Chapter 13 #2
She had expected nothing less, but it still hurt. She had loved him, and for years, she had hoped he would finally be a father to her.
But seeing him now, finally reaching out to her because he wanted money, made her sick to her stomach. The shaking started deep inside her stomach and traveled up to her heart.
Finding the strength and courage, she stepped behind the oval counter and dug out her phone. "If you're not out of here by the count of ten, I'm calling the cops."
"What? You bitch."
"Douglas-"
He shook off Mimi's hand and started to come around the counter.
"One more step and I'll use this pepper spray." She brought it out of her purse and aimed it.
He stopped immediately, a murderous look in his eyes.
"You would do that to your own daddy?"
"You're not my daddy. You're just the man who planted the seed. You're a worthless piece of trash and I want you out of here. I hope whoever you owe that money to takes a piece of flesh as payment."
"You're just like your mother, a complete bitch-" He screamed as she used the spray.
"You blinded me. You bitch-"
"Get him out of here," she told the frightened Mimi.
"And if you have any sense at all, you'll file for a divorce. He's a useless piece of garbage."
He started forward again, and Regina aimed the spray. With a squeak, Mimi managed to drag him out and through the door.
With trembling limbs, Regina ran to secure the lock. Only then, with the adrenaline draining from her body, did she allow herself to slide weakly to the floor.
It took her a minute to realize that she still had the pepper spray and phone clutched in her hands and she was shaking badly.
********************
Craig looked at the readout on his phone screen and touched the screen to respond.
"Hey, I was just about to-"
"Can you come?" Her voice was shaky and tear-filled.
"Please. I need you. I'm-" He heard her draw a shaky breath.
"Please."
Fear spiked his heart and had him running towards his vehicle. He had been in the middle of a discussion with the contractor, and without a word, he simply raced to his car.
"Baby, what's wrong?" He punched the start button and did a three-point turn with dangerous precision.
"Regina, talk to me. What is it?"
"Just come." She hung up.
Swearing profusely, he pressed the gas and wondered if he should call the cops.
The half-hour journey took him fifteen minutes.
Hardly waiting for the vehicle to stop, he jumped out and slammed the door behind him.
Running the rest of the way, he tried the door, and when he found it locked, he pounded on the wood.
She opened it, her eyes drenched, her face a stark mask of shock and pain.
His heart took a dive as he shoved in and clamped his hands on her shoulders, his eyes fierce.
"What is it? Are you hurt? What happened?"
"He-he was here." She was trembling.
She had tried to get it under control, but it wasn't happening.
"Who was here? Regina, talk to me."
"I-I tried to call Dylan, but he's out on assignment. I couldn't get him."
Her lips were trembling.
"You called your brother, before-" It took him several attempts to tamp down the sudden spike of pain and anger roiling inside him. She had called him second, only after she hadn't gotten her brother.
It hurt like hell. But this wasn't about him.
He could not make it about him.
"Who was here?"
Turning away from him, she walked over to the counter and simply sat on the floor, her back braced against it. "My father," she whispered shakily.
"He- he was here. He came with his new wife. Mimi-" She started laughing and clamped a hand over her mouth to stop the hysteria.
"Such a silly name. Mimi. She's younger than me and has red hair. Brazen red hair."
Sitting down beside her, he turned her to face him.
"Your father came here. What did he want?"
"He wanted money." She was still shaking.
Dammit, when was it going to stop?
"He wanted fifty grand. Said he was gambling and he lost. He wanted money because he saw that we're married. But we're not!"
She sobbed it out, her fingers clutching at his shirt.
"So, the joke is on him. He wanted money."
The tears started streaking down her face.
"I pepper sprayed him. He called me a bitch and looked like he wanted to hit me."
Craig pulled her onto his lap as the tears turned into sobs and rocked her back and forth like a child. His face was grim, his mouth tight.
He was going to find that worthless son of a bitch and set him straight.
No one hurt her, absolutely no one, or they would answer to him.
Her sobs tore him to shreds. She was usually so strong, so independent, so bloody fierce, and now she was reduced to tears.
That son of a bitch was going to pay for doing this to her.
He waited her out. He sat there listening to her heart break while his shattered as well, and rubbed her back, waiting until she was through.
Regina curled her fingers into his sweater and tried not to feel embarrassed and empty. She felt empty and sad, so damn sad, that the man who had helped create her was such a douche bag.
"Take me home," she said quietly. "I want to go home."
Without a word, he rose with her still wrapped in his arms, turned out the lights, picked up her oversized purse, and headed out, locking the door behind him.
Regina felt something twisting inside her at the gentle way he handled her. Brushing her hands aside, he put her in the passenger seat of the car he had forgotten to lock in his haste to get to her, and secured the belt.
"My car."
"I will send someone for it." Brushing a kiss on her forehead, he stepped back and slammed the door shut.
On the ride home, he was silent and so was she. He allowed the silence because he was chewing on some things himself.
The main one was finding Douglas Graham and scaring him stiff. The second was damn well dragging her to Vegas or the nearest chapel and getting married, making them official.
He was tired of waiting, tired of taking a backseat in her life. He wanted all of her.
And she was going to damn well get used to it.
He drove around the back, thinking that she would not want to encounter the staff or his grandfather, considering everything.
"No." She shook her head when he would have lifted her out. "I can walk."
"Yeah." Hauling out her big-ass purse (what the hell does she carry in here?), he slung it over his shoulder and led the way up the stairs that led to their suite.
The weather had changed in the last week, bringing in the rain and the chill.
Someone had lit a fire in the bedroom in anticipation of their arrival, and he was sure he could give the credit to Millicent. She had also brought up a tray with split pea soup and soda bread for them.
He had called and told her they had a situation and was going to be late.
"I'll make you some tea," he said abruptly when she went to sit on the edge of the bed.
"I feel lightheaded."
"Not surprising, considering you cried a hell of a lot. Tea?"
"Thanks." She studied his set face.
"You're upset with me."
"You called your brother."
"I did. So?"
"And when you didn't get him, you called me."
"What the hell is your problem?"
"My problem-" He stalked over to stand in front of her.
"I should have been your first call. I'm your-" He turned away without finishing the sentence, and Regina stared after him, realizing what was going on.
Toeing off her shoes, she climbed into bed without taking off her clothes. She couldn't deal with his issues right now.
She had enough to deal with.
He brought her back a tray. "You need to eat."
"Look-"
"No." He shook his head.
"Not now. I need to take a shower."
He pointed to the tray. "Eat."
Before she could snarl at him for being so high-handed, he strode off and into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.
Picking up the tea, she blew on it. Her head was light and felt as if it was filled with cotton wool.
She still could not get Dylan. She wanted to warn him that the sperm donor was looking for a bailout.
The man had a damn nerve, she thought viciously. And she should let it go.
She shouldn't give him the power to spoil things for her. He wasn't important, had stopped being important a long time ago.
Shaking her head, she finished her tea, dug the spoon into the soup, and realized that she was starving. It also reminded her that he hadn't eaten since breakfast.
She was almost finished when he came back from the bathroom, wearing a towel slung low around his waist.
Using another towel to rub the water from his hair, he studied her face. "Better?"
"Yes."
"Good."
"Are you going to be like this all night?"
Tossing the towel in the vicinity of the sofa, he went to the armoire. "Like what?"
Pulling out a drawer, he selected a pair of old sweatpants.
"Like a jerk."
"Let's see." He pretended to consider.
"I think so, yes." Pulling on a T-shirt, he came to sit on the edge of the bed.
"I'm going to find him and have a long overdue talk."