“Easy, baby. Easy,” he murmured to her. He quickly got her back into the car and they were off again.
“Sorry. Sorry,” she murmured to him. “I’m sorry to be such a nuisance.”
He turned and gave her a firm look as he parked next to his father’s BMW. “You have nothing to be sorry for. And you are most certainly not a nuisance. Now, before I go in there and confront that asshole, can you tell me what he did?”
She didn’t want to. Not just for her own sake, but for Macca’s. But she knew she had to tell him some of it at least.
She clasped her hands together tightly. “He knocked on the door. I wasn’t going to answer it, but then I saw he was searching for the spare key, so I knew he’d get in on his own. When I opened the door, he stormed inside and he started searching through drawers in your nan’s study. I don’t know what he was looking for. I. . .I came in and told him to stop.” Her hands fisted together in her lap and he reached across, clasping them with his much bigger hand. His touch gave her the strength to continue. “He told me this was his house now; he spoke like your nan was already dead. Then he. . .he said I’d work for him once she was gone, that I owed him a debt for being allowed to live here for free while she wasn’t here.” She let out a small sob.
He undid her seat belt and drew her close, kissing her forehead. “Easy, sweet pea. What happened next?”
“He grabbed my wrist and shoved me into a wall. I-I got away and took off.”
He frowned and she felt guilty at not telling him all of it. But how could she tell him that his own father had stripped off in front of her, had wanted her to suck his cock? She raised a shaky hand to her head, rubbing at the headache that had started throbbing there.
He lifted his hand from hers and lifted her right hand, staring at the bruises that had already formed around her wrist. “That fucking bastard. I’m calling the cops.” He reached for his phone but she grabbed his forearm.
“No, please don’t!”
“Why not? He assaulted you. The bastard is still here, trashing Nan’s house.”
“They won’t believe me. Remember how you said your mum didn’t go to the police because your dad had connections there?”
“Fuck. You’re right. But you didn’t get those bruises on your own, Gigi.” Frustration filled his voice and she flinched. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Sorry, baby. I’m not frustrated at you. But you can’t let him get away with this. I’m going in to deal with him.”
“No, don’t!” But before either of them could move, his father stepped out of the house. He glared over at his father and her heart raced. Nausea bubbled again and she let out a small whimper.
“Stay here,” Macca told her. He climbed out and slammed the door then started striding towards the house. To her shock, as soon as he got close to his father, he pulled his fist back and hit him.
Shit! She scrambled to get out, her hand fumbling on the door handle. She hadn’t expected that. She
raced towards them, determined to protect Macca. Obviously, his father was no match for him physically, but she would never trust that old bastard.
Macca was bent over, dragging his father up, his fist coming back. “Stop! No!” She grabbed his arm.
“Get back in the car, Gigi. Now.” He turned to his father, shaking him. “How dare you touch her!”
She didn’t move. Instead, she kept a tight hold on his arm. As much as she wanted to see his father suffer, she didn’t want him going to the police with a complaint against Macca.
“Her? Why would I want to touch that slut!” his father sneered.
“She has a bruised wrist!”
His father shrugged and attempted to shove himself away from Macca, but her man was strong.
Not hers.
“Let me go!” his father demanded.
“You’re going to pay for touching her,” Macca told him.
To her surprise, his father started to laugh. “All those years and I wanted you to stand up for yourself and you do it for her. What makes this little slut so special?”
Macca’s arm moved and she knew he was going to hit his dad again. She clung on tight to his bicep, knowing she looked ridiculous, basically hanging off him like a rag doll, but she also knew he wouldn’t hit his dad with her right there. He wouldn’t put her in harm’s way like that.
“Do not fucking call her that.”
His dad’s eyes widened with surprise and delight. “Oh, don’t you know? Well, that’s just priceless. Do you care about her, son?”