Chapter Four

Luc

O nce I'm out in the hallway, I quickly make my way back to the main part of the house so I can head up the stairs to my room, and then shut and lock the door behind me. I'd like to get some sleep tonight, and it's always safer to lock the door than leave it open. My parent's room is on the opposite side of the house, and they have no need to be on this side; the only reason they come over here is to take their frustrations out on me.

After I've had a quick shower, I send Trick a message with everything that I've heard; he's keeping all the information together and secure so that we've got it if we ever need it. It wouldn't be safe for me to keep it here as I have no way to secure my room when I'm at school or elsewhere, and they would find it.

In an ideal world, we'd turn all the information that we have over to the cops, and there is a lot of it; there's definitely enough that my father would be convicted, rather selfishly though, because of the nature of the crimes and my certainty that if given the chance my mother would take off, we all decided not to do anything yet and to gather up as much information as we could instead. I would be put into care and most likely moved away from the guys even if one of their parents offered to take me in.

As I've said before, the police would consider it too dangerous for me to remain because of what my father was involved in and because I was the one who gave them the information that would have put my father in prison and got countless other people in trouble. So, I'm being selfish, and I'm refusing to allow myself to be taken away from my only true family, I wouldn't handle that very well at all. When I'm eighteen, we'll revisit the situation and see if we can hand the information over in a way that would mean that I can stay, or we'll time it so that it coincides with college, and I can maybe swing it in a way that means since I'm not going to be living in town anymore, they won't need to make sure that I'm safe by separating me from the guys.

I mean, they'd find me, but it would take them a while without Atlas' many connections.

Trick: Got it. Be careful, please. Do you need me to come and get you?

I think about his offer a moment as I check the time, it is really late, and although Trick is awake, his parents aren't likely to be, and I don't want to risk waking them or risk them wanting to look into the reason why I always tend to show up really late at night, for the same reason as not wanting to turn my father in, I don't want to get lost in the system and end up leaving my family.

My real one.

Me: No, it's okay. The doors are locked, and I'm pretty sure they're just drinking. I'll let you know if I need you, though.

Trick: Okay, if you're sure. For the record, I would much rather have you here.

Me: I know, man. I'm good.

I plug my phone in on my bedside table and grab my remote as I get into bed, putting on a show that I've seen before, but that still makes me laugh. Thankfully, I don't have to put up with anyone trying to get into my room, and I actually manage to get to sleep.

**********

The following day, Trick picks me up like usual, and I'm unsurprised to see that the truck is empty. He usually gets Jensen and Cash before he gets me, and then we go and get Rafe and Riot, just because that's the easiest route to drive without doubling back, and Cash and Jensen live closer to Trick than the rest of us. It's not unusual for him to do this when he wants to talk with me.

"Hey man," I say as I get into the front of the truck.

"Are you okay?" he asks immediately, no hello or anything.

I study him closer and realize that he looks tired, he must have been up most of the night worrying about me, and now I feel like a right asshole for sleeping so well.

I nod, "Yeah, man, I'm good. Like I've said before, ever since I had that conversation with my dad and I actually stood up to him, he doesn't start in on me nearly as often as he did before."

"I know you've said that, man, but I worry." He replies as he starts the truck and heads in the direction of Riot and Rafe's places. He glances at me out of the side of his eye as he adds, "Would you tell us if something happened?"

There's an underlying meaning to that question, which I choose to pretend that I haven't picked up on as I answer, "I have before."

"Hmm," Trick hums and I get the feeling that he somehow suspects that I haven't always been honest with them all about what's been going on.

He's right, but I didn't realize that they suspected any differently before now. The thing is, I wasn't lying when I replied before. My father really has backed off a lot since I beat the shit out of him and put him in the hospital. He insults, belittles, and curses at me still, but he won't raise his fists to me anymore, and the verbal abuse has cut back. I'm sure that's only a temporary thing that will pick back up fairly soon, but I can cope with that; he's said it all before, and it pretty much goes in one ear and out of the other now.

Don't get me wrong, some of the things he says still have a sting to them, but it doesn't affect me as much as it did when I was little. I've gotten used to it. The thing that affected me the most was the beatings, which was something that the guys didn't know about. I don't think he's going to try that again. I ended that fight incredibly easily, and I'll do it again. All of the previous hang-ups that I had about standing up to my father have gone. If he raises his fists to me again, then I'll raise mine with absolutely no hesitation, and I will end it.

Even if it means putting him in the hospital every time.

But I don't want Trick up worrying about me, especially since I am more okay now than I was before.

"Trick, I promise that I'm okay, and if something happens where I'm not or I need backup, I will call you," I say honestly, hoping that he believes me because I have no idea how to make him believe me otherwise.

"Okay." He replies, "I'll try not to worry so much, but knowing what your dad is up to and the kind of shit that he's doing, makes me want you out of that house."

I sigh, "Trust me, I want out of that house more than anyone, but it's not possible at the moment. I don't see any way that I can leave the house without it causing more problems for me and potentially meaning that I end up in the foster system until I age out. I haven't got long until I turn eighteen, only a couple of years; I can stay put for that long."

"I don't like it; I wish you didn't have to put up with his shit just so that you can stay with us." he practically growls.

"Me neither," I reply honestly.

"Just stay with me as much as possible, you know I don't mind, my parents don't mind at all and if you're worried about them looking too closely at things then we can just say that your parents are traveling, they very rarely if ever see them anymore so we should be able to get away with it fairly easily." Trick suggests.

Honestly, it would be amazing to spend even less time at home, and I love staying at Trick's place.

"Are you sure that's okay? With your parents and with me invading your space?" I check; I really don't want to overstay my welcome, which is why I don't stay as often as I'd like to now.

Trick nods, "Are you joking, dude? Of course I'm sure, stay as often as you think you can get away with without your parents kicking up a fuss."

I smile, "Thanks, man. I really appreciate it; just promise me that if you get fed up, you'll tell me so I can fuck off for a bit before you end up hating me."