Discipline by Lena Little
7
Daniel
“It wasn’t what it looked like.”
“Out!” Winston says, pointing toward the door.
“Not yet,” I bark back and he sinks down into his chair. “Yeah, I should have stopped but I couldn’t. It’s because I’m in love with your daughter.”
“Should have stopped?” Winston grits. “You never should have started. I never should have let you in my house and now I’m asking you to leave, one time, before I call the cops and have you arrested for trespassing.”
I can understand the man’s rage. He saw what no father ever wants to see and I didn’t exactly make matters any better by going for broke and telling him to fuck off when he walked in on me and his daughter acting like my little wet whimpering cock slave.
Personally, I don’t care what Winston thinks. The only opinion I care about is the one that matters and that one belongs to Delilah.
Winston shakes his head and I can see the crease between his brows as it looks like he’s aged about a decade in the last ten minutes. It’s clear he’s not going to give our relationship his blessing so I go for broke.
“There’s a reason she’s acting out, Winston. As her dad, it’s your responsibility to know what it is. It’s what I’ve been trying to put my finger on but can’t.”
“Oh, now a convict is going to tell me how to parent. This just gets more and more fucked up by the second. I’m done.” He reaches for his cell phone and dials 911.
“Operator. I have an intruder in my home and he’s assaulted, my daughter.”
I shake my head knowing Delilah isn’t going to corroborate that story, although my parole officer isn’t going to take the time to find out exactly what went down either. Coming out of the joint I’m guilty until proven innocent, and no way I’m getting locked up again. If I go back inside I can’t be out here with her, keeping her safe and being everything she needs.
Raising one hand in surrender I turn and walk back toward Delilah’s room. “Hey, Honey,” I whisper as she just lies there all curled up on the bed, damn near passed out. “I have to go for a little while, but I’ll be back.”
“Don’t leave me,” she says, showing she’s more awake than I realized. “Never. I’d never do that, but just know you might not see me for a few days.”
“A few days!” She sits up in bed. “You can’t just do what you did and then walk out on me.”
“I’m not walking out on you. Your dad’s throwing me out and I have to leave or risk getting in trouble.”
“But you didn’t do anything.”
“I know that and you know that, but with my history, it doesn’t matter.”
“I’m going with you.”
Pausing, I realize how great of an idea that sounds. But I can’t incite Winston anymore than I already have.
“Next time, Precious.” I lean in and give her a kiss on the forehead and move back to my room, grabbing my things and coming by her room one more time to say goodbye, but she’s already passed out. Damn, how I want to walk in there and claim her one more time, but I can’t. I have to turn and go now or I’m never going to be able to walk out of here.
As if I needed any more encouragement I hear sirens in the distance and I beat feet down the stairs and out onto the street, ducking behind some hedges just as the cop cars arrive. I cut through lawns for a good fifteen minutes until I find a home with a bass boat parked outback. Carefully lifting the tarp off it I slide inside, arranging some life jackets for what’s going to have to serve as a makeshift mattress for tonight. I bring the tarp back over my head and the rain starts, but it doesn’t bother me. I’ve spent time in solitary confinement, ‘the hole’ as it’s known on the inside. I just need a few more days of this, which is nothing, and I’ll have my woman back in my arms…and hopefully an answer as to why Winston really hired me in the first place. Because he’s certainly not going to tell me and neither is Delilah. But I’m going to find out all right because something tells me my baby’s got problems, and as her Daddy, it’s my responsibility to solve them. And that’s exactly what the fuck I’m gonna do.
