Page 126 of Resurfaced Passion

“Lost memory and a car accident. Boy, did he play a fuckin’ number on you, girl. Just as always, willin’ to swallow any old fuckin’ affection like an idiot.” His words were even toned, the meaning felt like a bullet crashing into her midsection. A man didn’t always have to raise his hand to have his abuse felt to the fullest. That was her dad. Never a kind word when a slew of vicious ones did just fine.

“How’s mom?” She asked. Not really caring for the answer other than the woman had given birth to her, this ending their connection.

“Drunk as ever. Got liver disease and still a bag of fuckin’ hot air. Thought you’d turn out different from her, girl.”

Paige felt the pinch of old criticism rising up. Her shoulders went up around her ears. “I am different.” She told him. “I have a good life here, a job, friends, people who care about me.”

“And moving too…”

“How do you even know I was here? How did you get into my apartment?”

“I have my ways, girl.” He came across from the window and stood in front of her. She wouldn’t shrink under his commanding intimidation. She was no longer a frightened teenager without options.

“Did you come alone?”

“Is your brother with me, you mean?” Her father had varying tones to his voice. Each one could scare the pants off her, why else would she have done the things she had for him if not through absolute fear? The way he grated those words had her spine tightening and she glanced to the doorway expecting another surprise to clamber through. She had zero desire to see him either.

“Didn’thetell you how he killed your brother?”

Some shocks weren’t so much a surprise as they were an inevitability. Though Paige gasped she wasn’t all that surprised. Not knowing who the type of people her father and brother associated with. They were not good people.

“What? When?”

Her dad sent her a withering stare. “Don’t show too much concern now when you haven’t been home in fuckin’ years to give a rats ass about any of us. Your mother was worried sick.”

Sure, Paige would believe that. When the moon turned rainbow and started pissing out skittles.

“When dad?”

“Before you ran away.” He informed. Paige frowned. No that couldn’t be. She had all her memories previous to her accident.

She’d learned early on, especially with her family, if something smelled fishy then it probably was. Her father had been in deep with the local gangs back then. Not quite mafia, but it wasn’t far off. He’d tried so hard to become one of them, when in reality he was a two-bit criminal being used by bigger men to do their dirty work with no reward at the end of it.

Looking at him now she saw no change whatsoever. If he was here looking for a handout then he was out of luck and she would eat her own tongue before asking Reaper for money to give to her dad.

“Look, I’m sorry, but I need to get home. As you can see, I don’t live here any longer.”

“Oh, I know where you live, girl. Do you think I couldn’t find out so fuckin’ easily.”

Unease slithered through her veins.

No. No.No. She couldn’t—wouldn’t have her family back in her life. Not now things were going right for her.

She turned on her heel, he could let himself out the way he broke in. She was done with this conversation. “I’ll see you, dad.”

She got two steps to the door and a hand shackled her wrist painfully, dragging her around.

Oh yeah, now he looked mad. “Do you think you can walk away from me? You’ll remember your respect!”

“Get your hand off me.”

Amazingly he dropped it and Paige stumbled back, rubbing her wrist. “Gee, dad, it’s really nice to see you after you treated me like I was dead.” She snarked. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get home to my boyfriend.”

“Oh, this is going to be so fuckin’ good. Time for some home fuckin’ truths, little girl, that’ll wipe that superior look off your face. You always did think you were too good for us.”

Because I was. I am.

“Let me tell you all about your fuckin’ accident,” he spat, mottled red coloring his cheeks. “And listen good, Paige, how he killed my fuckin’ boy in cold blood.”

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