Chapter 38
Charles
It felt like Christmas.
Mom always made an extra effort to make the holidays special.
As a single mom, she worked her double shifts all through December until the holiday just to make sure I had gifts under the tree.
Christmas morning the apartment would smell of pancakes and hot bacon.
We would gather around the tree and open gifts then head to either June or Iris’ to celebrate with them.
Those were the fond memories of a child. I was no longer that child, and I no longer considered those women family.
This feeling was different.
I had the best present waiting for me. I would enjoy toying with her just like she had toyed with me.
Brenton was an even smaller town than Oakland Ridge. There was nothing but acres of farm land and cattle. It was the ideal place for us to hide out.
The large barn on the outskirts of town was the best place for me to unravel my gift.
The earthy smell of the barn hit my senses as I walked through the double doors. It reeked of ammonia and horse shit. It was still an upgrade in comparison to the hatch out in New Jersey.
I really should get an air freshener or something in there.
He was sitting in a chair facing a sleeping, tied up Evelyn. He turned around with a cigarette to his lip at the sound of my arrival.
“Son, how was the drive?”
“I told you not to call me that shit. It’s bad enough I have to share your name,” I said as I spit on the ground in disgust.
Evelyn’s head shoots up at the sound of my voice. I smile at the reaction.
Tears automatically well up in her eyes. She really is beautiful when she cries.
I snapped a photo to capture the moment. This will look great in the album.
“Evvie,” I say in a sing-song voice.
My sperm donor has put out his cigarette and is watching with a smirk from his perch in the corner now.
“I told you I would get her for you. She all but ran into my arms when I showed up.” He snickered.
“You held me at gun point, drugged me and put me in the trunk! I’ve never trusted you pig!” She shouts back fighting her restraints.
“Have you been introduced? This is Gregory Charleston Strauss. My father.”
The look on her face is priceless. I almost took out my phone again to snap another picture.
Mom never mentioned dear old dad in the presence of Iris and June.
She liked being a part of the single moms crew even though that was just a lie.
Gregory was a “sometimes dad.” He visited about two to three times a year.
Each time, he pretended to be interested in having a son.
As I got older, I realized he was mostly coming to bone my mom because she let him. She was a sucker for Gregory Strauss.
Once I graduated high school I did some digging. He was a police officer, with a family—the whole nine yards, a wife, a kid and a dog, living comfortably in Florida. He couldn’t spend time with us because he had to take care of his real family. I started blackmailing him once I found out.
His family wasn’t all I found out about. He was a dirty cop. He lied, cheated and stole just like the criminals he swore to catch. It was too easy.
I wasn't counting on the genuine guilt he felt either. Gregory revealed that he always wanted a son but had been shafted with a daughter. I played on his feelings and he always came through for me. Two years ago he helped me avoid prison, and had been cleaning up my mess ever since.
Once I moved to Florida, his wife eventually found out. She left him, and his daughter chose a side. I was all he had left—he was a man with nothing left to lose.
“Father?” She repeats as I see the wheels turning in her head.
“My son told me about you, even asked me to look for you. It was quite the coincidence that you just happened to run away to my new town. Imagine my surprise when Jonathan told me your real name.”
I didn’t need an audience for what I was about to do. He probably thought he could stop me from going too far but how far was too far? I had never learned. I didn’t care.
“Old man, why don’t you go back to town. I wouldn’t want anything looking out of the ordinary. Pick up some things for me while you’re there. I’ll text you a list.” I say in a syrupy tone.
He nods his head once and pats me on the back as he makes his way towards the door.
As soon as the barn door closes I return my attention to Evelyn.
This time will be different. I don’t intend to just decorate her flesh with more scars. I plan to break her mentally, then physically.
“Are you ready to have some fun Evvie? It’s been a while.”