Page 21 of Banshee
“Good morning to you too. How the fuck did you not know your daughter was missing?”
I heard him growl, then the rustling of blankets as he got out of bed.
“Do you know where the fuck she is?”
“How would I know that? You didn’t even fucking call once you knew,” I snarled at him. “How long has she been missing?”
“We don’t know.”
“How the fuck do you not know?” I asked. “You sold her off and what? Fucking forgot about her?”
“Listen, you son of a bitch—”
“No, you fucking listen. When I find her, you’re not getting her back. She’s mine now.”
“She should have been yours. This is all your fucking fault!” he shouted.
I squeezed the phone in my hand. The fucking nerve of this man. “You can’t blame me for this, you bastard. You’re the one who wanted to sell her off. Her life wasn’t a fucking bargaining chip for you to bet with.”
I disconnected the call and threw the phone across the parking lot, watching as it smashed into pieces. Walking over, I picked up the SIM card, snapping it in half. I tossed it into the river and went home.
Chapter Seven
Aspen
“Good morning, Aspen.” Haizley held the door open and waved to Archie and Johnny, who were outside by the road.
Johnny was my escort. Haizley felt I was ready to have sessions at her home rather than the clubhouse. But King wanted me to feel safe, so Johnny was my shadow.
I had to admit; it helped. Knowing someone was there looking out for me at a moment’s notice went a long way toward giving me the courage to leave the shelter of the clubhouse.
“Morning.”
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Not really.” I looked out the window. Could I tell Haizley everything? Could I unburden myself, adding it to the weight of hers? I wanted to talk to someone. About Banshee, about Pepper, my father. All of it.
“Would you like to talk about what’s bothering you?”
I faced the woman who had been there for me from the moment I woke up in the hospital, alone.
“Everything I tell you is confidential, right?” I asked. I knew it was, but I guess I just needed to hear her say it out loud.
“That’s right. Everything you share—past, present and future— is strictly between us. Unless you have hurt a child in the past. I am mandated to report that.”
I shook her head. “I would never hurt a child.”
“I didn’t think you would. I am also mandated to report a crime you confess to planning in the future. What that means is,if you tell me you plan to rob a bank, or murder someone, I have to tell the sheriff.”
“Oh, it’s nothing like that.” I chewed my fingernails. “So, you won’t tell the club?”
“Has someone hurt you, Aspen?”
I nodded but didn’t elaborate. I’d been hurt so many times that I didn’t even know how to put it into words.
“Did Banshee do something?”
My eyes widened. “Oh no!” I quickly shook my head. “He would never.”
