Break, p.29
Break, page 29
Christ.
It’s her fucking father. Mr. Bardot.
Wracking my memory, I don’t recall if I’ve ever learned what his first name is. It pisses me off that if I want to address him, my first habit is to drop the ‘Mister’ in front.
“John,” Ethan bites out, addressing him for all of us.
Shooting a quick look at my friend, I lean in and whisper, “How’d you know his first name?”
He exhales heavily and a muscle in his jaw pops in irritation at my question. Right, not the time.
John Bardot looks Ethan up and down before he responds, huffing like he’s not surprised about something.
I know I shouldn’t do it, but when Mina cringes next to me, I place my hand on her upper back, willing her to feel my support deep into her bones. There’s a small tremble rolling through her and I internally curse that he’s here. He’s fucking up the fire and spirit she gained not even fifteen minutes ago.
“Da-” John narrows his eyes at her, and I can actually hear her gulp back her nerves. “F-father. What are you doing here?”
Jesus, she’s not even allowed to call him dad?
“Well, Wilhelmina. I’ve been hearing some incredibly disturbing things over the past week and you haven’t returned either of my phone calls. That’s incredibly rude of you.” He’s speaking to her like she’s a child, and seems aggravated that he has to waste his time coming to speak to her in person.
Mina clasps her hands in front of her, winding her fingers together until they look like they’re about to break in half. My mind doesn’t register what I’m doing until I’ve got a hand wrapped around hers, giving her a tight squeeze to let her know she can relax. We’re here with her and anything this man has to say doesn’t change a damn thing. At least, I hope that’s what she’s interpreting from my gesture.
John’s eyes narrow to where we’re joined, then he flicks his eyes over to Ethan, then Max, trying to process what he’s seeing. Good luck there, fucker. We don’t know either, but we certainly have ideas.
Max steps toward Mina’s father, holding his hand out. I know it’s killing him to be kind, but maybe if we can calm him down with some of this politeness he deems as so important, he’ll relax a bit with our girl. “I’m not sure if you remember me, but I’m Max Bennett. We used to hang around a lot next door when we were all kids.”
John eyes his hand but doesn’t offer up his own. “Yes. I remember the three of you.” Nodding his head toward Ethan, he adds, “This one’s certainly changed.”
“Father!” Mina says, louder than would have expected her to. “That’s… well, that’s an incredibly un-unkind thing to-to-”
Sighing loudly, he waves off his words, waves off Mina and her attempt to defend Ethan. “Yes, I apologize. It doesn’t matter because that’s not why I’m here. You and I need to speak, girl. Come with me,” he orders, turning like he just expects her to follow. I can feel Mina physically fight her body to not follow him, her natural response of needing to obey causing a war within her.
“No.” Ethan’s not going to play around and he’s not going to give this fucker anything more than single-worded responses. Especially not after everything that Mina shared with us, the abuse she suffered at this man’s hands.
John stops dead, then turns slowly to face the four of us. His face is red, but I’m impressed at his ability to restrain himself when his words come out low and controlled. “Excuse me, Mr. Riley, but what I need to discuss isn’t any of your business. It’s not any of theirs either,” he says, nodding toward me and Max.
“Father,” Mina calls to him. He doesn’t turn away from Ethan, but his eyes find hers. “I-I’m not going to leave with you. These men are helping me and it’s n-not safe for me to be on my own… not right now…” Her voice trails off, but she doesn’t look like she regrets her words.
“Fine. You want them to hear what I have to say? That’ll be your embarrassment to carry, because you’ve certainly thrust a lot of it on our shoulders, haven’t you?”
Mina’s head jerks back at the verbal slap, and I can feel her hands behind to tremble again. Threading my fingers with hers, I tug her a bit to help ground her. “I’ve done no such thing. I’ve done nothing except take steps to protect myself.”
He scoffs and I fight the urge to charge him. This fucker needs to be throttled. “Really, Wilhelmina? Explain to me how abandoning your home, your husband, isn’t an embarrassment? How about shacking up with three unattached men, some with questionable history,” he directs that comment to Max, who stiffens. Then barrels on with, “All as a married woman whom God witnessed at her union?”
Mina’s mouth drops open, but he doesn’t let her speak.
“I’ve bitten my tongue long enough, stepping back and allowing you to take hold of your life and live it the way I’ve raised you. But you’ve shirked your responsibilities and you’ve let me down in a most grievous way. I’m ashamed of your behavior. You’re a damn disappointment in my eyes and in God’s eyes.”
“Hold the fucking phone,” I snap out, finally unable to keep silent as this worthless piece of shit who calls himself a father, spits out accusations and insults at this woman. She’s a fucking sweetheart and doesn’t deserve this. Mina never has.
John shoots a glare in my direction, attempting to intimidate me. “You need to keep your mouth shut. I said it before, and I’ll say it again. This has nothing to do with you, and you’ll stay silent while I speak to my daughter.”
“Yeah, no,” I say, shaking my head. Tugging Mina forward, I deposit her hand into Max’s, who’s shaking with rage and could probably use a calming presence at his side. A quick glance at Ethan shows me the same, so I nod toward her other hand, indicating he should take it.
He nods once and moves to Mina’s other side.
“Right,” I say to no one in particular. I face John, grinding my jaw in fury. “Clearly, you know a few facts about what your daughter has been going through, but let me clear some things up for you.” He opens his mouth to argue, but I hold my hand up and stop him. “I suggest you stay silent, or I’ll arrest you for disturbing the peace because you certainly sound like you’re trying to incite some violence here. I’m not feeling violent… yet. But my friends here are.”
John splutters in indignation, but I don’t stop.
“Now that you’ve seemed to calm down,” I hold back a snicker because he’s the opposite of calmed down, “I’m going to need you to turn around and get back in your car. You need to leave and not attempt to contact Mina again. She’s suffered more than you’ll ever know, and we both know that it hasn’t just been at Danny’s hand. Am I right?”
“She-,” he tries to say, then tries again. “That girl barely looks like she’s got a scratch on her! This has all been blown way out of proportion and she needs to go home where she belongs!” His voice is shouting by the time he’s finished.
I just raise my eyebrow at him, showing him that I couldn’t care less if he directs his temper toward me. Clicking my tongue at him, I shake my head. “There’s that violence I was talking about, John. Do we need to go inside? Cool off?” I know I’m antagonizing him, but at this point, I’d love for him to give me a reason to throw some cuffs on those meaty wrists.
Seething, he balls his fists at his side and forces out, “No,” through his teeth. He’s shooting daggers at Mina, who I’m surprised to find has stepped up next to me. This time she places her hand on my back, patting me once in silent thanks.
“Father, I won’t apologize for leaving or for the embarrassment you seem to feel you’ve been suffering through. This isn’t your shame to bear, and it’s not mine either. It’s Danny’s.” She gives him a pleading look, begging him to understand.
John just shakes his head, ignoring what she’s trying to explain to him. “No. No! It’s your job as his wife to stand by his side, work through this as God intended wedded partners to do.”
Swallowing deeply, she firms her shoulders, and I couldn’t be more fucking proud of her. “Danny Reed beat me. He beat me until I blacked out and woke up hours later in my own pool of blood. This wasn’t the first time he’s done it, and if I stayed, it wouldn’t have been the last. But this time? This time, he did it only shortly after he raped me.”
“You can’t be raped if you’re his wife,” he snaps out.
Lunging forward, I sneer in his face, spitting mad. “It’s rape if you say no. Doesn’t matter how many times you said yes before.” I’m furious, but Mina’s voice keeps going, forcing me to back off.
“He raped me. He’s shouted at me, pinched me, kicked me, and punched me. I won’t go back. I’ll never go back. He’s no longer my husband.”
Her chest is heaving, but she’s holding herself together. John isn’t looking at her any longer, but I know that she hasn’t gotten through to him. She knows it too when I see her shoulders deflate, surrendering her fight in the knowledge that neither of them will win.
“God wouldn’t want it,” she whispers, finally with a crack of emotion behind her words.
John simply turns around and walks away. The last thing we hear him say is, “You’re no longer my daughter.”
A single hiccup of a sob escapes her, and then she pulls it back in.
“Sweetheart,” I say softly, turning my body to stand in front of her, removing her view of her father walking out of her life. “Are you…?”
I don’t know what to ask her. That was… Fuck. That was a lot for one person to shoulder.
Her smile is brittle, but she tilts her head back to look up at me. “Thank you, guys, for being there through that. I’m sorry if that was-”
“No. Don’t apologize. Not for standing up for yourself,” Max says vehemently. I know he’s pissed, but I’m really proud of him for keeping it together right now for her.
“You did good, darlin’,” Ethan murmurs to her.
She’s still looking up at me with a look I can’t decipher, but I like it, whatever it means. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Just know, I feel like a huge weight is off my shoulders even though I am sad about it. I’ll be alright.”
Nodding once, I repress the urge to make sure she really is okay. She asked us not to question her, so I won’t. I believe her when she says she’ll be alright.
Wiping away a few tears that have landed on her cheeks, she looks around at all of us and asks with a more honest smile, “How about that drink?”
Chapter 40
Strike
Ethan
She looks absolutely captivating tonight. Mina has pushed aside what happened with her father, leaving it in her dust as she walks away, and I couldn’t be prouder.
I’m finding myself unable to look away as she moves around the side of the pool table gracefully. Her fingers dance along the pool cue as she watches Vincent rack the pool balls.
Mina is dressed in dark gray leggings, which is a phenomenon on its own because all our memories of her have her always dressed in long skirts and blouses, and an oversized beige sweater. Her slight curves are hidden, but I notice them when she leans or bends interacting with all of us.
The most stunning part of her tonight is that she’s chosen to wear her hair down. Her dark chocolate locks are brushed out and hanging in waves over her shoulders and down her back. The amount of thick hair she has makes me think it’s got to feel heavy on her neck, but it doesn’t seem to bother her. My fingers itch to run through the silky strands. Now I have a deeper understanding of why Vincent is constantly encouraging her to let him play with it.
“Come over here so I can show you how we rack up the balls. The order of solids and stripes is important, depending on the game you’re playing, and makes them spread out evenly across the table after the break.” Vincent’s love for this game is apparent to all of us. Mina’s interest has him feeling about ten-feet tall right now.
She hurriedly sets down her cue, picks up her cranberry and vodka, and moves over to his side, leaning over to watch as he points out what he’s doing.
Max alternates between staring at her and looking over the crowd to make sure there is no danger lurking among the bodies. Cooper stayed true to his word and sent an ununiformed officer to follow behind as an extra set of eyes. Mina doesn’t know he’s here, but I spotted him almost immediately. Right now, he’s sitting at the end of the bar nursing a soda.
Mina wasn’t sure what she should order as her first drink, so Vince suggested the cranberry and vodka for her. He promised it would be sweet, and the tartness of the juice would cut the flavor of the alcohol in case she didn’t care for it. Glancing at her half-empty glass, I smirk at the fact that she found it to her liking.
It’s like she can hear my thoughts as she looks up at me. She grins as she wraps those plump lips around the straw and sucks down a decent amount of her drink.
Max hops up from where he’s sitting at one of the high-rise tables next to the pool table and walks over to her. It’s noisy in here, so he rests his hand along her waist to lean in and speak against her ear. She’s only had the one drink, but since she’s never drank, there’s already a flush creeping across her cheeks as the alcohol warms her from the inside. She nods to him, and before he leaves, he presses a kiss to her cheek, then makes his way to the bar presumably to get another round of drinks.
Once Vincent is done explaining the setup and some basics of the game, he looks at me. “We could play teams to start? We can let Mina get a feel of how it’s played.” Smiling down at her where she’s still standing closely next to him, he adds with a wink, “No better way to learn than actually doing it.”
Chuckling under my breath, I wave Mina over to me. “I’ll team with you, darlin’.”
Feigning a pout, Vincent sighs loudly. “You stole my thunder, you fucker. But next game, you’re all mine, sweetness.”
Mina smiles to herself, looking down at the ground to hide her blush at his words.
“You should practice with the cue and eight balls. It’s tricky to get the hang of lining up a shot and finding the right feel for how hard you should be hitting it.” Max sets down a beer for me and another mixed drink for Mina as he talks.
Eyeing up the orange drink, she looks at him questioningly. “What’s in that one?” She steps closer to it and leans down to smell it before looking back up at him. “Is that orange juice?”
Laughing, he tilts his head toward her drink. “Try it. It’s called a screwdriver. It’s just orange juice with vodka, but I think you’ll like it.”
Setting down her now empty glass, she picks up the new drink and takes another sniff before placing the rim against her lips and taking a small sip. Smacking her lips together, she lights up like a fucking neon sign. “Oh, wow! I can’t taste anything except the juice.” Grinning at me, she giggles. “I think I like this one better than the first one.”
Vincent laughs loudly from his side of the table. “I’m getting you the next one. Just make sure you pace yourself and drink water in between, otherwise you’ll be miserable by morning.”
Slightly buzzed, Mina is much more vocal with her thoughts, and I cover my mouth to hold back a laugh when she waves him off. “The whole point was to see what this was like. I won’t go crazy, but I want to know how it all feels… even a hangover.”
Shaking my head at her, I can’t help teasing her back. “Famous last words. Come on, let me show you how to stand and hold the pool cue.”
She takes another large sip of her drink and sets the glass down a little too firmly in her excitement. Looking down at her hand, she wipes the spilled juice on the side of her pants as she moves next to me.
I’ve already picked up the cue she’s chosen to use and hold it out to her, then reach to the table to set the cue ball in front of her. “Since you’re right-handed-”
She interrupts me and swings her face around to look up at me. “How’d you know I was right-handed?”
Shrugging, I tell her the truth. “I watch you. So, since you’re right-handed, you’ll want to hold the base of the stick with that hand here,” I point toward the bottom of the stick, “and then rest the narrow end on your left like this.” I pull her left hand to the table, and the movement forces her to bend over in half, pushing her ass into the cradle of my hips. I freeze, worried my actions will make her feel uncomfortable.
Giggling, she blows out a breath. “This feels silly. Are you sure I’m doing it right?” Mina shifts her hand under mine to make it more comfortable for her, visibly unaware of the compromising position I’ve got her in. Glancing at Vincent has me holding back a groan as his eyes dance with amusement over my predicament.
I want to growl at him, but I focus on teaching. Tapping the inside of her foot with mine, I encourage her to widen her stance. “Your feet should be a little wider than shoulder-width apart.” She slides her feet out, which arches her down another few inches. Looking at the ceiling, I swallow. “Almost. Spread them a bit wider.”
“Like this?” she asks, looking down at her feet where my foot is between her legs.
Clearing my throat, I ignore the pressure of her body against mine and continue like her ass isn’t pushing into my semi-hard dick. “Almost.” I readjust her hand and then continue. “Your feet are good. Now, try putting your index finger on the top, curving over it… Yes, like that.” I praise her as she listens and ignore the sight of her tongue poking out in concentration. “Now, put your right thumb at the bottom of the stick to help you keep control of the angle. When you’re moving the cue to strike the ball, your left hand is never going to move, so make sure you hold it firm enough to keep it lined up, but not so tightly that you can’t slide the cue back and forth.”
I know I’m going to regret my next direction, so I ignore the guys watching us like hawks. “Try sliding it back and forth to get the feel.”
Closing my eyes, I keep my hands over hers as she slides the cue back and forth, slightly adjusting her grip until it’s comfortable. “Like that?” Christ, she asks it so innocently that I know there’s no way she realizes that she’s literally thrusting the stick through her fingers. I feel slightly guilty as I correlate what she’d look like with her hand on my cock.
