“Okay, here’s the deal, either you make that shit go away or I fuck that last mission.”
“You can’t do that, that information is detrimental to what we’re doing here.”
“I know what we’re doing, and I’m telling you I will fuck everything over if he doesn’t walk. Call them the fuck off. And the next time I tell you to do something you better forget that you don’t like me and do that shit.”
I hung up the phone confident that he would do what I asked. First he was going to call the director and under the rule of full disclosure he will have no choice but to relay the whole conversation, because chances are the shit had been recorded, and if he tried to skirt the truth it might come back to bite him in the ass.
The director, because he needed me like he needed his next breath would cave, but he would come back with something hard. I had a pretty good idea what that something might be, so I needed to go see my girl. I wasn’t supposed to be back this soon anyway. That wasn’t going to make my leaving again so soon any easier. Sometimes I wish my brain wasn’t as unique as it is. I wish I could go back to being a kid and leave all this other shit behind.
***
VALERIE
***
“Dad is that you?” I ran to the door just as I had been doing since I was old enough to walk and mom would say ‘daddy’s home’ in the evenings. That’s when he used to come home, when he was happy.
I tried not to resent this new him, the man that he had become after she’d been taken from us. I tried as I always did to accept him, to make excuses for his behavior, but lately it’s been getting harder and harder to do.
I was his little girl once, how had that changed so drastically? At a time when I needed him most, he’d shut me out, and it seems, just never found a way to let me back in.
I wonder if he knew how much he hurt me? I guess not, I think he believes that throwing money and gifts at me was enough.
“Hey pumpkin, how’ve you been? Things look to be in order here so I’m guessing all is well.” I moved in for one of his hugs, which was about the only thing we shared from the past. I live for one of his hugs. They are so far and in between these days though, I’m almost afraid those too will be gone soon.
“I’m fine daddy, did you eat?” I started to head towards the kitchen to make him something. I never knew when he was coming home, so there was nothing prepared. I’d fired the live in housekeeper slash babysitter a long time ago, so there was only me here to take care of him, until the maid came in the morning.
“I’m fine hon don’t fuss, I had something to eat on the plane.”
“Oh, okay, no problem. Is there anything else I can get you daddy?” I was beginning to feel nonexistent the way he ignored me as he checked his phone. I bit my tongue to hold back the acidic words that were burning a hole in it.
“Listen, what do you know about these girls that were attacked from your school, are you close with any of them?” I was more than a little surprised that he knew of any of it, since he never showed much interest in my school or anything that went on there.
I’d once given him the idea of hiring a personal tutor so that I could go on the road with him when he went away on his many trips, but he’d shot that down. Which was good anyway because I met Track not long after and the two of us were a team ever since.
“I know one of them we just became friends actually, and the other one I know of, but not personally. Why?” He fidgeted around with something in his overnight case before bringing his attention back to me.
“I’m not sure I want you that close, not until we know what we’re dealing with here anyway. I mean are these girls involved in something illegal do you know?”
“Like what dad, you think they’re working for the cartel or something?”
“Don’t be facetious. I’m just saying with the way things are today you never know. Until we know for sure what’s going on I’d just as soon you didn’t keep company with either of them.”
“Too late, I already invited them over for a sleepover.”
“You what?”
“Dad, chill. You’re never here anyway so what’s the big deal?
“That’s not the point, the point is that you’re my daughter and I don’t want you putting yourself in any danger. Now until I have vetted these people I don’t think that you should…”
“She’s friends with Track.”
“Oh I see.” I found it slightly weird that my dad seemed a tiny bit intimidated by my teenage boyfriend. I could never quite put my finger on it. I’d never seen Track so much as raise his voice to my dad, but somehow I got the feeling that my dad, if not feared him, had some sort of strange respect for him.
“Well, if Track approves I guess it’s okay. Speaking of which where is he?”
“He’s at home I guess. He said he had some things to take care of but he should be by later.”
I was never really comfortable having this conversation with him. I mean I know it’s Hollywood and things are different here, but it just struck me as odd that my dad knew my boyfriend slept over.
My hand went to the ring I wore on a chain beneath my shirt, close to my heart. No one else knew the fact that he was more than that. That he had refused to touch me before he put his ring on my finger. That was Track, always looking out for me.