Page 49 of Roll With The Punches
Her eyes widened. “I amnotkidnapping my own daughter!”
“I have signed paperwork from you agreeing that she’s living with me full-time. You have thirty seconds to let her out and move Pat’s car, or I will have a yard full of deputies here.”
“You can take the car, but you’re not taking her.”
From inside the house, Brandon now heard Pat screaming at Emma to hang up her cell phone, echoed through his own phone.
He looked at Stuart. “Call 911. Now.” He spoke into the phone. “Honey? Hang up and start videotaping this.”
“Oh, I’m already videotaping all of this, Dad. I have Grace’s old cell phone. She loaned it to me, just in case. I’ve got everything on video from when he moved his car and started yelling at me.”
“Good girl.”
He was aware of Jeff walking back down to the street while Stuart was on the phone with the 911 dispatcher.
Brandon looked at Tracey, whose face had grown so red he wasn’t sure she might not be close to stroking out.
“You can still bring this to a peaceful conclusion,” he told her, dropping into Dom tone with her. “Goget Pat’s keys and move his car.Now. That car is inmyname, and you havenoright to hold Emma here.”
“You can take your car, but Emma stays. We’re going to t-take you to c-court and get custody back.” She didn’t even look like she believed it.
A suspicion hit him, from the way she looked, to the tone of her voice, and how she kept nervously glancing back, as if looking for Pat. Now he was honestly more worried about her well-being than he was Emma’s at that exact moment.
“She’s sixteen, Tracey. This isnotthe battle you want to fight. Do you haveanyidea how hard I had to pressure her to come visit you this weekend? I practically had to order her. Now I owe my daughter an apology, because I told her that one day she’d thank me for making her try to rebuild a relationship with you.”
Tracey started crying, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Please, Brandon, just go! He’s already mad! I’ll try to sneak her out of here when he’s in the bathroom or something.”
He stepped forward and held the phone against his chest so Emma couldn’t hear this part. “Did Pat hit you?” he whispered, protective fury washing through him. He might not agree with how she’d lived her life, but she was still his daughter’s mother.
More tears, but she shook her head. “Just…please!” she whispered. “I’m trying to calm him down, but he won’t listen!”
“If you’re in danger, you can come with us.” In the distance, he heard sirens approaching.
Maybe he hadn’t read the situation with her and Pat throughout the years as accurately as he thought he had.
“I can’t leave. It’s my home.”
“Youcanleave. We can keep you safe—”
Pat stormed into the living room, ripping the door out of Tracey’s hand and pushing her out of the way to step on to the porch.
“Get out of here. Emma’s staying, and that’s that. We’re done screwing around with you and your bullshit.”
Behind him, Tracey’s tears still flowed, a silent plea on her face.
Glancing around, Brandon realized he didn’t see Jeff, but now a marked sheriff’s cruiser was approaching.
“Move your car, Pat. That car is in my name. If you don’t, I’m going to have you arrested for grand theft auto.”
When Pat shoved his keys at Tracey, Brandon wanted to grab them and make Pat eat them, but the uniformed deputy pulling up along the curb would make that an ill-chosen option. Brandon stepped down and off the porch while Tracey got Pat’s car moved, and Brandon handed his keys to Stuart to move Emma’s car out of their driveway and to the street.
Another sheriff’s cruiser rolled up, followed by a third. As the deputies were trying to get the story, Pat screaming and ranting and jabbing his fingers at Brandon, Brandon struggled to keep his calm while talking to the deputy.
That’s when he realized the call with Emma had ended.
Shit.
“So that’syourcar, sir?” the deputy asked, pointing to where it was now parked at the curb.
