Triple Beat-nook(5)

And for three years, she had been. She’d thrown herself into her schoolwork and joined every damn club the school system offered. She volunteered anywhere and everywhere someone would let her because it kept her out of the house and away from him.

Her dad didn’t seem to mind—or maybe he hadn’t noticed—her absence. When she was home, she shut herself in her room, putting on her headphones, losing herself in music while living a very silent life.

Occasionally she’d slip up and put herself in the path of her father when he was wasted. He’d yell or hit and she’d work harder to find new ways to disappear.

By the time she turned fifteen, she’d already started the countdown, living for the day when she was eighteen and could get the hell out.

Unfortunately, hormones had kicked in. She’d gotten boobs and for the first time in her life, her father started to actually see her. In a way that made her skin crawl.

Dani forced herself to focus on the road, to blink back the tears forming as she recalled the night he’d broken into her room and crawled into bed with her.

***

She wasn’t sure what had woken her up, but as soon as she opened her eyes, she realized she wasn’t in bed alone. The strong smell of whiskey told her exactly who was with her.

“Wake up,” he demanded.

She stiffened when he shook her roughly.

“Wake up, you little bitch. It’s time you started earning your keep around here.”

He was drunker than she’d seen him in a very long time. His words were slurred, his dark eyes struggling to find her face.

“I can get a job. Earn money.” She prayed to God that was what he meant, though her heart knew it was something else when his hands drifted to her breasts, squeezing them painfully.

She twisted away, but despite his drunkenness, he was stronger than she was.

“I don’t want f*cking money from you.”

Dani tried to push him away when he shoved his hand into her panties.

“No!” she cried out. “Please.”

“Shut up. You’re gonna like this, Dani.”

His rough fingers were thick, callused and cold. She wrapped her hand around his wrist, trying to pull him away. Her touch was ineffective as he burrowed deeper between her legs, touching her where she’d never been touched before.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

Why would he do this?

She had never fought her father. Not with words or with fists. Not once.

Dani considered that, feeling slightly shocked by the fact.

Why hadn’t she?

Something inside her snapped. His fingers breached the opening to her body, the touch agonizing. It felt as though he was ripping her in two.

Reaching out blindly toward her nightstand, she wrapped her hand around the base of the lamp. She lost her grip as pain ripped through her when he pushed three fingers deep inside her.

She screamed.

“Goddamn. Dry bitch. I’ll take care of that. Gonna shove my cock in that tight little hole.” He pulled his fingers out and chuckled malevolently when he saw blood on them. “Virgin.”

His tone was one of approval, one Dani had never heard him use when talking to her. God, how f*cked-up was this? She had to get out of here. Now.

He reached for the fastening on his pants, his clumsy fingers fumbling with the zipper.

She took advantage of his distraction. Lifting the lamp, she brought it down on his head, hard. It was wrought iron and made a loud crack when it connected with his skull.

He grunted and fell back on the bed. She spotted the blood dripping along his scalp, staining her pillow, and for a brief second, Dani wondered if she’d killed him.

Then, he groggily raised his hand to his head. She’d only knocked him out for a second. “What the fu—”

That was all Dani heard as she jumped out of bed and ran from her room. She managed to get out of the apartment, beating on the neighbor’s door, begging Ms. Stern to let her in.

Mercifully, the woman did. Dani raced into the apartment, slamming the door closed behind her. Ms. Stern threw the deadbolt and the chain seconds before they heard her dad come out into the hall.

Ms. Stern called 911 as Dad beat on the door, demanding that Dani come out. Dani leaned against the door, praying the locks would hold as he rained a steady stream of insults at her, calling her a slut, a whore, a cock tease.

She didn’t realize she was crying until Ms. Stern wiped her eyes with trembling hands.