I pulled onto the road, and headed back toward Golden. In one night, I’d gone from anguish and hurt, to fear and anxiety, to finally a little peace and lots of pleasure. My body was exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster.
A major hurdle was crossed. But, as I sped down the highway, I glanced around my car, and couldn’t help but feel that somehow, not everything was as it seemed.
Chapter Seventeen
“Hey, Lana, there’s an older guy here to see you,” Edith said, as she rounded toward my cubicle. It was midweek, and my money was on the UPS guy, since it had become my job to sign for all the packages lately.
I looked up to find my dad near the entrance, searching me out. It had been a couple days since I talked to him on the phone.
I got up and headed him off by the break room.
“What are you doing here?”
“Thought I’d take you to lunch.”
“I meant what I said. I’m not helping you lure Jack in to your company.”
“Can’t a father just take his daughter to lunch?”
My father has several masks he put on, and I knew them all well. Today, he was going for logical. He may be changing tactics, but his mission was the same.
“I have plans already.”
“Oh? With Jack?”
“With some co-workers.” Jack had been super busy the last couple days. Word around the office buzzed about a new resort opening in Great Britain. He’d warned me he’d be busy, but this weekend would be ours to look forward to together. And I was looking forward to it.
“I was hoping we could chat. I came off a bit harsh the other day, and I wanted to clear the air.”
“Do you still want me to help you with Jack?”
“My offer stands. It would be a meeting, something you could set up, and could end with you benefiting and Brock leaving, since that seems to be important to you. But I could be wrong. Maybe him being closer will give you two a chance to bond.”
The hint of threat in my father’s voice was something I’d never heard before. A chilling fear crept up my throat. He was playing dirty, and I was trying to stay strong, especially with everything that had happened recently.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stomach the idea of Brock, much less the sight of him. Getting him as far away as possible was appealing. Part of me was finding strength, while the other part had regressed three years in the past few weeks. I hadn’t had paranoia or a single panic attack in a long time. Now with Brock being back, I only prayed the nightmares didn’t start up again too.
I looked at my father. The one man in a girl’s life she should always be able to count on, and for the first time, I had no idea to what level he’d stoop to get what he wanted.
“I can’t do lunch today,” I said.
The smirk he unleashed was paired with renewed anger. His ears were turning red from the inner rage he was fighting. “Some other time then,” he said through gritted teeth.
He turned and walked out. Whatever kind of trouble he was in, or Case-VanBuren was in, I didn’t know. But what was clear was that I wasn’t free from whatever shadows were following my father. Problem was, he was casting his own shadow over me as well, and the sickness in my gut twisted.
How much trouble was he in?
~
My phone lit up with a text from Jack: Meet me downstairs now.
I glanced around my cubicle. It was four o’clock, still another hour or so to go before work was over. My floor manager was nowhere in sight, though.
“Hey, Edith?” I said, looking over her wall.
“Yeah?”
“I can’t find Devin, will you let him know I’m taking my last break?”