Page 56 of Tide
“You know I wouldn’t miss this shit,” I tell him, grinning from ear to ear.
“Not a chance in hell.” I walk over to where they have Beth and Christian both tied up in chairs and look between them.
“I’m gonna ask questions, and I want fuckin’ answers. Don’t give me no shit and I won’t have to hurt you.” They both nod their heads when I pull the gag free from Christian’s mouth.
“What the hell is this, Pop? Why am I here? Like this?” he asks, looking down at the restraints that hold him in place.
“There’s no easy answer to that. In fact, I was hopin’ you could enlighten me a little,” I say as I walk to stand right in front of him.
“What do you mean?”
“You gave your mom money. A large amount of it, too. Why?” Christian glances over at her and then back to me, the look of confusion on his face.
“What are you talking about?”
“The money you gave her, Christian. What was it for?” I growl.
“I didn’t give her any money. What the hell are you talking about?” My eyes move from him to Beth before coming back.
“You’re tellin’ me you didn’t give her a hundred and fifty thousand?”
“What? No! Why would I?” Christian looks shocked to even hear that. What the hell is going on? He didn't give it to her? How the hell did she get it then?
“To get rid of Mylah.”
“Get rid of Mylah? She left! Why would I need to get rid of her?”
“Because you knew she was with me. It’s simple, really,” I tell him.
“You think I did something to Mylah? She made it clear she didn’t want to be with me, Pop. I’m not one to hold someone against their will.” Is he telling the truth? Could he be? That doesn’t explain how Beth got the money from him. He has to be involved in this somehow.
“Then how did she get the money, Christian?”
“I don’t know! I didn’t know there was money missing,” he exclaims.
“You’re a fuckin’ accountant!”
“I don’t check my own accounts daily. I don’t understand what’s happening here.”
“You wanna know what happened? Someone paid a high-level trafficker to take Mylah. They sold her, beat her. They damn near broke her, but she’s stronger than that. She didn’t let that happen. And now? Now she’s mine,” I tell him as I raise my hand and show him the ring on my finger.
“You didn’t. You fucking married her?” He roars.
“She’s havin’ my baby. Might as well make her my wife.” I shrug like it’s no big deal, just to put on a show for him. I want his reaction. I want to see if he actually had anything to do with this.
“This is all fucked up.”
“Why’d you do it? Why have her taken?”
“I didn’t! I swear to you I wouldn’t do that. Was I pissed off about the whole thing? Yes, I was, but I’m not that kind of person!” He’s right. He isn’t. He isn’t like me, and I thank God for that every day. Things might have ended differently if he were.
“Then how’d she get the money?” Christian looks at her and then back to me, shaking his head.
“I don’t know. I have no idea.”
“Gag him,” I say. Ban walks over and shoves the gag back in his mouth when I turn to Beth. She looks scared, and that’s something she should be.
“You. You set this all up. Why?” When the gag is pulled from her mouth, she begins to scream for help. I step closer and slam my hand over her mouth, not willing to listen to her screaming.
