Page 72 of Devious Obsession
A waitress comes by with menus and takes our drink order—coffee for him, hot chocolate for me—and leaves again.
“Your daddy and I aren’t speaking at the moment,” Uncle says. “He’s made some moves in Chicago that no one is happy with. It’s why he gave me the cash… and an explanation. Said he’d only be able to make things right if he had his family back together.”
Another chill goes through me. “That doesn’t make sense. Who did he piss off? And how canfamilyhelp?”
Uncle pins me with a hard stare. “The mob, darlin’. Only people in this world you should fear are the ones with no fear, themselves. And your father lacks any inhibition at all. As proven with what he’d done to you.”
I reach for the silverware in the rolled napkin. Just so I can have something to do with my hands. “He’s on the run?”
“Something like that.”
I meet his eyes. “Is he coming here?”
“Here or to your mother…”
“That’s why you haven’t left yet.” I frown. “You said I was safe from him.”
Uncle was going to Boston. Then New York City. But instead, he’s still here in Crown Point. Which at this rate, I’m notnotthrilled about. Having someone watch my back feels a little better than being completely alone, or relying on my roommate…
He inclines his chin.
“How did you know where I was?”
Uncle shrugs. “You’ve got a boy who won’t quit tormenting you. It was common sense.”
Yeah, I guess so.
The waitress returns with our mugs, and Uncle orders enough food for four people. All breakfast food.
Wait.
“It’s six o’clock at night, right?”
He raises an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”
“B-because otherwise…”
“You lost a whole day.” He glances out the window. “Sunrise is such a peaceful time.”
Sure enough, the damn sky is getting lighter.
Fuck.
“Stress can do that to a person,” he adds. “Too much sleep, I mean. If that’s what you were doing.”
He gestures to my wrists again, and I lift them for both of us to see the red marks. I bore those marks a lot when I was a kid, but Mom always insisted that I just wore those hair ties too much. She made a lot of excuses for my father out of fear.
“I slept some,” I admit. “After.”
Uncle’s expression darkens. “You going to tell me what he did to you?”
Because when Uncle found out what myfatherwas doing, he damn near put my mother through a wall. I still remember their hushed, angry conversation. About how she could be so blind, so ignorant. It wasn’t until he pointed out that he could do it to my sisters that she freaked out. And we were gone a few weeks later.
“No.” I pull my leg up, hooking my arm around it. “But his dad withdrew funding for my education. I owe for next semester if I want to continue at Crown Point. I’ve got to figure that out… but I want to give you that cash back. I can’t accept it.”
Uncle sighs.
“That’s why you’re here,” I say, repeating my conclusion from earlier. “Because he stole that money from the mob. Right?”
