Page 14 of Marked By the Billionaire
“Shh… don’t. The weekend hasn’t even started yet.” I pull her against my chest and stroke her hair gently in the dark cabin of the truck as we turn into the little ranch she grew up on. It’s small in comparison to the other ranches I’ve seen around here. More run down too. Her father likes collecting trash. Metal mostly. It’s piling up everywhere. Something tells me it’s worse in the daylight.
“Forewarning,” she says, “my dad is a real pain in the ass. I don’t know how we’re going to pull this off. I mean, my sisters are still under his care. He could call the cops or—”
“Let him.” I kiss the top of her head. “It’ll be okay. I’ve got you.”
Her eyes narrow gently as the truck parks itself in front of the small little ranch house with Christmas lights still hanging off the gutters. She opens her mouth to speak but nothing comesout, her eyes catching the front door springing open with two younger girls standing in the doorway. I’d guess they’re both under sixteen but it’s hard to tell from this distance in the dark.
Penny opens the door and greets the kid that’s running toward her with a hug. They obviously have a good relationship. They trust her wholeheartedly. You can see it in the way their shoulders relax the second they see her. Even the girl who still stands in the halo of the porch light has relaxed her stance a little, though her arms are still crossed tight as though she’s operating based on survival.
Penny pulls back from the hug and strokes the girl’s dark hair, murmuring something I can’t hear.
I walk up the steps slowly. I want them to see me calm, solid, like I belong here even though we all know I don’t.
That’s when the screen door bangs open and I see him.
Her father.
The man’s in a stained-up T-shirt and a pair of jeans that’s four sizes too big. He’s missing two teeth and has a vodka bottle in his dirt-stained hands. Despite his outwardly appearance, I see the man underneath. The man who takes his bullshit out on his young daughters. The man who’s been aching for an ass beating for a while now.
He stands in the doorway, body slouched, breath rancid, rage clinging to his jaw. He takes one look at me and puffs up like a damn rooster. “Who the fuck is this?”
“He’s with me,” Penny says, voice shaking. “We’re just taking the girls for some ice cream.”
“Like hell you are,” he slurs. “Neither of these brats finished their chores, and I’ve got a list a mile long.”
“Dad,” Penny groans, “I’ll come back and help you finish Monday, okay?”
“Monday,” the man snarls as the breeze blows empty beer cans off the front porch. “Monday all the damn chickens will be dead. I need the chores done today.”
“Why don’t you do them then?” I step forward, reminding him of my size in the hopes that he’ll back down, but he’s too drunk to be smart.
He squints at me like I’ve just insulted his legacy. “I do plenty, asshole.”
Penny flinches as though the rise of his voice makes her nervous, but I hold her gaze steady in an attempt to keep her grounded.
He steps off the threshold and moves closer. “You think you’re clever, huh? Some big-shot sugar daddy come to rescue the broken little girl and all her baggage? This is a small town. People talk, rich boy. You bought my daughter, didn’t you?”
I don’t blink. I let the words land. Let the venom drip. He wants a reaction, wants to feel powerful in a house built on intimidation and silence, but I’ve built empires out of whispers louder than this man’s entire existence.
“I buy whatever the fuck I want.” My voice is low as I say, “I’ll buy this farm, I’ll buy your kids, and I’ll buy you’re shriveled up balls and feed ‘em to the fuckin’ chickens if I want to.”
He snorts, spit catching on his beard. “I fuckin’ dare you.”
“Get in the truck.” I’m speaking to Penny though I never take my eyes off her father.
Footsteps echo behind me as the girls scurry away, and I’m left with a choice. A choice to take a man out or walk away and let Penny see I’m not a dangerous man. That I’m a man that’ll take care of her with peace. A man that puts her needs before anyone else’s, including my ego.
I lean into the drunkard. “The girls are safe. You clean yourself up.”
He stumbles back, blinking like he’s not seeing straight.
“Now,” I continue, “go inside, lock the door, and pray you don’t see me again.”
He laughs under his breath and mumbles something I don’t understand. Truthfully, I don’t give a shit. My focus is on Penny and whatever she needs, because tonight isn’t the end. I won’t let it be.
No, tonight is the beginning. The very first page, and I’m pretty sure I’m a delusional man for thinking it.
Chapter Seven
