Page 10 of Dagger's Property
God, my head hurts from thinking too much today. But I can’t numb it with a drink because Vale has made it clear to everyone not to serve me. Maybe sleep will help. I’m too exhausted to concentrate anyway. I place my computer on the table and go crawl into his bed. It feels like my entire being is exhausted. But after three nights of bingeing and being brought to this place, it makes sense. I could sleep for days.
“You’re goingto sit there and be quiet. Not another peep. All that yapping about school gave me a headache.”
The dishes slam into the sink, and I grip my ears, trying not to sob. The noise will only make him madder. All I did was share how I won the special award for my science project, but it made him angry instead of happy.
“There you go crying again.” He whips around, holding those evil eyes on me. He doesn’t even look like my dad anymore. “I’m the one that should be crying. Today, I should be celebrating my wedding anniversary, but instead my wife is off fucking another man.”
I shudder as he shuts the water off and stalks back over to the table. He gets right in my face, and I can smell the booze onhis breath. “Your mother is a fucking whore. Do you know that? She broke our marital vows and lied to me.”
He slams his fist on the table, and I scream in fear, which only makes him angrier. His hand comes out and I flinch away. The hit doesn’t come, but a stinging pain comes from my scalp as I’m suddenly yanked by the hair and dragged down to my room. He shoves me inside, and I rush to my bed to grab my bear, wanting to get away from him.
“If I hear one more goddamn sound out of you tonight, I will spank your ass. Now, go to bed.”
My door slams shut, and I rush into my closet, closing myself inside, trying to muffle my cries into my stuffed animal. I don’t want him to hurt me. I can still hear him banging thingsaround. Crash after crash. And then it stops. The house goes silent, but not for long. His heavy footsteps start pacing the hall outside my bedroom, and the yelling begins all over again:She’s a whore. You’re going to be just like her. All women are witches.
8
Dagger
“What the fuck, man? Did you hear that? It sounds like someone’s crying?”
The entire room goes silent, listening for the sound, and then I hear it. I’m out of my seat, sending a warning around the room.
“Not a fucking word to her or anyone about this, understood? Not one fucking word.”
They all nod, and I take off down the hall to my room. I rush in and scoop her into my arms, just like I used to when she was a kid. Her sobs are wracking her body, but her eyes are still closed. She’s still asleep. Reliving the nightmare that she went through with her dad.
“Hey, Wyn. You’re okay. It was just a dream. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
The sobs stop abruptly like she’s just come out of it. Fuck. I thought her nightmares had stopped, but they’re back. Thismust be thanks to that father of hers showing back up in her life. Goddamn, I’m going to kill him. I’m going to make him suffer from limb to limb.
“Vale?”
“Yeah, I got you, baby. You’re in my room. He’s not here, okay? You’re safe.”
I rock her just like I used to, rubbing over her back and trying to soothe her.
“I’m sorry I woke you.”
“Hey, Wyn. No. You don’t have anything to be sorry about.” I omit the fact that I wasn’t asleep, so she doesn’t come to the realization that everyone heard her. We really need to do something about the damn walls in this place. “How long have you been having the dreams again?”
There’s a long stretch of silence, nothing but her shuddering breaths, before she finally answers me.
“Since the day you left.”
It’s like a kick in the gut. Fuck. No wonder she hates me. I moved out and abandoned her, and there she was suffering all alone. Her mother never woke up when Wyn was having a nightmare. Either that, or she didn’t want to acknowledge her daughter’s pain. I think the guilt of leaving her behind is locked too deep, and she does everything she can to avoid having to face it. Now that Wyn’s older, there’s too much anger and resentment standing in the way of their relationship.
“I’m sorry, Wyn. I wish you’d told me.”
“And what would you have done? Move back in?”
No, but I would’ve gotten her some help. And I think it’s about time that I did.
“I think you should talk to someone, Wynter. I think a therapist would be able to help you stop the dreams.”
She starts to shift, trying to climb off my lap, but I don’t want her to go. I know she’s not a fan of speaking with a shrink, but she can’t keep everything bottled up inside. It’s destroying her.
“I’m fine, Vale. I don’t need a shrink.”
