Chapter Seven
ENYA
Oh my God, it happened. I broke Cain Jameson and made him mine.
All I want to do is squeal and fall into his arms, hugging and kissing him for the rest of eternity.
Put this life of running away behind me.
Soon, I’ll get my wish. We’ll be able to leave this place.
No more worrying about my father’s bullshit plans of escaping Dominic Dresden.
Just me and my Cain, taking on the world.
I contemplate all this, while walking back from the grocery store. When I woke up this morning, the milk had spoiled and the pantry looked extra empty. Dad was in a bit of a panic, but I guess the harsh realities of his situation are finally catching up with him.
When I get back home, Dad’s car is still parked in the driveway. I’m not really surprised, considering the walk to the grocery store is only twenty minutes there and back. Where would Dad want to go anyway? He’s happy vegetating in the lawn chairs in the living room, and smoking himself numb.
I go through the front door, and set the bags down on the counter. “Dad, I’m back. You want something for lunch?”
My question is met by silence. I start unpacking the groceries, the milk, and some orange juice in the fridge. Bread goes on the counter, and a few spreads in the pantry. When I’m finished, and I still haven’t heard from my dad, I head through the hallway to his bedroom.
He’s probably napping, but it can’t hurt to check.
“You said she wouldn’t be in for hours,” I hear the hushed tones of someone speaking.
“I didn’t think she was going to be,” Dad replies.
“Well, fuck, ain’t that some shit?” the same man’s voice says.
I stop dead in my tracks, spin on my heels, and start running. It’s got to be Dominic Dresden’s men. How the hell did they find us here? Hidden in plain sight? It’s not hiding if you’re out in the open. What a bullshit plan.
“Where do you think you’re going, little lady?” a voice comes from behind me, before I can clear the hall. I can feel a gun fixed on my back, without having to see it. I stop dead in my tracks and turn to face him.
Sure enough, the stranger’s wielding a revolver that’s trained on my chest.
“You best come along, girl.” He gestures with the pistol for me to enter the bedroom. “We don’t have time for games.”
“Wh… who are you?” I ask, making my way back to Dad’s bedroom. The man keeps the gun trained on me until I’m in the room, where a second man is hovering over dad.
“Best not to ask any questions that you really don’t want answers to,” he says.
Dad’s sitting on one of the plastic lawn chairs we keep in the living room. He’s got a swelling eye and bloody nose from being knocked around. He can’t face me, probably from shame more than the beating he’s taken.
“Come now. Don’t be rude,” the second guy says. “Let’s introduce ourselves. My name’s Jimmy and my brick-shithouse friend over there, he’s Timmy.”
Fake names? They had to be.
“We’re here on behalf of our boss, Dominic Dresden. He wanted us to come pay your daddy here a visit.”
The only Daddy I have is Cain Jameson.
“What does he want with Dad?” I question, nervously fidgeting with my hands. Timmy behind me is still wielding his gun against my back.
“Your dad here owes us money. A hell of a lot of money. Something to the tune of a quarter mill,” Jimmy replies, slapping both hands onto Dad’s shoulders. I knew this was bad, but I didn’t know it was two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollars bad.
“Leave her alone,” Dad says. “She hasn’t done anything to Dresden.”
“Yeah, sure, but she’s close to you, right?” Jimmy asks. “Of course she is, this pretty little firecracker’s your daughter.”
Jimmy nods his head at Timmy. In one swift motion, he grabs my shoulder and spins me around.
“I should be sorry about this, but I’m not,” Timmy says. The back of his hand collides with my cheek. The blow sends stars bursting across my vision as I collapse to the ground. The metallic taste of blood fills my mouth.
“Don’t touch her, you son of a bitch,” Dad roars, trying to jump out of his chair. Jimmy grabs him by the shoulder, and a firm fist connects with the back of his head. Dad collapses back into his chair.
I feel Jimmy’s heavy boot pressing into the back of my shoulders, pinning me to the ground. I try to get back to my feet, digging the palms of my hands into the ground and pushing up, but there’s no give. He’s too strong.
“Now, we’re not going to hurt this pretty little thing any more, Seamus.
Not yet, anyway. See, we like you. You’re a pretty funny guy.
Thinking you can run away from us? That was a laugh riot, I tell you.
The boys got a real laugh out of it down at the office,” Timmy says.
“But the joke ran out and Dominic wants his money back. Hell, he’s even generous enough to give you a full month to pay it back. ”
Jimmy takes his foot off my back, while Timmy walks around my dad towards him. “You don’t want to be late, my friend.” Timmy hunches over me, grabbing me by the hair, and lifting my head up. “We wouldn’t want to hurt your girl any more than we have to.”
Dad doesn’t speak. None of them do. Timmy releases my head, and gets back to his feet. The two of them walk off.
It’s only when we’re alone again, that Dad gets up and rushes to my side to help me to my feet.
“Baby girl, I’m so sorry,” Dad whispers, stroking my hair. “I’m gonna sort this out, I promise. In the meantime, we’ve gotta go. We’ve gotta go, now. We can’t stay here…”
Leave? His first thought after being attacked by Dresden’s men is to run again? They found us once and they’ll find us again. There’s not a chance in hell I’m giving up Cain, because of my dad’s fuck up.
I don’t speak. I push myself to my feet. I start running through the house.
“Enya? Where are you going?” Dad shouts after me, chasing me into the hall.
I grab the car keys out of the metal ashtray we use as a key holder and don’t look back.
Dad chases me into the street, calling after me.
He stays there with his hands on top of his head until he disappears from my rearview mirror.
When my head finally clears, I’m halfway to Saint Catherine’s. Only a few miles stand between Cain and me. He’ll know what to do, and how to help me.
I won’t get through this without him.