Page 124 of Wasted
“Okay.” Sydney took in a deep breath as she intertwined her fingers and held her hands under her chin. “His name is Lawrence Massey.”
The girl had Cillian’s attention now. “That’s the name of the baby’s father?”
She nodded.
“Is he married?” Cillian might as well ask while Sydney was in a sharing mood.
“Yeah. That’s why he didn’t want me to tell. He’s going to get a divorce.”
Poor, gullible kid. Taken advantage of by an adult who was supposed to be a man but was instead a child rapist. One who needed to get his comeuppance for that.
Cillian swung his gaze to Victoria.
Her face had turned whiter than Sydney’s and her eyes even larger. Did she know the father of Sydney’s baby?
Victoria’s heart rate beat an unhealthy rhythm in her chest as she tried to find the air that had whooshed from her lungs at Sydney’s declaration.
But she couldn’t say anything negative or alarming in front of the teen. She swallowed. “Thank you for telling us. I know that took courage.”
Sydney nodded, her expression and the way she tangled her hands together indicating she was still uncertain and apprehensive. “What are you going to do?” Her gaze darted from Victoria to Cillian.
He watched Victoria with his eyebrows lowered. He would certainly have perceived her alarm, given how in tune he seemed to be with her emotions recently.
Victoria answered for them. “I don’t know yet.”
“Could you just try to have him call me or text? I want him to know when I have our baby.” Sydney rested her hand on her round stomach and the new life housed there.
The poor girl. She still loved the man who had manipulated her into this life-changing situation through lies and deception. She still believed he would come for her.
Victoria’s heart squeezed. “We can try.”
“Okay.” The girl nodded and reached for her hair, twisting a clump between her fingers. She was clearly still anxious.
“Why don’t you go visit Max for a while? He’s in my bedroom, and I think he’d like some company since I was gone so long today.”
“Oh, sure.” Sydney smiled and spun away to hurry up the hallway where she disappeared into Victoria’s room.
“You know the guy?” At least Cillian had waited until Sydney was out of sight. But she could still be within earshot.
Victoria walked toward him, and he took the hint, angling sideways so she could pass him into the living room.
He followed her to the center of the space and folded his arms across his chest.
How much should she say? Cillian was so set against her father, and Dad certainly wouldn’t want her dragging him into this. “I don’t know him personally. But he’s a friend of someone I know.”
“I see.” Cillian’s eyes held enough skepticism that it was obvious he knew she wasn’t revealing everything she could. “Well, we’d better get going.”
“Going? Where?”
“To confront this loser.”
“What? We can’t do that.”
He lowered his arms and stepped closer to her, stopping with a few feet between them. “We have to, Vicks. You do realize this guy is guilty of statutory rape.”
“Yes, I know that. But that means we should report him to the police, not confront him at his home.”
“You mean your buddies, the cops?” Cillian smirked. “Come on, Vicks. Even a good police force would say there isn’t enough evidence to charge the guy.”
