A dry laugh catches the back of his throat, and I notice for the second time he can’t even look at his own daughter.
“The Men of Valor by any chance?” he scoffs, sinking his head back into his hands, shaking it from side to side.
“There is no Valor in this town. Only crooks, and harder, more crooked cops,” he whines, giving in to the sniveling tears he’s been holding back.
“They want double what they paid me already. Costing me what twice I don’t have after doing everything they asked,” he gasps.
I can’t say it out loud. Can’t say how many times we’ve seen it all before.
The more professional, the more in-line with the law, the easier the targets for these scum. And they bleed people until they’re dry, even after they’ve gotten what they wanted from them.
“Thorn can help, dad.” I hear Rose say firmly, but her old man looks just that. Like he’s aged a hundred years in a day.
“How can he help, Rose? How can anyone,” he mumbles hopelessly.
“I thought you’d gone anyway, maybe you should just go and stay gone, Rose. I’m finished.”
Rose’s tear-filled eyes meet mine, and I shake my head slightly.
“We’re not done yet, Mr. Maxwell. And neither are you. Not if you help us to fight back against these bastards,” I tell him, holding up the sheaf of papers, knowing he’s not paying attention.
Rose wants to stay, to be with her dad but she also wants to be with me, I can feel it.
It’s all I feel now, wanting to be with her. Every second of the day, no matter what’s happening.
Maxwell’s eyes narrow on me finally and then start to dart around, he bites his nails as he considers his options.
“I’ll have to leave, get out of town… I could go to the police!” he blurts out, realizing how stupid he sounds as soon as he’s said it.
“These people are police,” I remind him. “And they’ll follow you a lot further than anywhere you could get from Valor in one day, or anywhere else if you go above their heads,” I add knowingly.
“And just what do you suppose I do then?” he huffs, standing up quickly and moving closer to me, but then suddenly slumping his shoulders again. All the fight going out of the man.
“Let me help,” I tell him, relaxing my voice for his benefit as well as Rose’s.
He makes a scoffing sound with his mouth, but his eyes have changed, they’re a question now.
“How?” he finally asks quietly.
“Let me worry about the how, you just stay put. Do whatever you’ve been doing. Don’t make any sudden changes to your routine,” I tell him, starting to formulate my own plan.
“But…But what about Rose, she only left yesterday, do you think they’ll notice? Maybe she should stay here with me,” he says firmly, backtracking on his original plan that she get lost.
“Rose stays with me,” I tell him in a matter of fact tone, noting his look, which eases when I tell him it’s for her protection.
“I guess you’re right,” he sighs, looking to Rose and considering an apology.
A face I’ve seen a hundred times before.
Men who thought they had it made suddenly undone, wanting to take back everything bad they said to anyone trying to help them.
Rose stays quiet and I ask Maxwell how much more paperwork of his I can borrow.
“With enough of this, we have leverage,” I point out to him. “And you won’t be implicated. Not unless we can’t stop them in time,” I add.
He nods gravely.
“The returns haven’t even been submitted yet, there’s still time to fix this,” he tells me.
“Then we don’t have time to lose. You stay here, make like you’re doing whatever they want. I’ll make sure someone’s in touch and soon. People who can help,” I promise him, letting my hand slip over Rose’s as we get up to leave, but her dad doesn’t notice, too lost in his own thoughts.
Chapter Nine
Rose
I can tell my dad wants me to stay now, but after everything that’s happened. After how he spoke to me, it’s gonna be a long time before I can even look him in the eye let alone think about going home.
Especially now that I’ve pledged myself to Thorn.
Everything he stands for too.
He seems more willing to forgive my dad than I am and to help him too which is the last thing I thought. All things considered.
I didn’t give Thorn all the details. I didn’t tell him everything my dad said, but I wonder if I had if he’d want to help the man out at all.
We leave pretty quickly, once Thorn checks the road’s clear and nobody’s watching the house.
We ride in silence, and I half expect for him to go someplace else, but he goes back to his house.
“Do you still want me to stay?” I ask him once we’re inside.