Chapter 12

Ford

The sobbing outside the door, and it fucking tears at my heart. What's left of it anyway. The truck that peeled out of her driveway held what I assume to be her father, considering everyone in this town knows the situation between the two of them.

And let's be honest. Like attracts like. The shit I used to do, and am doing isn't exactly illegal. I know more about Doogie than I really should.

"Who hurt you?" I ask. "Tell me, and I swear to God they won't do it again."

She doesn't say anything, just looks up at me. It's reminding me too much of Felicity and how broken she appeared to be when I took over custody. "Nobody."

"Try again. Was it your piece of shit dad?" I crouch down beside her, offering my hand. "C'mon, don't sit here on the floor over him. He ain't worth it." Ashley is way too fucking quiet for my liking. If there's one thing I know about this woman, she's a fighter.

"Yeah," she mumbles. "It was him. He threatened me."

"What do you mean he threatened you?" I grab her hand with mine, and pull her up, hating to see her with this sad look on her face.

"I know a lot that I shouldn't." She pushes her hair back from her face. "I cooked his books. I could destroy him. But he could destroy me too."

Reaching out, I take her chin between my fingers. "The fuck he will. That's not who you are. You're not scared."

"You don't know that, not really. You don't know what it was like listening to him and my mom scream at each other when I was a kid. It was very scary. He knows all of the buttons to push, all the ways I show my anxiety, and he preys on it. It's a game to him." She wraps her arms around her stomach, almost as if she's holding herself together. "It's not a game to me. This is my real life."

I don't want to diminish what she's gone through, but at the same time we all have shit. "You've made it through, Ash. Whatever he's done, you've made it through. You're still here, standing tall and proud. No matter how you were raised, you're the type of person who doesn't take shit from most. Don't take it from him. He doesn't deserve it."

She walks over to her couch, sitting down, and putting her head in her hands. "He doesn't, but it's still there all the same. That fear, that trauma, it doesn't go away just because you shove it into the closet and hope that you forget what your parents did to you. Ya know?"

Fuck do I know that. I don't share with anyone the shit I saw as a child, or what I've done as an adult. "I do, but I also don't want you to turn back to shit you don't want because he's threatened you and made you feel small. Fuck him, and fuck that."

Ashley wipes her eyes, giving a watery laugh. "You're right, fuck him and fuck that. But, Ford, I'm scared."

Her lower lip trembles, and I take her into my arms, holding on tight. "He ain't gonna touch you. I swear to God. He will no longer hurt you."

Her eyes say she doesn't believe me, but I refuse to let this end on that note. Reaching forward, I dig my fingers into her hair, and bring her lips to mine. This kiss is a promise that the future will never be as bleak as her past.

Days Later

I got the previous car I was working on out of the garage, but I've already spent that fucking money. I check my bank account. It's getting very close to negative again. Who knew it would be so expensive to raise a kid? I remember hearing so many people say that as long as a kid has love, they're good.

What a goddamn lie that is. Felicity needs food, clothes, I need gas to take her everywhere she needs to go, and then just stuff she requires for being a little girl. That's only going to get more expensive the older she is. The pressure is immense. I push my hat off my head and scratch my hair. It's a nervous habit I haven't been able to shake.

It's quitting time, but I'm seriously contemplating starting to drive for DoorDash when Isaac comes up to me. He tilts his head toward mine. "I heard that if I need something slightly not legal done, you're probably the person to come to."

Now this pisses me off. This little shit has given me bad vibes since he started, and now he's asking me about the legality of what I do? "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

"Yeah, you do." He sneers. "I know you came in here early, you stayed late, and don't think I didn't see the car that sat over there under a tarp leave. After it left, you ate out quite a bit, which I know you couldn't afford before. I'm not stupid."

Shit. If he's noticed, then I haven't been as careful as I'd hoped. "What do you want?"

His lips curve in a smile that's completely dangerous. "I have someone who needs help to get rid of a mistake they made."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" I'm intrigued, but I'm not ready to commit.

He walks over to the door leading outside the garage and invites someone in. Doogie follows him, and I hate the look of these assholes together. "My friend, Doogie, made a bit of a mistake. Isn't that right? I told him I thought you'd help him, since I noticed what you were doing."

Doogie and I eye one another. "No deal."

"It's not that easy." Isaac grabs my arm.

"Get your hand off me. If you know what's good for you, you'll never touch me again." The words are low, full of venom.

"My bad, but you need to listen to him, because he has a lot to offer you."

I cross my arms over my chest and give him a look. "What are you going to say to me that'll make this offer worth my time? What are you going to say that's going to make me want to betray your daughter. You know I live next door to her, don't you?"

"I have fifteen‐thousand dollars with your name on it. Make this go away and I'll make your money problems better. Everyone in town knows how hard up you are, Ford. I hit somebody and I ran. Jail time will be thrown my way and I think we both know that I have a bullseye on my back if I go to jail. I've been there, done that, and I owe a lot of people." He gives me a wink. "So what do you say? Wanna work together?"

Do I want to? No.

Do I need to? Yes.

Am I willing to fuck up what I have with Ashley? I'm leaning toward no, and that's a fucking first for me. Any other time in my life, I've burnt it all down. This time, I don't want to.