Page 71 of Brutal Secrets
His steady voice anchors me back to the grubby steel walls and the swinging overhead bulb. I pull out my phone to reply to my daughter’s text, getting blood all over the keys of the old Nokia.
Chapter Forty-Three
The kitchen door bangs as loud as a gunshot, and Dex jumps as Nadia’s voice screams from the corridor of the safe house we’ve stopped in.
“I hate you! I want to live with my dad!” Her voice echoes from behind the closed door, and her footsteps stomp away from us.
I let my eyes fall closed and my head drop back against the wall. I can’t win. The usual questions assail me before I can stop myself.
Why did he leave?
Why wasn’t I enough to make him stay?
Needing to release the tension somehow, I lash at the cupboard, kicking it until it bangs like the door. The top hinge comes loose and rolls to the floor with a clink, leaving the door sagging at an angle.
Dex’s snickering makes me look up and glare at him.
“What’s so funny?” I snap.
“Nadia reminds me of you at that age.” Dex leans against the sink, smiling wryly at me. He steps toward me, clamping his big hands over my shoulders, and I try to shrug him off. “So much spirit,” he adds.
“There’s one big difference. When I was Nadia’s age, I had a dad who loved me.” I try to pull away from him, but Dex grips me tighter and gives me a gentle shake until I look up into the twinkling eyes of my father’s best friend.
“It’s not that different. Your dad was deployed for long stretches. Vadim is probably doing the best he can, given the circumstances.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and stare at the toes of my boots. “I can’t put my life on hold for another man who doesn’t care. I’ve got to get back and fight this court case.”
Dex pulls me over to a chair, pours a cup of coffee, and slides it to me across the table. I take a sip. It’s bitter and acrid. It tastes how I feel.
“Kesera,” Dex says softly. “What makes you think he doesn’t care?”
I run my finger across the top of the cup rather than look at him. “He never came to find us.”
“Hey.” I look up at the sharpness in Dex’s voice. “If I were him, I would have done the same.”
I can’t help my mouth pulling into a sneer. “What? Avoided your family?”
“No. I’d have tried to protect them by staying away. I think that’s what he’s doing.” He stands and points a thumb at the closed door to the bedroom where Nadia is hiding. “Come on. Go and get Nadia. We’re going riding.”
“What?” I step back. “I thought you said it wasn’t safe to leave.”
He grins at me, white teeth gleaming against his tan. “I said it wasn’t safe for Nadia to go to a mall, but I’ve got a military buddy with stables near here, and I think we all need horses and sunshine.”
“You sure?” I look out the window at the anonymous street.
“Yeah, no one is going to spot you on the back of a horse. Go get ready.”
“Okay.” I pad down the corridor and press my ear against Nadia’s door. Hiccupping sobs filter through the wood, and my heart sinks.
I go to my room and pull on some jeans. I’m pondering the mess we’re in as my phone rings. Maxine’s name flashes across the screen, and I swipe my thumb over it as my heart thuds against my ribs like a drum.
“I’ve got good news and bad news,” she says. Her nasal accent comes down the line, reminding me that my battles are still being fought in my absence.
“Give me something good. Please.” I twirl a curl of hair around my finger.
“You aren’t alone. There are at least three more artists who’ve been harassed and have confirmed that Jimmy is an equal-opportunity monster.” I can hear the smirk in her voice as she adds, “He spreads the love around.”
“But?”