Pretend for Daddy

by Hamel, B. B.

  “Should’ve changed it.”

  “I guess.”

  “What did you do since you left home?”

  “Worked odd jobs. Waitress, bartender, that sort of stuff. I moved around a lot. I was out in Ohio, Florida, Colorado… I ended up here just before I interviewed for you.”

  He nods thoughtfully. “I see. And where was your father based?”

  “Los Angeles,” I say. “I was out there for a while… until I ran.”

  “Ah,” he says softly and just watches me carefully. I feel insane, like he’s judging me, like he thinks I’m lying.

  I wish I were lying, but I’m not.

  The calls stopped when I ran and changed my phone carrier. But the emails never stopped coming.

  Always the same threats over and over. They’re going to find me and kill me. They’re going to end me for the sins of my father.

  So I just kept running…

  Until now.

  “How did they find you?” he asks.

  “I don’t know,” I admit. “But the boss... I think he’s out of prison. I think that’s why they’re finally moving on me.”

  Knox watches me carefully without speaking for a long moment. Finally, he sips his whiskey and walks over to me. He places the glass down on the countertop.

  “This is complicated,” he says. “But I promised I’d keep you safe, and I’m going to.”

  I stare at him, shocked. “You’re… really?”

  He tilts my chin toward him. “Really. But you still owe me a baby… and your body. Every inch of it.”

  “Yes,” I whisper.

  “Good girl.” He leans down and kisses me gently. “Now, go upstairs. I’m going to make some calls and get you some clothes.”

  “What are we going to do after that?”

  He shrugs. “I’ll figure it out.”

  I hesitate a second. I don’t want to be away from him.

  “Go,” he says gently.

  And so I turn and leave. I catch one more glimpse of him as I head up the stairs.

  He’s sipping his whiskey, a smile on his face. It sends a shiver down my spine.

  What kind of man doesn’t run screaming after hearing that the mob is trying to kill me? After nearly getting shot?

  A very, very scary man.

  The kind of man that I want protecting me.

  God, I don’t know what I’m getting myself into…

  But that moment in the shower. That moment in the kitchen.

  They were the most sensual experiences I’ve ever had and I know I want more.

  I’m in over my head. But there’s no turning back now.

  6

  Knox

  “What the hell have you gotten yourself into, Knox?”

  Mitch Hole leans against the street light, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket. He looks like an old-school private eye, the kind you see in comic books or on TV. I’m guessing that’s the vibe he’s going for.

  The thing is, Mitch is the real deal. He was a homicide detective for fifteen years before going private. He came highly recommended from a very shady, very connected ex-business associate of mine. And if that guy used Mitch then I know he’s for real.

  “Nothing good,” I say, crossing my arms.

  It’s after midnight. We’re on the sidewalk three blocks from my apartment. Mitch looks twitchy, nervous. I can’t tell what he knows, but obviously it’s as much as I do… or maybe more.

  If it has Mitch scared, it must be pretty serious.

  Well, I guess I know that already.

  “Look, that girl, she’s trouble. Run away from her. Run very, very far away.”

  “What did you find?” I ask him evenly.

  He pulls an envelope from his jacket. “It’s all in here if you really want to know.”

  I reach for the folder but he stops me.

  “Think about this, Knox,” he says softly. “You have a lot to live for. No reason to throw all that away.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “You think my life would be in danger?”

  He shrugs. “That or worse.”

  “What’s worse?”

  “These people… they’re connected. They’re the sort of men with business connections all over the city. But not just business. They’ve got their hands in politics… in everything.”

  I grin at him. “You make it sound pretty serious.”

  He doesn’t grin back. “Just think hard about this. The less you know, the better.”

  I take the envelope. “Truth is, I already know.”

  He frowns. “You do?”

  “The girl told me.” I open up the envelope and pull out some papers, some photographs. I smile and push it back inside. “How serious are they?”

  “As serious as they come,” he says softly. “They were more powerful a while back, when I was still working homicide. I remember they put a lot of those bodies in the river back then.”

  “Hm,” I grunt at him.

  “Are you seriously thinking about keeping her around?” he asks me.

  “The girl and I… we have an arrangement.”

  “Not worth dying for,” he points out.

  “No, but I don’t plan on dying.”

  Mitch sighs and shakes his head. “Look, if you know this much already, you’re compromised. I shouldn’t even be out here with you.”

  “Probably not.”

  “But I like you, Knox. I don’t want to see you end up dead. So let me give you a little advice.” I meet his gaze and he looks deadly serious, but there’s a glint of fear there… and it’s the fear that unsettles me. “Run away. Run far and fast and never, ever look back.”

  “I’ll think about it,” I say, trying to smile.

  He just nods. “All right. And if you don’t run, get yourself a gun. Or better yet, hire some guys that knows how to keep you safe.”

  “Know anyone?” I joke.

  “Nobody that would take this fucking job.” He shakes his head and turns away. “Good luck, Knox. Sorry I can’t help you anymore.”

  “That’s okay, Mitch. I appreciate it.”

  “And hey, if you’re still alive in a few weeks, maybe we can still work together. Assuming the girl’s gone.”

  “She won’t be going anywhere. But I’m sure we’ll be working together again.”

  He stops and looks back at me. “It’s either you or the girl, Knox,” he says before turning and hurrying away.

  I watch him walk into the night.

  He’s so fucking dramatic.

  I sigh and slip the pages from the envelope. I carefully comb through it all, although there’s not a ton of information, and not all that much more than what Ruby already told me.

  There’s a picture of her father at his trial… a transcript from that same trial where he names the mafia boss, Alfonso Grosso, as the real power behind all the killings. There are pictures of Ruby as a young girl, looking awkward and thin and knobby-kneed, pictures of her mother looking wan and empty and swaying, and police reports.

  I frown at one of them. It’s an autopsy report that states the cause of dead was strangulation… and it’s the autopsy of Cynthia Hill.

  That has to be Ruby’s mother. But Ruby didn’t say her mother was murdered…

  Unless she doesn’t know. Or she’s holding things back still.

  I sigh and slip the papers away. Mitch deserves a little break from me… and a big bonus when we get through this.

  I hurry back to my house, taking the long way. I double back, pass it twice, and finally slip inside when I feel like nobody followed. I lock the door, set my house alarm, and head upstairs.

  Ruby’s fast asleep. I smile a little before ducking into my own room.

  I walk into my closet and take a box down. Inside is a shotgun. I load it and carry it back into my main room, leaning it against the wall next to my bed.

  I brush my teeth, wash my face, and get into bed.

  Sleep doesn’t come. I don’t expect it to.

  I
need to figure out what to do from here.

  My mind races in a million different directions. I keep wondering how much Ruby knows, how much she’s holding back from me… I keep seeing a thousand different possibilities…

  But as I finally doze in and out, a plan starts to form.

  It’s a short-term plan, but that’s enough for now.

  I need to get us through the next few days at least. Give us some time to work out a longer term strategy. There’s no way we’re hiding forever…

  I won’t walk away from my business for that long.

  For now though, this’ll work. It’s a temporary solution.

  And it might even be fun.

  * * *

  I wake Ruby up just after five. The sun hasn’t come up yet.

  I sit on the edge of her bed and run my fingers through her hair. She jerks awake, blinking rapidly, fear on her face.

  “Just me,” I say quickly.

  “Fuck… you scared me.” She groans and rolls over. “That’s some stalker level shit right there.”

  I grin at her and stand. “Sorry. Wanted to make sure you woke up.”

  “What’s going on?” She sits up, suddenly alert.

  “Get up, get dressed, and come downstairs.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  I smile and head to her door. “We’re going on a trip.”

  I go downstairs before she can pepper me with more questions. I make a quick breakfast and put on the coffee. By the time I’m done, she’s coming down the steps, her bag of clothes and blankets thrown over her shoulder.

  “Sit,” I say.

  She sits at the table. I give her coffee and eggs. She picks at the food, not eating.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I have a place,” I say. “It’s a small place, nothing special. But it’s secluded. It’ll be safe.”

  She bites her lip. “They’ll follow us.”

  “Maybe.”

  “The guy they sent isn’t dead. He knows who you are.”

  “True. But I don’t think he’s in any shape to follow right now.”

  “They’ll send others.”

  “That’s why we’re moving now.” I cock my head. “Do you have a better plan?”

  “Yeah. Let’s run to Italy, hole up in some tiny town for the next ten years, and live off your money. I’ll give you as many babies as you want, you can—”

  “No,” I say, cutting her off. “There’s no point in making children if I have nothing to give to them. No, I’m not abandoning everything I’ve built.”

  She chews her lip again, looking anxious. “This is a bad idea. We should stay here, in the city.”

  “It’s not safe here, either. At least they won’t know about this place.”

  “How can you know that?”

  “It’s not purchased under my name.”

  She hesitates for a second. “That won’t matter.”

  “Ruby.” I walk over to her, staring down into her eyes. “Do you trust me?”

  She stares back up at me and slowly nods.

  “Good,” I say. “Then just trust me.”

  She sighs but doesn’t argue any more.

  We finish eating. When we’re ready, I lead her outside, the sun just barely starting to come up.

  We hurry two blocks over and stop in front of a boring-looking Nissan sedan. I unlock it and open the door.

  “This is yours?” she asks.

  “Not impressive enough?”

  She laughs. “You’re rich. I figured you’d have a Lexus or something.”

  We climb into the car and I pull out. “No need for something nice in the city,” I say. “Just need a car that’ll get me places, not something that’s just going to get vandalized or stolen sooner or later.”

  She laughs softly. “You’re nuts.”

  “But practical.”

  We drive in silence for a while. She’s staring out the window as we slowly leave the city, heading out into the suburbs. We get onto the Turnpike heading west and start putting miles between us and what happened yesterday.

  I’m careful as I go. I try to make sure nobody’s following me. I even take a couple exits that aren’t necessary, cut through some red lights, and get back onto the Turnpike. I don’t think anyone’s following me, but I can’t be sure.

  Eventually, she yawns.

  “Where is this place, exactly?”

  “It’s called Arrowhead Lake. It’s up in the Poconos.”

  She makes a face. “The what?”

  “Mountains in northern PA,” I say. “It’s actually very pretty.”

  “How far do we have?”

  “Less than two hours normally,” I say. “But the way we’re going, it’ll be at least three.”

  She sighs. “Okay. Not bad.”

  “Got somewhere to be?”

  She just looks out the window. “I don’t like long drives.”

  I let it stop at that. I get onto I-476 and head north, still taking the long way, but moving more direct now. The landscape flashes by and I can tell Ruby’s getting anxious.

  “What about long car rides do you hate so much?” I ask her at a rest stop halfway to the lake.

  She shrugs, cracking open a bottle of Coke. “I don’t know,” she admits. “I guess I just don’t like being so cooped up.”

  “You’re from LA originally, right?”

  She nods. “Yep.”

  “How’d you end up out here?”

  She takes a long sip from her soda. “Drove, mostly.”

  I laugh a little. “There you go. Probably why you hate it so much.”

  “I guess I associate driving with running away.” She sighs. “Are we going to analyze me the whole way there?”

  “Not the whole way.”

  She rolls her eyes and gets into the car.

  I linger outside for a second, stretching my legs. She glares at me through the window before looking off to the side again.

  It’s amazing how annoyed she looks right now… considering I saved her life last night.

  I get into the car and we get moving again.

  * * *

  Lake Arrowhead is this idyllic little community in the Poconos. It’s mostly home to retirees and tourists, and at this point in the fall, it’s pretty empty. Most of the houses haven’t even been winterized, so they’re only good for three seasons at best.

  Some people do live here year-round though. We drive past a few places, fixed up and looking lived-in with cars in the driveway. We amble down a narrow road while Ruby looks around.

  “Are we close?” she asks.

  “Very,” I say. “It’s right up here.”

  I finally turn a bend and pull down a long, steep driveway. When we get to the top, I park outside of a low, sleek, modernist-style home.

  Ruby laughs when she gets out of the car. “This is… really nice.”

  I grin at her. “Thanks. It wasn’t always like that.”

  “You said someone else bought it?”

  I nod. “My parents.” I turn to the house and walk to the front door. Nostalgia washes over me but I push it back as I unlock the door and step inside.

  I haven’t been out to this lake house in a few years. I’ve let friends stay in it most summers, just so that it doesn’t go to shit. It smells a little musty and dusty, like it’s been closed for a few months… and I guess it has.

  I flip on the lights and Ruby follows me in.

  “This is nice,” she says.

  “Thanks. I basically had it rebuilt when I inherited it.”

  “Your parents are both gone?”

  I nod. “Ten years ago now.”

  “I’m sorry. Was it an accident?”

  “Freak thing,” I say softly. “Gas line leaked in their house. They didn’t even know it…” I clear my throat. “Anyway, it was a long time ago.”

  She heads inside and looks around. I smile and watch as she looks at the ‘50s style kitchen, the porch, the living room. “I tried to keep
as much of it original as I could,” I tell her. “And obviously updated and modernized everything that made sense.”

  “It’s really nice.”

  “Happy we came?”

  She shrugs. “If nobody followed.”

  I show her back to her room. I’m letting her have the master, in the very back of the house.

  “Where will you stay?” she asks.

  “There’s another room over there,” I say, pointing across the living room. “I’ll be close.”

  She chews her lip. “Okay, yeah.”

  “Unless you want to share?” I smirk and step closer to her. She takes a step backwards.

  “I, uh—”

  “We are going to be married, aren’t we?”

  She nods slowly. “I guess so.”

  “Then maybe we’d better share. Get used to each other.”

  “I don’t know.”

  I laugh gently. “I thought so. You’re not sure.”

  “What? No, I mean—”

  “No, you’re not.” I watch her for a long moment. “I saved your life once, but you’re afraid I can’t do it again.”

  “That’s not—”

  “Don’t lie to me, Ruby.”

  She clenches her jaw for a second then sighs. “Okay. Fine. They’re serious, Knox. You got lucky and we got through it, but… you might not get lucky again.”

  “That wasn’t luck, my little Ruby,” I say softly. “But I understand what you mean.”

  She glares at me defiantly. “I’m not backing out.”

  “You’re not sure, either.” I turn away from her. “Why don’t you stay here and think about it?”

  “Wait, what?”

  “Stay here and think. I’ll leave you to it.”

  “Wait, don’t go. You can’t just—”

  I walk to the door and step outside.

  She follows me in a panic.

  “Hold on, Knox.”

  I turn and face her. “You’re safe,” I say. “And I won’t be far. I promise. But if we’re going to do this… we’re going to do it my way. I need you on board, no questions, no hesitation. Otherwise, you’re right. We will end up dead.”

  She looks up at me, fear in her eyes. I know she wants me to stay, but not for the right reason.

  “Please,” she says. “Don’t leave me alone.”

  “You’ll be okay.” I walk to the car and get in. “I’ll be back soon, little Ruby.”