I raise an eyebrow curiously at her as Tiberius licks the side of my face.
“I know; what kind of name is that for a dog, right? We’re really big into ancient history,” she explains with a laugh.
I smile at her and turn my attention back to the dog, taking its face into my hands and giving it a gentle kiss on the nose.
“He definitely seems to like you,” Aaron says happily. “Wanna sit down and we’ll talk about compensation?”
I have no idea what that means, but I pet Tiberius one more time, before I get up and go sit next to Pater on the couch.
“We’re going to be gone for a couple of weeks, which I guess we should have told you ahead of time,” Crystal begins sheepishly. “If it’s still okay with your dad, we’d love to have you take care of him for us while we’re gone.”
As I’m turning my eyes toward Pater, I can see Vaughn quietly walking past the living room door. He’s doing it; he’s leaving, and he’s going to have a happy life.
“Daddy?” I ask, glancing at Pater. I want to keep his attention. I want him to focus on me because as long as he’s distracted by my hand on his leg and the sound of my voice, everything will work out as I hoped it would.
“I don’t know,” he finally says, shaking his head slowly. “Two weeks is a long time to take care of a dog for someone that’s never had one. Are you sure you’re up for that kind of responsibility?”
“I’ve done a good job so far, haven’t I?” I ask him through gritted teeth and a forced smile.
He returns my fake smile but I can see the stern warning plainly in his eyes. “Yes, you have.”
“Well, if you’re still willing to accept the job, we’ll pay you two hundred dollars. One hundred now, and one hundred when we get back. Does that sound fair?” Aaron asks, putting an arm around Crystal.
“We have all his stuff outside in the car too, so you won’t have to use any of your money to buy him food or toys,” Crystal adds hopefully.
“Sweetheart?” Pater asks, putting his arm around my shoulders and giving me a squeeze.
“I would love to!”
They both smile in relief and get to their feet. “We’ll just go outside and get his belongings then!”
“Wait!” I say quickly. What if they go outside and Vaughn is still within the line of vision? “Um. Maybe you’d like to see where he’s going to sleep first?”
“Oh, I’m sure he’ll sleep fine wherever you decide to put him,” Aaron says cheerfully as he walks out of the living room with Crystal following behind him. He still has Tiberius’ leash firmly wrapped in his fist, and I’m afraid I’m going to piss myself because of how scared I am right now.
But as I begin to follow them out, Pater firmly holding my hand in his, I see something that causes me to almost pass out. I fall against Pater, who tries to steady me, and I swear to God, the world is starting to go black around me.
“Hey. I thought you guys might need some help.”
Vaughn is standing dutifully next to their car, waiting for someone, anyone to come outside, so he can do what he always has tried to do best.
Protect us from Pater. And since he bears the guilt of not being able to save his brother, he’s going to try to save me.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“What are you doing out here?” Pater asks him with a menacing smile now sitting on his face.
Vaughn shrugs as he meets my eyes, “I wanted to see the dog. I didn’t know it was already inside.”
I blink my eyes rapidly as I do my damnedest not to cry. The plan would have worked so perfectly if he would have just kept walking. He could have left this all behind, but because he still holds some kind of love in his heart for me, he won’t leave me behind.
“Go on inside, son. We’ll have a little talk later,” Pater says, squeezing my shoulders tightly enough to cause me to flinch. He knows I had a hand in this, but he can’t act on his rage until our company is gone.
Vaughn nods and pets Tiberius’ head as he walks by him, stealing a glance in my direction. I look at him with more heartbreak than I ever thought I could feel in my life, and he responds with a sad smile before disappearing into the house.
Aaron quickly unloads the dog’s belongings and carries them into the living room, before pulling out his wallet and handing me a crisp one hundred dollar bill. He and Crystal say their goodbyes to the dog, shake Pater’s hand, and wave at me as they get back into their car and begin to pull down the driveway.
“Joce?” Pater asks thoughtfully.