Page 14 of Dare You to Run
With a roll of her eyes she tells me, “Malik gave it to me once when he needed me to stea–I mean borrow something. The code just stuck.”
I make a note to call Malik later and possibly bust his head. “Well, don’t take anything this time, okay.”
“Yeah, yeah. Sure. Let’s go, Dagen. Time to put a dent in daddy’s credit card.” Kinsley grabs her hand and begins tugging her towards the parking lot.
“Um, thank you,” Dagen says, skidding to a stop in front of me. “This is very kind of you and I appreciate it. I gave Miss Shirley my parent’s phone numbers so you can give them updates. My dad, Vaughan, is the one you’ll most likely want to talk to.”
I dip my chin and watch as she follows Kins out the door. I can’t help it when my eyes trail up and down her body, tracing the way her ass moves in those barely there shorts. She wears a cropped sweatshirt that shows a small hint of her flat stomach, and the thoughts that run through my mind would definitely be rated R.
“Eh um.” A clearing of a throat breaks the movie reel playing in my head with Dagen as the star. “You keep eyein’ that girl like that and it’ll earn you a right smack in that big head.”
My face pales remembering those smacks she administered to the guys and me. I’m pretty sure I have a dead spot on my head as a result.
“Yes ma’am. Sorry.” I walk over to where she sits at the desk and lean on the top. “You have all of her information?”
“Of course. This is ain’t my first rodeo, boy.” She scribbles some information down on a paper and hands it over. “Here’s her cell phone number. You’re going to need it to contact her.”
I shake my head. “I’ll just speak with her dad. Seems like he’s the one who will know what’s going on and footing the bill.”
“I know that. But you may want hers, because it’ll be mighty hard to ask her father for a date. Unless you’re trying to be a decent human being. I’ve never known you to be a traditional type boy.”
“What in the world are you talking about? I have no desire to ask that girl out. And I amnota boy. I stopped being a boy around the age of fifteen when I–”
“Aah you hush,” she scolds and holds her hands over her ears. “I do not want to know that about my boy. You just keep that to yourself. Tell Malik and Danté the same thing. In my eyes, you boys are still just that; boys. Now are you going to take this number or do I have to program it in your phone myself?”
My eyes narrow, giving her an irritated look, but by now she’s immune to it. I snatch the paper from between her fingers and it gets me a satisfied grin. This woman, I tell ya.
“I’ve ordered the parts and those should be here by Wednesday so at the latest, the car will go into the shop on Thursday.” I give Dagen’s dad, Vaughan, the breakdown of what the repairs are going to look like and how quickly we can get it all done.
I’ve decided to move this up on our priority list so that I can have that girl out of my home as quickly as possible. The sooner she is gone the better for my sanity.
“Okay, that sounds great. Thank you Hendrix. Feel free to text me with any updates. I know you can speak with Dagen regarding all of this, but she has a lot on her mind right now in addition to remote classes, so I’d like to take this one thing off her plate.”
He sounds like a very caring father. The kind I would’ve liked to have growing up. Vaughan has been quite understanding of it all and asked me if it seemed that his daughter was okay. He acted like the car could be totaled and he wouldn’t give a damn as long as Dagen is safe. I assured him she looked and seemed fine, but I have no prior knowledge of her so it’s really a blind observation.
“One other thing I want to mention. I’m not sure if Dagen spoke to you about this or not, but I have offered her the useof my private loft while she is waiting for repairs. She said that she was hoping to find somewhere closeby, and I have a separate and safe place she is welcome to use,” I stand from where I sit looking at my computer screen, and begin to pace the small office. “I have a friend, Kinsley Sawyer, who actually helped Dagen after her accident and has taken her to get some items she will need. Kinsley has offered to stay there with her, and I will stay at a friend’s house myself to make it more comfortable for the two of you.”
The line is eerily quiet and now I’m wondering if I have an angry father on his way to put a bullet between my eyes.
“How old are you, Hendrix?” He finally asks.
“I, uh, I’m twenty-nine sir.”
“Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a crime? Please keep in mind that I am friends with some very important people who could get me every answer I need in a blink of an eye. But I’m hoping you are a trustworthy man and will give it to me straight.”
I feel a cold sweat spread across my lip. I don’t know if what he says is true, but I would rather not find out and end up with problems that I really don’t have time or headspace for.
With the clearing of my throat I tell him, “Yes, sir, I have been arrested. However, it was when I was seventeen years old. I was arrested for drag racing which is a misdemeanor in the state of Mississippi. Because I was a minor and a ward of the state, I served community service and my record was expunged.”
“Hmm,” is the only response I get.
I scrub my hand over my face, irritated that I am having to explain myself to a man I don’t know because I have offered a place for his daughter, a girl I don’t really know or plan to, to stay while I repair her vehicle that she crashed. The day started so great. No emergency calls from the shop, no annoying texts from Malik, and no complaints from Danté about the bar. MissShirley brought in my favorite cookies and I was looking forward to an easy night at home, watching whatever the hell I want.
Then Kinsley had to go and call me out for a young girl who needed help. Dagen is no young girl and the moment I saw that, I knew my day was shot to hell.
“Should I be worried about your ability to keep your hands to yourself? The same friends that I have also have friends who would be fine teaching you a lesson if you are not able to refrain yourself.”
Okay, now I’m just getting pissed off. This guy thinks his daughter is a fucking block of rare gold and I’m going to steal her away the moment he turns his head.
