Damaged and the Knight (Damaged #2)

My gaze fell on my father and I wished to see something in him worth loving. He stared with his dark eyes so similar to mine and waited to die. Dad knew I needed him to give me a crumb of love after so long without it, but he denied me.

Later, I decided his indifference was a gift. If he had begged or shown an ounce of fatherly love, the guilt might have eaten at me. Yet, in reality, I had no way to stop what would happen next. The minute my father showed up, he took a calculated risk. If his plan worked, he might pay off his debts and get one death sentence removed. However, he would add a new one from the Johanssons and Reapers. Deep inside, even my father knew he’d come to Ellsberg to die. Now, he was getting his wish.

In that moment though, I couldn’t leave the parking garage. Even as Judd led me away, I refused to go because I knew what happened next. Staring into Vaughn’s blue eyes, I saw him waiting for me to go, so he could finish things. As the one keeping my father alive for a few extra minutes, the burden prevented me from leaving.

“Come with me upstairs, angel.”

“And pretend my father isn’t dying here? It’s one thing not to care about those bastards dying, but this is my dad.”

Judd cupped my face and stared into my eyes. “Don’t feel pity for that fucker. He doesn’t deserve it. Don’t forget how he left you in that motel to starve. He left you there with the intention of selling you off and he came here with the same plan. You can’t let him hurt you anymore. He knew when he came here that he would either get his money or lose his life. He took the bet and he lost. Nothing you do from now on changes his fate. You only have the power to save yourself from the pain I see in your eyes.”

“He’s my dad. I know what you’re saying, but it feels wrong to go upstairs and act like this isn’t happening down here.”

“You can’t see what happens next. You’ve seen so much ugly in your life and you can’t add this to it. Just go with me and we’ll pretend today was a bad dream. It’s what I would do if my dad ever showed up and started shit. I wouldn’t think about anything good he ever did, but that he came into my life to destroy it. That’s what you have to do now.”

Even nodding, I looked at my father and couldn’t leave. I was simply stuck where I stood. A frustrated Judd focused on a SUV pulling into the garage. Seeing it was driven by Tucker, Judd wrapped an arm around my shoulders and used his body to hide the view of my dad while we approached the SUV.

“I need your car, Tuck.”

Tucker’s dark eyes studied me then he glanced at my dad. “Get her somewhere better. We’ll deal with this.”

Judd helped me into the car, mostly so he could keep me from seeing too much. As we backed quickly out of the garage, I stared at the condo and imagined my father’s final moments. Was he scared? Would it hurt?

“Tawny, I love you.”

Turning around to face Judd, I nodded. “I feel like it’s my fault everything bad is happening.”

“That’s a fucking lie. Every damn good thing in my life is because of you. Until I met you, I didn’t even care if I died. I expected nothing and I got nothing. Then, I saw your scared face peeking out of the curtains at the motel and everything became more. What you’re feeling about being bad is a fucking lie and you need to ignore it. Just focus on how you saved me.”

Leaning against his shoulder, I focused on his words, instead of the ugly thoughts filling my mind. I didn’t ruin everything I touched. People needed me and I brought them happiness. Not only my beautiful Judd, but Farah and Bailey too. I made Lark laugh so hard one day she nearly passed out. People cared about me and my life had value in a way my father’s didn’t. He was why bad things happened this day. He was why his life had to end.

Even though I didn’t cry, I felt numb as we drove. I assumed Judd would take me to Farah, yet we parked on the curb next to a tall building in a newer trendy part of town.

Looking to Judd as he opened the door for me, I waited for him to explain. He simply took my hand and led me into the building. In the sales office on the main floor, a man wearing the nametag Donnie looked bored until he saw Judd. Bolting out of his chair, he smiled.

“You came back.”

“This is my woman and I want to show her the model and the unit on the top floor.”

“Of course,” Donnie said. “I’ll open the door and let you explore all the options.”

Judd directed me into a bottom floor condo smelling as if air fresheners had exploded inside. Everything was clean, new, and staged. While beautiful, it didn’t feel like a home.

“What are we doing here?” I asked after Donnie left us in a foyer leading into an ultra modern kitchen.

“This place has two units on the top floor. Big ones with decent views. Not like the hotel on the way here, but six floors up is still nice.”