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We turn to climb the stairs to her apartment and I spot a guy leaning against the railing. He’s older, probably in his fifties or sixties, but he looks harmless.
Macy’s body goes rigid as she stares at him like she just saw a ghost. I’ve never seen her like this before and it’s honestly scaring me a little bit.
“Baby, what’s wrong? Who is that?”
She opens and closes her mouth several times, but nothing comes out. I don’t know what to do. I’m seconds away from tossing her over my shoulder and placing her back in my car, but I have one more idea before I try that.
I squat down low enough for me to be eye level with Macy, and hold onto her shoulders. She blinks at me and slowly seems to come out of whatever haze she was in.
“Who is that, Mace? You’re scaring me.”
“Micheal Hayes. That’s my father,” she whimpers.
Taking her hand in mine, I spin around to face Mr. Hayes, carefully guiding Macy so she’s standing behind me. I don’t want this man to see her again until I know what he’s doing here.
“What are you doing here?” I keep my voice dark and menacing. I won't hesitate to do whatever I have to do to protect my girl.
Mr. Hayes takes slow steps towards us. I can tell he’s being cautious. He doesn’t know who I am and he isn't sure how I'm going to respond. He keeps his hands in the air, showing he’s not a threat.
“I just wanted to talk to my daughter,” he says softly.
“Phone calls are a good way to do that.”
“I’d love to call her, but I don’t have her phone number. She hasn’t spoken to me in almost twenty years.”
I swallow hard. Macy’s never talked about her parents much, but I didn’t realize she cut off contact completely with them. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised though.
“That seems like a pretty strong indication she doesn’t want to speak to you.”
He nods his head, seemingly lost in thought. I examine him as he stares down at the sidewalk. Macy has his dark hair and olive skin. His striking honey eyes are almost an exact match to Liam’s and Macy’s. There’s no denying they’re related. They have the same chin and dimples.
“I deserve that.”
“Did you really think it was a good idea to wait on the steps of her apartment in the dark to surprise her?”
“No. I knew it was stupid, but Liam wouldn’t give me her number. I only figured out where she lived because he slipped up and mentioned the apartment complex. But I’ve been fighting to figure out which building.”
Macy’s hand is shaking in mine and I hear a soft sniffle. I have to get her out of here, but she needs to get her stuff for work tomorrow.
“Macy, go into your apartment and get your stuff while I talk to your dad,” I speak loud enough for her to hear, but don’t take my eyes off of Mr. Hayes. I'm not trusting anyone with my girl.
A sob tears through her as she darts towards the door and disappears inside. My chest aches for her. I can only imagine how much pain she’s in right now. I know she’s always been afraid of him showing up. But he’s kept his distance for this long, why is he here now?
“What do you want from her?” I scrub a hand down my face and stare him down.
“I don’t want anything. I just wanted to talk to her.”
“Do you need money? I’ll write you a check right now if you never come back here.”
I'm not joking. I’d give him almost any amount to get him away from her before he breaks her all over again.
“I don’t need your damn money,” he growls.
“Then I'm a little lost on why you’re here.” I fold my arms over my chest. I'm not afraid of him and he knows it. I'm standing between him and his daughter, but I'm not moving unless Macy asks me to.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her. Liam moved them away while I was in prison.” His lips press into a thin line. “I’m not proud of my past, but I want to make up for what I did.”
“How do you plan on doing that? Showing up here unannounced probably set you back a few steps.”
