Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72543 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72543 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
I don’t think she sees anything but her own personal agenda. “What was the fight with Dad about?”
“You know what the fight was about. I need help managing him.”
“He’s a grown adult.”
“With an addiction, and I don’t know what to do anymore.”
That’s it. I hit a wall. “Try making different decisions, and I’m fairly certain you know exactly what I’m talking about, because this is about to get embarrassing. My producer now wants to delve into my parents’ personal lives. She believes there to be a juicy scandal there. Think about that tonight. Think hard about where that leads when the press starts following you.” I hang up.
The vehicle halts in front of my building, my cell hums again, and caller ID alerts me to yet another call from my mother. I hit decline, and the passenger door opens. Kelvin appears in my line of sight, concern etched in his dark eyes, and geez, are all the Walker men big bad asses with good looks? Because, as is the case with Adam, Kelvin is all of those things.
“Sucks really badly when parents suck,” he says. “Sorry that you’re dealing with this, but please know we’re here to help.”
I wonder if he speaks from personal experience, but I don’t know him well enough to ask. Whatever the case, there’s a genuineness about Kelvin and Adam that is appreciated so very much right now, but it also drives home how little of that quality has been in my life. Damion has changed that for me in all kinds of ways.
Adam appears opposite Kelvin’s position, both men framing me, a shelter that I am certain is intentional. Damion has told them what he told me. His father would cause me harm to cause him harm. I’m angry with my mother—furious in fact—but I’m officially concerned about the easy target she’s made of herself. “I need to know what just happened,” Adam states.
I’m oddly without resistance to his nosing into my personal matters. “She said they were fighting, I suspect about her seeing Damion’s father again, but she claims it’s about my father’s gambling. It might be. He has a real problem.”
“Gambling leads to debt with the wrong people,” Kelvin comments grimly. “Sounded like she was mentioning some type of danger?”
“Yes,” I agree wholeheartedly. “But take that concern with a grain of salt. They’ve used the threat of owing money to the wrong people against me my entire adult life. Damion even bailed them out years ago. I’m not sure I’m objective enough to know if any of it is real anymore.”
“We can find out,” Adam assures me, “but you need to know, we don’t have anyone watching them at present. We didn’t commit to taking them on until next week. Under the circumstances, I’ll see if we can step that up.”
“Our team should, at the very least, be able to get eyes on them by way of street and building cameras, as well as online activity,” Kelvin adds.
“Agreed,” Adam replies. “We’ll get a look at what went down at your parent’s building today.”
“I’m not as worried about the gambling as I am Damion’s father.” I hug myself, embarrassed about my mother’s behavior. “She’s sleeping with him. She can’t even see how she’s being used. If Damion’s father can’t get to me, why wouldn’t he just hurt her? My devastation would be Damion’s torture.”
Adam and Kelvin exchange an unreadable look before Adam says, “We’ll get someone on her quickly.” He motions to the building. “I’m going up with you.”
It’s all they’re going to say, but I feel like it’s enough. They get it. I know they get it. I nod in Adam’s direction without argument. At this point, I’ve accepted Adam and the need for security. I’m also comforted by knowing Adam is a highly skilled professional. We enter my building into a simple lobby without security, and Adam glances over at me. “You know you need a layer between you and any potential threat, right?”
I stab at the elevator button. “It’s never been a problem until now, and I’m moving in with Damion anyway.”
The doors open, and we step inside the car, where I press in my floor. “You’ve been lucky,” he says, obviously not ready to let this go. “I’ve seen people with much less fandom than you have some pretty scary things happen. Not everything is about luxury. Some things, like your choice of residence, become about safety.”
“I appreciate your concern, but it’s moot. I really am moving in with Damion now, tonight.”
“Damion doesn’t make your decisions for you. The best influence I can have on you is to ensure you make the right ones.”
I rotate to face him. “Okay, then, let’s talk about decisions. Do you think I should have gone to see my mother tonight?”
If he’s shocked by the change of subject or the personal nature of my question, he doesn’t so much as blink. “From a safety perspective, no. Based on my limited knowledge of your circumstances with her, I still say no, and that’s not personal. I don’t like volatile unknowns inserted into the lives of those I protect. You got this one right.”