Page 30 of Klutch's Kryptonite

I set my bag on the counter and unzip it, pulling out my sleep shorts and tank top. After a moment’s hesitation, I decide a shower would be nice. Maybe it will help clear my head.

Stripping off the dress I now regret wearing, I turn on the shower and wait for the water to heat up. Steam begins to fill the room, and I step under the spray, sighing as the hot water hits my skin.

As I stand there letting the water cascade over me, the events of the day come crashing down. My dad vanishing. The apartment destroyed. The fear that Frankie’s men might have done something. And now I’m in a biker clubhouse with a man I barely know.

What am I going to do? I need to find my dad, but where do I even start looking? And how am I supposed to come up with ten thousand dollars in less than two weeks? Even with the tips from The Underground, I don’t know if it’s going to be enough.

The pressure that’s been building in my chest since finding my dad bloodied on our floor suddenly becomes too much. A sobescapes my lips. I slap a hand over my mouth trying to hold it in, but the dam has broken and it all comes pouring out. Leaning against the tile, I slide down the shower wall until I’m sitting on the floor and pull my knees up to my chest. I silently cry for my father, for the mother I lost, for the little girl I never got to be.

I don’t know how long I sit there with the water pouring over me as I sob into my hands, but suddenly I’m aware of the shower door sliding open. Before I can react, a strong arm slips around my back and another under my knees and I’m lifted from the floor.

“It’s going to be okay, Blue. I’ve got you,” Klutch whispers into my wet hair as he carries me out of the shower, not seeming to care that he’s getting soaked or that I’m completely naked.

I shake my head against his chest, crying harder. “No, it’s not. Nothing’s okay.” The words are muffled against his chest, but I think he understands because his arms tighten around me.

“Shh,” he soothes, carrying me through to what must be his bedroom. “I got you, baby.”

Something about the gentleness in his voice, the solid strength of his arms around me, breaks the last of my control. I clutch at his wet shirt, burying my face against his chest and just let go. All the fear, all the worry, all the exhaustion of being the responsible one for so long—it all comes pouring out in heaving sobs.

It’s been so long since I felt safe in someone’s arms. Since I let myself fall apart and someone else be strong for me.

Eventually, the storm subsides, and I become very aware of my surroundings again. I’m sitting in Klutch’s lap on his bed, naked and wrapped in his arms. His shirt is soaked through, clinging to his chest, and when I lift my head, I realize he’s just been holding me, letting me cry, without saying a word.

“You put on a shirt,” I whisper dumbly.

Klutch’s caramel-colored eyes drop to my lips and my body goes still.

“I’m going to kiss you,” he rasps as he ever so slowly dips his head. I should turn away from him. He’s still a stranger I barely know, but something about the way he’s looking at me like I’m the last breath of air has my heart pounding in my chest. I tilt my head up, a signal that I want what he’s offering even if I don’t know what I’m doing. With a deep growl, his soft lips connect with mine and I melt. His tongue swipes against the seam of my lips and without protest I open for him. His tongue sweeps inside and he devours my mouth.

I don’t know how long we make out but when he finally pulls back, I become acutely aware of two things: one, I’m still completely naked, and two, there’s something hard poking against my bottom and I’m certain it’s not his keys.

My cheeks flood with heat, and I shift slightly, uncomfortable with my nakedness now that I’m not lost in my meltdown.

Klutch seems to sense my discomfort because he reaches over to the foot of the bed and grabs a blanket and wraps it around my shoulders. I pull it tighter, attempting to cover myself more fully.

“Thanks.”

“Are you ready to tell me the truth now?” he asks, his voice soft but firm.

I nod, knowing I can’t hide it anymore. Not after everything. “My dad…” I shake my head just thinking about the mess that is my father. “He gets into these situations. I mean, he’s always doing something stupid. Convinced it’s his ticket to easy street. But it never is.” Dropping my gaze to my lap, I think of all the scams he’s pulled over the years. Betting on the ponies, A GoFundMe scam where he lied to be on the internet, exotic lizard breeding, signing up to participate in medical studies.Always something crazier than the last stunt he pulled. “He owes some bad people a lot of money.”

Klutch’s body tenses beneath me. “How much?”

“Ten thousand dollars. Plus interest.”

He whistles low and I lift my head. “That’s a lot of cash.”

“He has a gambling problem and he thought getting involved with Frankie Fish was a good idea! How could he be so stupid?” I ask, my voice getting louder, the shame coloring my voice even though it’s not my fault. “He’s always done stupid stuff, ya know? But this time,” I laugh humorlessly. “This time it’s much worse. Frankie’s guys already beat him up once as a warning. They said they’d be back in two weeks and he better have the money or else …” I cover my face with my hands, unable to finish the sentence.

“Or they’ll kill him,” Klutch says that quiet part out loud.

I lower my hands and nod miserably. “That’s why I took the job at The Underground. I thought maybe I could make enough to at least pay off part of it, maybe buy us some time.”

Klutch is quiet for a moment, his brows dipping as he processes the load of shit I just dropped on him. “And you have no idea where your dad is now?”

“No. He hasn’t answered his phone since the day after they beat him up.”

Klutch opens his mouth to respond when a knock sounds at the door. He gently lifts me off his lap, setting me carefully on the edge of his bed. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

---