Page 2 of Daddy Defender
But when Vince got wind of the fact that I might be about to cut and run, he used my van to make a delivery for one of his illegal smuggling deals. I was so angry. There’s no way I would ever have given him permission to do that, and I could see from the look in his eyes that he did it on purpose to implicate me.
I was still going to leave him though. My mind was made up. I could see that while Vince might be handsome and know how to do all the fun naughty stuff really well, the reality of it is that I don’t think he’s a good person on the inside.
I’ve been travelling for a couple of days and Vince’s messages have been getting angrier and angrier by the hour. I don’t know what he thinks he’s going to achieve. But if he thinks that he can scare me back to him, he’s got another thing coming.
Now that I know I’m not being followed, I’m going to block his number and I’ll be done with him forever. Yup, just like that. And before long, he’ll be nothing but a distant memory, fading away into the sunset like the ocean.
And just as the Tesla lady passes me, I pull over at the beachside parking spot.
“We made it, Shred!” I laugh, patting the steering wheel. “We always had faith in you, didn’t we Poot?”
I look across to the passenger seat and see Poot, sitting proud and showing off his big walrus tusks like he always does. We’re quite the team, the three of us.
Who needs a bully like Vince? Not us!
Now, it’s getting late… but I think I’ve still got time for a surf. I can restock on gas later, see if a nearby station has a can I can use and bring to Shred. And after that, I’m pretty sure that there’ll be a bar of some kind around here where I can plug my phone in, recharge, and grab a nice cold beer too while I’m at it.
We might only have just about made it to Sunny Ferns, but suddenly things are looking brighter than they have for quite a few weeks…
I arrive at the dive bar after a quick gas stop—luckily I just made it to the run down old gas station in time. It was seriously a close call, that’s for sure.
Anyway, now it’s time to at leasttryto relax…
The dive bar smells like stale beer and salty air, the kind of place where the jukebox hums old rock tunes and the floor sticks to your sneakers.
I don’t hate it. Far from it. I actually kind of like these types of places, and I definitely prefer them to a super-smart formal vibe. Once a surfer boy, always a surfer boy, right?
I decided against a surf in the end, figuring that I wouldn’t be able to relax until I’d gotten a decent night’s sleep and kickedVince out of my life for good. Plus, the waves didn’t seem that great either, which would have only made me more frustrated.
I slip inside the bar, my mind still wandering back to what happened between me and Vince. I know he’s a bad guy, and I’ve seen glimpses of what he’s capable of too. It’s going to take a while for me to be able to actually relax and feel safe, that’s for sure.
Logically I know Vince won’t be here, and no one followed me either. But mentally I’m still in flight mode…
Blend in, Bodie. Just blend in.
I tug my faded denim jacket tighter around me, hoping my messy bun and oversized sunglasses scream “nobody special” rather than “boy on the run.”
The bar’s half-empty—a couple of grizzled locals nursing whiskeys, a bartender wiping glasses with a rag that’s seen better days.
I’m safe enough, for now.
I slide into a corner booth, the cracked red vinyl creaking under me. The waitress, a woman with a peroxide-blonde ponytail and a bored expression, drops a frosty beer in front of me without a word.
“Thanks,” I say, nodding my head.
The waitress doesn’t say anything back. I guess that’s the vibe here. Well, I can live with it.
I wrap my fingers around the cold bottle, the condensation grounding me. One sip, then another. The bitter tang steadies my nerves, but I can’t shake the feeling of eyes on me…
I glance up, scanning the room. Nobody’s staring.
Just paranoia, right? Still, my skin prickles.
My mind flashes back to Vince once more, his voice sharp as a blade in my memory…
“No one escapes me, Bodie. Not ever. You think you can just walk away?”
He’d said it a week ago, his green eyes glinting with that mix of charm and menace that used to make my stomach flip in all the wrong ways.
