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Chapter Thirty-Six
Too Much At Once
The next day Nelle posted three videos online for the antique shop.
She then called Bucky to check up on him and tell him she wouldn’t be around anymore. He begged her to come back, offering her money, offering items from the antique store. Then he called her a bitch. When Slade heard that, he took the phone from Nelle and let the old man know that if he spoke like that to Nelle again, he’d have an expensive clown statue shoved up his ass.
It pained Nelle. But there was no more running. No more hiding.
She took a deep breath. “It’s time to get this over with, Slade.”
“You sure about this?”
“It’s already been done. I reached out to him this morning. He got right back to me.”
“Shit…”
“No, Slade.” Nelle reached up and touched his face. “It wasn’t some father-daughter moment. Want to know how I got him?”
“How, sweetheart?”
“I told him I was working as a waitress and met some guys who have an underground gambling gig. That they loved to getdrunk and that they were rich. They didn’t care about money. I asked him if he still knew how to play cards. You know, just toy with him a little.”
“Oh, fuck, Nelle,” Slade said. He cupped her face with both hands. “I hate this man and I’ve never met him. If I had the chance I’d put a fucking bullet in his head.”
“That’s sweet of you to say,” Nelle said, jumping to her toes. “How fucked up are we, Slade? I find it romantic that you would kill my father…”
“Welcome to the outlaw world, Nelle,” Slade said.
They shared a brief kiss.
“I want to ride with you, Slade,” Nelle whispered.
“I know you do, sweetheart. We can’t chance anything. You’ll be safe in the van. I swear.”
“I’ll be outside in a bit. I need a minute alone to just… process…”
Slade kissed her forehead. “I… I’ll see you at the exchange I guess. If anything changes, you don’t have to be there. Nobody will judge you for it.”
Nelle watched Slade leave the room. She sat down on the corner of the bed and thought about Thalia and Calista. She wished she could talk to them one more time. To apologize for not protecting them better. And to get their thoughts on what was about to happen.
Damien was going to kill their father. That was for sure. Maybe he’d keep him alive and torture him or use him up… but Nelle’s father was about to be sentenced to death. She begged for her heart to ache but it didn’t. She closed her eyes…
“Nelle, I hear Daddy screaming,” Thalia said. “He’s hurt again. Those men hurt him.”
“They’re going to hurt us,” Calista said. “I know it. I heard someone say we weren’t going to turn ten!”
“I’m past that age,” Nelle said. “I’m alive. Those guys are just joking around.”
“I’m scared, Nelle,” Thalia whispered.
She began to cry.
So did Calista.
Nelle hugged her sisters, doing her best to cover their ears. She wished she could hum or sing to soothe her sisters, but any noise would attract attention.
Secretly, Nelle hoped the men downstairs would kill her father. So she and her sisters wouldn’t have to suffer like this anymore. But if that happened… then what? What would happen to Nelle and her sisters?
