Page 1 of Stay with Me

‘Thank you, Daph.’ He directs to her with a small smile against the washcloth before continuing. ‘Anyway, they clearly knocked me out because I woke up bound to a chair with them throwing water over my head.’ He clears his throat, evading any eye contact and looking down to the floor. ‘They started questioning me about… you, George, and were asking about your old job. I didn’t know any of the answers to their questions but they kept b-beating me until they eventually realized I wouldn’t be of any help to them.’

He blinks viciously, as if trying not to cry. ‘Th-they left, leaving me bound to my chair, so I tipped myself over to break it and I was able to untie myself. Since they were asking about you I thought it best to grab some clothes and come straight over, to give you a warning. I don’t want anything to happen to you or Daphne.’ He looks over to her and her eyes soften.

‘That must’ve been really scary for you, I’m so sorry.’

‘Thanks, Daph, but it’s really not your fault,’ he responds, dropping his hand to her knee.

‘Keep your hands to yourself, Ted,’ I warn simply.

He removes them instantly as Henry tries to stop himself from laughing.

‘What did these men look like?’ I ask, trying to get us back on topic. The quicker this is sorted, the sooner Build-A-Bear can leave.

‘It was two white guys. They looked like they could pass as bodybuilders and they both had leather gloves on. Also, when they took off their jumpers I spotted matching tattoos on their necks.’

‘What did these tattoos look like?’ George asks.

‘I couldn’t see very well but I think it was a skull with a chess piece on top of it.’

‘Is that the same tattoo that the guy who broke into the house had?’ Daphne asks quietly, looking at me. I nod, while Teddy gawks.

‘Someone broke into your house?’

‘Yeah,’ Daphne whispers.

‘This house?’ Teddy presses, looking only at Daphne.

‘Yes, Teddy, they did, now move on,’ Henry bites out.

George stands up, looking uneasy, and starts pacing the length of the room. ‘This is all my fault.’ He starts chewing his nails.

‘I don’t understand,’ Daphne speaks up. ‘You said they’re after your money, but then why would they hurt Teddy to get to you? If they wanted money, why didn’t they just ask Teddyor his parents? And why do they want to know about your old job? What old job? You’ve only ever worked at Greenway.’

‘Daphne, please stop with the questions.’ Agitation laces George’s tone as he continues to pace.

‘Hey.’ I cut in quickly, shaking my head.

He looks at me for a moment before taking a deep breath. ‘Sorry, Daphne, that was rude of me.’

‘Sir, you need to tell your daughter the truth. Now.’ At that, he stops pacing entirely.

Is it my place to decide this for him? No.

Should I have said that? Probably not.

Am I mad that I did? Absolutely without a doubt no.

From the start, I haven’t been keen on lying to Daphne while everyone else knows what’s going on. She’s seventeen years old, not ten. But it’s not my place to tell her the whole story.

Well. Not until now. This Daveeno case has affected her more than anyone and she still doesn’t know why? That’s absolutely ridiculous, if you ask me.

George glares icily, as if to scare me.

‘What do you mean, the truth?’ Daphne questions before looking over to her father, realization washing over her. ‘The explanation you gave me in my room was a lie. Wasn’t it?’

He says nothing.

‘Wasn’t it?’ she asks again, her voice rising slightly.