“Dad, I’ll get out of your hair. I don’t want to waste your stash.” I was trying to play off how fucking nervous I was. He had dad power over me. I knew that if he truly wanted to make me do anything in the world, he could. He was the only person that I had left, the last of myfamily.
“Sit your ass down right now.” Hesnarled.
I did as heasked.
He grabbed my arm with a needle all ready to fire into my veins. I had never even drank before. My entire bodyshook.
“Stop squirming. You’ll make me miss your vein and that wouldn’t begood.”
I tried to fight my arm out of his grip, but my hundred and fifty pounds was no match for my dad’s two-hundred plus pounds of pure fucked up rage mixed with dadpower.
The needle hit my vein and panic truly set in. I knew how dangerous heroin was, how addictive it was. I resolved that once this was over I would figure out a way to never let this happen again. I would be prepared. I wouldn’t let this continue.How bad can it be onlyonce?
A burst of tingly euphoria started in my chest and radiated out through my entire body. It was a feeling of total peace, mentally and physically. I melted into the couch. Staring at my father as he refilled the needle and started to find his ownvein.
Igroggily wokeup from my weird-ass dreams. I never dreamt about situations when it came to my mother’s passing, just the feelings of it all, how broken those moments had actually made me. But the ones that came from directly after that tragic incident were like a damn movie reel, tormenting me since theyhappened.
It’d been years since I’d even had contact with anyone in my family; they could have all been dead for all I knew. It was weird to think about being part of a loving family for years and then it all shifting because of one death. My siblings didn’t even go to my mother’s funeral, and my father was so high that I doubted he even remembered the year from us finding out my mother was dying until shepassed.
Sloan was snoring softly in my arms, practically in the same position she’d fallen asleep in. My phone started vibrating in my pocket. Shifting to answer it, I was scared I would wake her, but she continued tosleep.
“Hello?” I answered in a lowwhisper.
“Get to the bar now.” Ryder’s voice wasstern.
“I’m at Crickett’s. Do you need me to get herup?”
“No. Grab Collin and tell Crickett to not come heretoday.”
“Done.”
I knew better than to ask questions. I kissed Sloan’s shoulder, and her eyes fluttered a little as sheyawned.
“What time is it?” she asked whilestretching.
“Barely six in the morning. Go back to sleep. Crickett is not going in to work at the bar this morning so she’ll take you to the garage and get you all set up. I have to headout.”
“No, stay.” She pulled my arm around her again. There was nothing in the world I wanted to do more than continue to hold Sloan while sheslept.
“I wish I could. I’ll come by later to check on you.” I pushed up from thebed.
I grabbed my cut off the dresser, turning to watch Sloan for a few seconds. She looked so content, and it warmed my heart that she felt so comfortablealready.
Still shirtless, I made my way down the hall to Collin’s room. I knocked. “Hey, brother. Ryder needs us at thebar.”
I heard him shuffle and curse a few times. “What the fuck could he want right now? It’s fucking early asshit.”
Flinging the door open, he snarled at me. His eyes were bloodshot and his skin waspale.
“Hungover?” I asked, taking a step into hisroom.
He nodded. “Why don’t you have a shirton?”
“Chick down the hall needed it to sleep in.” I shrugged it off as coolly as Icould.
Without questioning it, he grabbed two white shirts out of his drawer and tossed one over tome.
“Thanks. Now let’s get the fuck out of here before Ryder kicks our asses.” I turned on my heels and made my way as quietly passed Crickett’s room as possible. I trotted down the stairs, making sure to leave a note for Crickett before headingout.