Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
brONWYN
The money Gio left feels like it’s burning a hole in my pocket as I walk home from work the next day.
Don’t ask me why I’m walking around with five grand in cash in my pocket, but I am.
Something told me this morning before I left I needed to take it with me.
I thought about depositing it in my bank account, but I chickened out because what if they ask where I got that much cash?
I’ve never deposited such a large amount at one time in my entire life.
I don’t even make that in a month. Feeling the weight of it in my hand feels almost unreal.
So, I took it with me and kept it with me throughout my entire shift and now on my walk home. In a way, I feel dirty that I accepted the offer. It’s basically hush money, but what other choice did I have? He probably would have killed me if I had told him no.
A small light turns on above me, catching my attention as I start to climb the stairs to my apartment. Looking up, I spot two security cameras above the back door to the pizzeria, one pointed at the stairs and one pointed in the opposite direction.
An unfamiliar sensation flutters in the pit of my stomach.
He actually listened to me.
I smile softly to myself as I climb the rest of the stairs and head into my apartment. I tuck the money into the small safe I have stored under my bed for safekeeping until I can figure out a better game plan.
I think I feel so off balance because Gio appeared out of nowhere and rocked my world.
I don’t even have to think about dinner because my fridge is full, and I’ve been salivating at the thought of an Italian cold cut sandwich all day.
I’m a routine person, and the smallest thing, including my not figuring out what I’m going to do for dinner, throws everything off.
After quickly changing into a pair of sweats and a tank top, I head into the kitchen to make my sandwich. As I’m spreading a light layer of mayo on the bread, a knock sounds on my door.
My heart drops into my stomach.
What could be the problem now? I swear to god I saw nothing new, or opened my mouth about what I’d seen.
Setting my butter knife down against the plate, I briefly squeeze my eyes shut, trying to gather myself together to be around Gio in such a small space as I walk to the front door.
The man is intoxicating in every way you can imagine.
As much as he scares the shit out of me, it’s a constant battle between wanting to kill him and jump his bones to see what happens.
Something in his eyes tells me he wouldn’t turn me down.
The knock sounds again, this time more impatiently.
“I’m coming!” I yell as I unlock all the locks and pull it open. My mouth opens, ready to give Gio a piece of my mind for not only bothering me again but being so impatient, but I stop dead in my tracks. “Dad?”
“My baby girl!” my dad cries as he steps forward and cups the sides of my face.
I take a step back, removing myself from his grasp. He follows me inside my apartment, leaving me staring at an empty doorway.
What the fuck?
An uneasy feeling settles in the pit of my stomach as I watch him make himself comfortable.
I used to think my dad hung the moon. I looked up to him like every little girl would.
Until I grew up too fast and realized that no matter how much you love someone, they can still be a heaping pile of shit. And that’s exactly what my dad is.
I believe that in his own fucked-up way he does love and care about me.
He just has the worst way of showing it.
Sometimes it’s hard to remind myself that he does, when the only time he goes out of his way to see me now is when he needs money.
There’s still a huge part of me that hopes this time will be different, and that’s what keeps me hanging on.
“How’d you find me?” I ask as I shut the door and go back to making my sandwich.
Dad follows behind me. “Well, shit, that looks good. You going to feed your dad dinner?”
Internally, I sigh.
Of course, he hasn’t eaten.
I pull another plate out of the cabinet and start making another one. “How did you find me?” I ask again.
I haven’t been in this place long, and I didn’t tell him I was moving.
“Your old roommate. I went to the last place I remembered you being, and she said you moved out months ago. You could have told your old man.” His lips turn down in a frown that I know from personal experience isn’t genuine.
“Good thing you left her your address in case you get any stray mail there.” He continues as he looks around, impressed.
“I got to say, you’ve got a cushy place here, baby girl.
Much better than that couch you were staying on. ”
Well, that pisses me off. Morgan and I weren’t close, but I felt like we left on good terms. She’s never met my dad before, and the fact that she’s just giving out my new address to whoever doesn’t sit right with me.
He could have been anyone, and she didn’t give a fuck.
I swear to god, no one cares about anyone but themselves anymore.
“You could have called me and asked,” I tell him, unable to keep the hurt out of my voice.
I’m trying not to let him get to me, but the older I get and the longer I go without seeing him, anytime I do, it’s really hard not to get triggered. I know I shouldn’t let it get to me, but it does.
“Why call when I can show up and surprise my girl?” Dad beams at me as he takes his plate off the counter and moves to my living area.
I roll my eyes.
He’s laying it on thick this time.
“What brought on this surprise visit?” I ask, cutting to the chase. It’s been a very long week, and I’m even less in the mood than I normally would be to entertain this, especially after working a twelve-hour day.
My dad sobers his expression as he finishes his bite.
“It took a lot for me to come here and ask this. I want you to know I wouldn’t if I had another option.
” Oh boy. I’ve heard this one before. “I was wondering if you could loan your old man some money. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.
I have a lead on a job, and I think this time it’s going to work out. ”
I swallow the ball of emotion in my throat. Of course, he’s only here because he needs something. Why did I expect this time to be any different when he doesn’t even call me to see how I’m doing? “How much do you need?”
Dad waits a beat before saying, “Six thousand.”
My mouth drops open as my eyes bug out of my head. “Dollars?” I choke out.
“I got into a little bind.” Dad winces. “Trust me, I wish I weren’t in it either, but there isn’t a whole lot I can do about it now.”
“Six thousand dollars is a little bind?” I ask, my voice still sounding choked.
“It could be worse.”
Well, yeah, things can always be worse, but I want to know why he thinks I would have that much money lying around ready to just hand over? I get I’m not renting a couch from someone anymore, but a studio apartment isn’t exactly screaming I’m rolling in it.
“I’m sorry, Dad, but I don’t have that kind of money,” I tell him. Guilt gnaws at the back of my mind as the money Gio gave me is there, front and center.
Dad’s face falls. The happy front is no longer there; a scared and a little frantic one takes its place. “Come on, Bronwyn,” he pleads. “I’m all out of options. If I don’t pay them something to show I’m still good for it by the end of next week, there’s no telling what they’re going to do.”
“Who is them?” I ask. “Do you owe someone money?”
“Something like that. I made a mistake and borrowed more than I could handle.”
“What did you need to borrow that kind of money for?” I press.
Dad fidgets uncomfortably as he looks around the room, avoiding eye contact with me.
“Dad.”
“I would hate for you to think less of your old man, baby girl.” Dad sighs, sounding resigned. “But I borrowed it to pay back someone else to settle the gambling debt I had.”
My hand covers my eyes as I rub my now throbbing temples at his admission. It’s always something with him, but it’s never been this. “Can you ask for an extension?”
I know Nate will let me pick up all of his closing shifts, so that’s a decent amount of overtime.
It’ll take me a while to get the rest of the money while making sure I don’t fall behind on my own bills, but using the money Gio gave me would help.
I just don’t know who he’s involved with and if they can wait another two weeks for me to get paid my hush money again.
“I’m on my last extension.”
My heart sinks. “This person you borrowed from…are they bad people?”
Dad’s slow nod is all I need to know.
After seeing what I witnessed the other night, there’s no doubt in my mind that his being murdered is a possibility.
Fuck.
Sometimes I wish I could be as shitty as he’s been to me throughout my entire life, but I don’t have it in me. With my luck, karma would come back to bite me in the ass a million times harder than it ever has him. That’s how it always happens with the good guys.
“When do you need the money by?” I ask reluctantly.
Dad perks up. “By Friday, but there’s no rush. If I tell him I got it, he’ll be cool with it.”
There’s no rush, but that’s a lie, right? Because he would not be fake checking on me right now and acting like he cares if there was no rush.
I guess I could use the thousand I had set aside from my last paycheck for rent. But do I want to push my luck with my landlord, with rent being due? He obviously knows Gio since it’s the same building, but how far that relationship goes, I have no idea.
But not to have my dad’s death on my hands, I’m willing to take that risk.
“I can have it tomorrow.”
“Thank you, baby girl. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can. I promise,” Dad says, looking relieved.
I sigh into the bite of my sandwich. I’ve heard that one before. The money never comes.
“What time tomorrow can I grab it from you?”
I’ll have to swing by the bank on my way home from work.
“Around the same time you came over tonight. I have to work tomorrow.”
Dad lets out a laugh. “Right, of course. My working girl.”
I force a small smile, unable to speak because I’m genuinely at a loss for words.
“Well…” Dad sets his empty plate down on my coffee table before slapping his palms on the top of his thighs and standing up. “I need to get going. It was great seeing you and catching up, Bronwyn. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Right,” I say softly, trying not to let the emotions that he triggered show. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I walk him to the door, giving a small wave as I watch him make it to the alley. A small orange light catches out of the corner of my eye. Looking up, I see that it’s coming from the security camera. It must mean they’re recording the movement. At least I know they work.
The tears start flowing down my cheeks before I can shut and lock the door behind me.
It never gets easier seeing him. In fact, the older I get and the longer time passes, the harder it gets.
“It was nice catching up?” I laugh through a sob. “You didn’t ask shit about me. You didn’t even ask what I’m doing for work or how I’ve been.”
I wipe my nose on my sleeve. He makes me feel so bad about myself for helping him, but I can’t seem to stop.
One day, someone will care about me. Until then, I need to just keep on.