Page 104 of Love is Angry

Rhue

The first thing I do after leaving the apartment in a frenzy is to drive back to Rochester. I head home, knowing that my father will have answers. This is clearly his doing. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind whatsoever.

I’m gripping the wheel so hard that my knuckles turn white.

After a quick call to Rita, who, according to Madison’s account from last night, was the only one who might’ve caught a better glimpse of Creepy Jake, I only get some faint descriptive terms—dark blond hair, maybe blue or green eyes, good looking. Not enough. Definitely not enough. I haven’t told anyone about Madison disappearing, either. If I can resolve this before it gets out of hand, it’ll be fine. I can’t cause panic. I can’t let Mr. Willis know that I literally lost his daughter.

Fury burns through me like an open fire, frustration the crackling kindling at the bottom.

The mansion rises ahead, standing out from the other villas and McMansions in this residential area. I don’t even remember driving past the “Welcome to Rochester” sign. I’m not sure how long the drive was, given that I’ve been flooring it since I left Ithaca. What I do know, however, is that the closer I get,the angrier I become. Facing my father in a blind fury won’t help, though. He will take advantage of it. He is proficient at exploiting people’s weaknesses; and anger, as much as I hate to admit it, is a weakness.

I swerve up the narrow alley leading up to the mansion and pull over with a loud screech. I get out of the SUV and take a deep breath. It’s raining cats and dogs out here, and I don’t have a jacket after leaving in such a hurry. I welcome the chill, though. It helps calm me down. I’m calm enough to think—and I set my phone to record. Whatever he says now, it’s mine.

Moments later, I burst through the double doors.

“Where the fuck are you?” I shout, knowing he’ll hear me. His car is parked out front. He’s home. I take a second to briefly glance around.

Laura is in the living room with Steve the Manny. They were playing some kind of board game until I came in. Now, they’re both staring at me, jaws dropping to the floor. I can’t blame them. I’m on a roll, and I can’t stop. Not when I’m about to face the monster in our family.

“Rhue,” Laura says, elbow on the armrest of her electric wheelchair.

“Where is he?” I ask, lowering my voice.

“In his study, but—”

She doesn’t get to finish what she wanted to say because I’m already bolting across the foyer and into the hallway. I walk into the study without knocking, only to find my father on the phone, behind his ebony desk, laughing lightly. Of course, his humor fades when he sees me.

“Martha, I’m gonna have to call you back,” he mutters. “Yes, send me those poll numbers, and we’ll see what more we can do tomorrow.”

He hangs up and gives me a long look.

“Where is she?”

“What are you talking about?” My father will not make this easy.

“Madison. Where. Is. Madison?”

My father shrugs. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You see, I know that’s a fucking lie because you sent one of your thugs after her last night,” I say, pointing a stiff finger at him. “You had him accost and threaten her outside a restaurant, and by morning she was gone.”

“I thought you were looking after her,” he replies, not trying that hard to conceal his amusement as he leans back into his swivel chair. “What, did the girl just vanish from under your nose? How do you know it was me?”

“Because you’re the only one with such nerve. At least be a man and admit it.”

He gets up, his shoulders broad and loaded with tension. I’m hitting a spot on that big ass ego of his. “Rhue Echeveria, next week I may be elected on the Rochester city council. It’s a prestigious and honorable position that will allow me to bring about meaningful change to this place. With it, I’m only a few steps from Congress. This is our future.”

“Where is Madison?” I ask again, gritting my teeth.

It takes everything I’ve got not to launch myself at him, but judging by the look on his face, I worry he’ll continue to test my limits.

“Somewhere safe,” he says. Glancing over my shoulder for a second, I see Laura coming over, accompanied by Steve. My father won’t say it again in the presence of other people. This was solely for my ears. “I’ve got too much riding on this. I can’t have anyone’s petulance get in my way.”

“Petulance? You’re the one who’s relentlessly coming after her!” I snap. “What the fuck is wrong with you? What happened to you? Were you always such a colossal piece of shit?”

It’s his turn to get mad. “Don’t you fucking talk to me in that tone, boy! You have no idea what I have sacrificed for this family’s wellbeing! You have no understanding of everything that it took to get us here, to provide you and your sister with such comforts! You’ve never had to work or drop out of school to put food on your table, you ungrateful little shit! So don’t you come in here and talk down to me like I owe you anything! You shut your mouth, you go to school and get your fucking degrees. God knows, you’re not good at handling anything else.”

“Where is Madison?” I ask again, unimpressed by his cheap bravado. It’s meant to intimidate me, but he forgets I’m no longer fourteen.

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