Chapter 49
1441words
I sit on the couch and cling to Trevor like my life depends on it. In a way, it does.
He has never talked or asked me about why my apartment isn’t nicer. In the beginning, he asked why I hadn’t gotten a bigger one, but I had given him a lame excuse about needing to save money, which wasn’t completely a lie.
I do have to save money, but it isn’t because I was saving the cash for something else. It is because I didn’t have any money after my father got a hold of me.
My grip on his arms tightens as my body trembles. I thought I had more time before my father would reach out. He usually doesn’t try to talk to me while I’m working.
I have set one rule which must not be crossed. He can’t affect my work.
The moment he does, I cut him off. I don’t know if I could hold myself to it, though, but he doesn’t know that. He isn’t completely dumb because he knows if I don’t have work, I won’t have the funds to give to him. The thought of not having a steady money supply is enough of a threat to keep him away while I’m working. I just wish I had another way of keeping him away from me the rest of the time.
I can stand up to most people, but when my father shoots his stern voice and gaze at me, something inside of me breaks, and I end up giving him whatever he asks for.
In the back of my mind, I also know if I don’t give him money, the people he owes will come looking for me. The last thing I need is a group of sketchy people from the various loan sharks in town hanging out around the studio, waiting for me. That would be a sure way of ending my career in one stroke.
When I was younger, I saw what they did to my father when he couldn’t pay. I usually hid, so they didn’t know I was there, but those few incidents have put a fear in me which I can’t seem to get rid of no matter what I do.
Trevor caresses my back. “Are you feeling better now? Do you need to anything? Maybe a glass of water.”
His concern wraps around each word and warms my heart.
Can I tell him? Will he toss me to the side when he finds out about my father?
Fear nibbles away at me.
Trevor kisses the top of my head. “You can tell me anything. I will help you no matter what it is.”
I take a deep breath and open my mouth, but the words get stuck in my throat.
He continues to caress my back and tentatively asks, “Does your father owe people money?”
My heart sinks. Does he know?
With tears filling my eyes, I lift my head off his shoulder and stare up at him.
His eyebrows knot together as his worries cloud his vision. “I’m just taking a wild guess. You live in a small apartment when you can afford something bigger. Also, you always seem to be extremely tight with money. I know you don’t owe anyone, so I thought it was your father based on how frantic he was getting in the messages.”
He rubs little circles on my back. “You can tell me. I won’t tell anyone, and together, we can figure out a way to fix it, and maybe pay it off.”
Is he serious? He would help me figure out a way to pay off my father’s debts.
He is too good to be true.
My lip quivers as I choke out, “He is a gambler.” I don’t need to say anything else. He should know the rest.
As soon as ‘gambler’ leaves my mouth, a weight is lifted off my shoulders. I’ve been worrying about this by myself all my life. It is a relief to have someone else on my side who knows, even if he doesn’t help me financially to resolve it. Just having his emotional support is enough for me.
Trevor slowly nods. “That makes sense. I’m assuming he is needing money to go gamble, or the people he owes has told him to pay up.”
I press my lips together and slowly nod.
He leans forward and grabs my phone off the coffee table. As he scrolls through it, he asks, “Where is the usual place he was referring to? Is it somewhere close to your apartment?”
I shake my head. “No.”
Another wise move I did was to make sure any money exchange with my father was far away from my apartment. I don’t want his issues flowing over to me more than they already have.
Trevor kisses the top of my head. “That’s a relief. You never know what those kind of people will do if things go sideways.”
I remain quiet and nod in agreement.
Images of my youth, when the thugs came looking for my father and their money, rushes through my head. Their fierce looks are burned into my memory while their loud threats echo in my ears.
From the way Trevor talks, I get a feeling he knows more about this than I thought he would.
He tightens his arm around me. “I’ll see if any of my contacts still have any pull with them. We will get the full story and resolved it soon.”
This time, it is me furrowing my eyebrows while I stare at him. Do I want to know why he has connections in the gambling world?
His loving gaze hardens, and he grunts, “You won’t be going to the meeting. Let him squirm for a bit. Does your father know where your apartment is? Does he have a key to it?”
I shake my head and suck in a breath. “No. I refused to tell him where my apartment is, and I’ve always had our meetings far away from it. He does seem to have a vague idea where it is, though. I don’t know how he found it, but he has said things in the past which he wouldn’t know if he didn’t have a general idea where my apartment is. Why do you want to know?”
He tilts his head. “If your father knows exactly where your apartment is, he might go there and break in, trying to find something which he can take to get his money. We should probably check on it just to be sure. It has been a while since you’ve been home.”
My stomach twists. I don’t know about this.
It makes sense, but I really don’t want to run into any of those shady people.
He kisses the top of my head and gives me a warm smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll be there. If I can get a hold of some of my friends, they will be there too. Depending on which group your father is dealing with, they might be some of the ones looking for him now.”
I don’t know about this. Trevor doesn’t seem like someone who would be part of this shady underworld.
He shakes his head. “Stop thinking like that. I don’t have to ask. You have a look like you are sitting next to the devil. I’m not mixed up in that world, but I do know people and have friends who are in it.”
I still don’t like this, but if he can help me not to live with this stress, I would be forever grateful.
He hands me my phone and pulls his phone out of his pocket. He quickly sends off about 10 different messages to different people. None of them, I know.
When done, he moves his phone back and forth in between his thumb and fingers. “There. Now, we just need to wait and see who responds. Then we will know what to do next. One thing is for sure, though, we need to figure out how to get more of your things from your apartment. Can your friends help with that?”
I’ve never asked my friends to do anything like this before, but I can’t see why they wouldn’t help.
I slowly nod. “I think so.”
He flashes me his crooked smile I love. “Good. We will get your things moved and then worry about your father.”
“Move? I thought you wanted me to only get my important and expensive things.”
He vibrates with a warm chuckle, and his eyes sparkle.
My heartbeat quickens.
What is he up to?
