3. Maybe I Should Tell Daddy

Chapter 3

Maybe I Should Tell Daddy

Megan

M y new neighborhood is in somewhat of a residential area but it’s got quite a few nice cafés to choose from. I select one that’s far enough from my building but close enough to walk, not paying much attention to the flowery decor inside.

My hands are wrapped around a hot cup of coffee as I anxiously tap my foot against the floor. It’s not a very crowded place, and I’m grateful for that because I’m feeling a little claustrophobic right now.

I shouldn’t be here.

I should have deleted the message.

Better yet, I should have just changed my number again.

I hear the bell on the front door of the café jingle as somebody walks in and when I look up, it’s an attractive girl, a few years younger than me. Her fake blonde hair is done up in curls, and her makeup is dramatic, making her brown eyes appear larger and almost doe-like. She looks like the sweet hottie next door.

She isn’t.

From the corner of my eyes, I can see a few men check her out but she doesn’t pay them any attention, walking straight over to me.

“Sissy.” She beams, still using her ludicrous nickname for me. “How’ve you been?”

“Rachel,” I murmur her name, my voice cautious. “Why are you here in LA?”

She sits down across from me, pushing her blonde weave back from her shoulder and smiling. “Aren’t you going to order me something, Sissy?”

I point towards the counter. “This place is self-service.”

“So, then go get it for me.” Her smile still lingers but her tone is hard now.

“I have to leave in ten minutes.” I shift in my seat, ignoring her words that I know were meant as a challenge. “So, make this quick.”

She studies me for a few seconds, and the silence is daunting, but then she finally says, “Seems as if you grew some balls now that you’re out of the house.”

Her eyes are angry as she smiles at me, and it instantly brings up all those old feelings I have for her.

Disdain.

Distrust.

Disgust.

“Tell me what you want, or I’m leaving,” I say shortly.

Rachel is two years younger than me and the apple of her wicked mother’s eye. There was once a time that I truly believed that I couldn’t blame my younger half-sister for how she treated me because she followed her mother’s example. It was only later that I realized that she inherited her cruel streak from both her mother and our father.

“Dad won’t like it when I tell him how you’re talking to me.” She taps her long, coffin-shaped nails on the table.

“Well, he can add that to the list of things that piss him off about me,” I say harshly, trying not to betray the sudden fear of the threat.

As long as he gets money from me, I’m safe.

Rachel’s smile slips.

“Maybe I should tell Daddy that he should pay you a visit now that I know where you live.”

Normally, a threat like that would have me shaking in my boots, but it’s been two years since I left my home. I walked out of that house, a shell of a human being, my hands stained with blood, blood that I still can’t wash off. But a lot can change in two years.

“I don’t have time for your fucked up games, Rachel.” I stand to my feet. “Next time, don’t message me trying to threaten me with the past. The past is where I left it, behind me.”

I’m about to walk past her when she grabs my wrist, digging her sharp claws into the inner side of it. She looks up at me, and when I meet her gaze, for a short moment, I feel like I’m looking into my stepmother’s eyes, those same cruel, soulless eyes.

“Don’t think that just because you got away from the house, you can act so high and mighty with me.” Her words are a vicious whisper. “You keep forgetting your fucking place.”

My place.

A sharp strike on my back from a cane.

My place.

My face was forced down into a bowl of urine.

Memories that I continually keep trying to bury deep inside of me force their way to the surface, and I snatch my hand away.

“Touch me again, Rachel, and I’ll make sure you regret it. Stay the fuck away from me!”

My voice projects my warning loudly, and I can’t help but notice as patrons of the cafe turn their heads in our direction. Rachel blushes with embarrassment and forces a smile on her face.

“You’re overestimating your worth. All I have to do is go home and tell Dad that you hurt me and all the money in the world won’t matter to him. If you think living at home was difficult, you’ll just end up being somebody’s bitch in prison.”

I go still, fear of her very real threat sits bitterly in my mouth.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Rachel. We’re not kids anymore, and Dad isn’t stupid.”

The demon smiles broadly and I know that she can tell how she’s managed to get under my skin. She was always better at this game than I ever was.

“I can call him right now and tell him how you’re treating me today, or you can sit your fat ass back down and–“

“Megan?”

A deliciously cool voice calls to me from behind, and suddenly, the sense of relief that fills me almost makes me stagger. Hunter’s hand is firm as he glides it across my waist, settling it on my hip.

“What’re you doing here?” I ask with more gratitude than he’ll ever understand.

I don’t get a chance to say anything else because Rachel is on her feet, batting her false eyelashes at Hunter. It makes my stomach roll.

“Hi, I’m Rachel, Megan’s sister.”

The look in her eyes is so familiar that my palms grow sweaty. It’s the same look she once had in her eyes when she saw me with a boy when I was seventeen. That desire to take what is mine has led to consequences that are now wrapped like chains around my arms and legs.

Hunter looks at her and then at me and his voice is his usual steady sound, “Hunter.”

He doesn’t look very interested, but of course, Rachel doesn’t care. She steps closer to him, playing with a long strand of her hair, a coy look in her eyes.

“So, how do you know my sister?”

My insides are turning cold. I cover Hunter’s hand with my own, a mixture of possessiveness and fear running side by side within me.

“We have to go,” I say. “Come on, Hunter.”

My tone is hard as I entwine my fingers with his, pulling him along, but Rachel steps in my path.

“What’s your rush, sis’?” She stares at her hands and then back at me. “You just got here, and you haven’t even introduced us properly.”

Alone, Rachel’s threats are quite effective because I fall back into my old emotional patterns, but with Hunter standing beside me, his presence serves as a massive security blanket. The fact that I know he has my back gives me the kind of confidence that I’ve never had before.

“That’s because he’s none of your business,” I say sharply. “And I’m not sure how you found my phone number, but don’t ever contact me again.”

A shutter falls over Rachel’s expression, and her eyes flash at me in a warning. “Don’t be silly, Megan. We’re sisters, and you’re really hurting my feelings.”

“That sounds like a personal problem.” I bare my teeth at her. “Now get out of my way.”

I pull an oddly compliant Hunter past her, and she calls out, “I’ll call you later after I do a bit of sightseeing. I need a place to stay.”

“The fuck you do,” I hiss to myself, enraged and upset.

As soon as we exit the Café, Hunter says, “The car is there.”

“I want to walk!” I basically bark as I take large strides along the pavement, my hand still holding onto his as if for dear life.

“Walk where?” he asks mildly.

“Anywhere,” I mutter, wanting to get rid of this disgusting feeling inside of me. I feel tainted for some reason. A little bit of me feels like the old Megan.

“Megan.”

Hunter pulls at my hand, abruptly yanking me to a stop and whirling me around in one heartbeat. I crash into his chest, and he looks down at me calmly. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

“No,” I bury my face in his chest, struggling to draw in air, trying to get rid of this rage and frustration inside of me.

“What do you need?” His voice is a low whisper while also sounding quite commanding. “What can I do?”

“I want to set the world on fire.” I hate how my voice breaks. “I want everything to burn to ashes.”

“I can make that happen.” He slowly lifts my chin and carefully pushes a few stray curls behind my ear. “I’ll burn down whatever the fuck you want me to, Megan. Just say the word.”