No, I don’t want to hear it. You’re not here. Even if you were, I wouldn’t want you to get near him. I saw him. I saw the look in his eyes. I didn’t understand what you were saying until that moment. I’m not going to risk anything happening.”
He sighed softly. “I wasn’t going to argue with you.”
“What? Really?”
“Yeah. I-I talked to Miller about it.”
“You told Miller?”
“Yeah.”
Wow.
That was a step for Grant. He’d known Miller for a long time. He was Grant’s best friend, and he’d never told Miller about it. Grant must be really stressed and worried to do something like that.