she always fumbled her words and acted like a little kid around her father. Would he ever stop affecting her that way? She didn’t dare tell him how she gave the man a ride. Her father would lock her up for the rest of her life.
“So, how did that make it imperative that you leave your family and take off to the other side of the fucking world?”
Her stomach dropped into her little toes. When Daddy started swearing, everyone scattered. He was pissed. He’d never been this mad at her before and she didn’t like it a bit.
“Daddy,” she said, trying to inject a reasonable tone into the conversation. “He told me Stephen would never stop. That he’d hurt my family.” While this wasn’t exactly true, Aja had inferred it from their conversation. It didn’t hurt that it helped her side of the argument. Or at least she felt it did. Her father seemed to take quite a different viewpoint.
“Since when did my little girl become the assigned protector of the Rain family, Aja?”
“Daddy, I’m not a little girl.” Aja stood to her full height and tried to ignore the smirk of the concierge.
“I’m a grown woman now. I’m sorry for scaring you, but I needed to get away. I wanted to leave the media and everything behind. I also hoped if I left, Stephen would back off, and forget about me.”
Her father laughed, but it didn’t sound humorous. “He’s never going to forget, Aja. You nearly cut off his most prized possession. A man like that will never forget.”
Aja’s shoulders slumped. “What do we do?”
“Nothing. He’ll just have to live with it. He’s tried to bring a lawsuit against you, but that won’t work. It’s already over.”
“What? How?”
“His lawyer must hate him too.” This time her father laughed with real mirth.
“Why?”
“Because he did a shit job of drawing up the lawsuit. My lawyer took a look at it and it’s clear it’ll never hold up in court. My lawyer has at least ten things he can use to get it thrown out. It’s so clearly a hack job, I’d wonder if he found his lawyer in a Cracker Jack box, except I know the man. He’s a class act. So, it tells me he’s done it on purpose. He must have made enough money to retire already, because when Stephen finds out, he’ll probably send that hit man after him .”
“Wow.” Aja couldn’t think of anything else to say. Things were looking up for her and her family. No wonder Daddy was mad. But, now that she was in Rome, she was glad she’d come. The freedom she felt out from under her family’s protection was liberating, although scary. That must be what it felt like to grow up. Too bad she’d had to wait until she was twenty-five.
“Aja? You there?”
“Yes, I’m here Daddy. I’m glad things are settling down. I think I’m going to stay here for a while, though. It would be a waste to just turn around and go home. I think I’m long due for a holiday. I’m so sorry I scared you. I promise I’ll never do anything like that again.”
Her father took a deep breath. Aja was afraid he would blow again, but he just let the air out slowly. “Okay, Aja, if that’s what you want. I’ll hold you to your promise, though. Don’t ever do this to us again. I might not survive it.”
The guilt struck deep and quick, just as her father intended it to.
“I promise.”
“Okay. Do you need anything? Any money?”
Aja swallowed her impatience. “No, I’m OK. I have money. I really want to make it on my own for a while, okay?”
“Okay, baby.” His tone was mildly patronizing. Aja pushed back her irritation.
“Say hi to Mother for me. I’ll call again when I get settled.”
“Be careful.”
“I will. I love you.”
Aja set the phone down and averted her face from the curious eyes of the concierge. She went back up to her room and flopped on the bed, exhaustion overtaking her. She no longer had the energy
“So, how did that make it imperative that you leave your family and take off to the other side of the fucking world?”
Her stomach dropped into her little toes. When Daddy started swearing, everyone scattered. He was pissed. He’d never been this mad at her before and she didn’t like it a bit.
“Daddy,” she said, trying to inject a reasonable tone into the conversation. “He told me Stephen would never stop. That he’d hurt my family.” While this wasn’t exactly true, Aja had inferred it from their conversation. It didn’t hurt that it helped her side of the argument. Or at least she felt it did. Her father seemed to take quite a different viewpoint.
“Since when did my little girl become the assigned protector of the Rain family, Aja?”
“Daddy, I’m not a little girl.” Aja stood to her full height and tried to ignore the smirk of the concierge.
“I’m a grown woman now. I’m sorry for scaring you, but I needed to get away. I wanted to leave the media and everything behind. I also hoped if I left, Stephen would back off, and forget about me.”
Her father laughed, but it didn’t sound humorous. “He’s never going to forget, Aja. You nearly cut off his most prized possession. A man like that will never forget.”
Aja’s shoulders slumped. “What do we do?”
“Nothing. He’ll just have to live with it. He’s tried to bring a lawsuit against you, but that won’t work. It’s already over.”
“What? How?”
“His lawyer must hate him too.” This time her father laughed with real mirth.
“Why?”
“Because he did a shit job of drawing up the lawsuit. My lawyer took a look at it and it’s clear it’ll never hold up in court. My lawyer has at least ten things he can use to get it thrown out. It’s so clearly a hack job, I’d wonder if he found his lawyer in a Cracker Jack box, except I know the man. He’s a class act. So, it tells me he’s done it on purpose. He must have made enough money to retire already, because when Stephen finds out, he’ll probably send that hit man after him .”
“Wow.” Aja couldn’t think of anything else to say. Things were looking up for her and her family. No wonder Daddy was mad. But, now that she was in Rome, she was glad she’d come. The freedom she felt out from under her family’s protection was liberating, although scary. That must be what it felt like to grow up. Too bad she’d had to wait until she was twenty-five.
“Aja? You there?”
“Yes, I’m here Daddy. I’m glad things are settling down. I think I’m going to stay here for a while, though. It would be a waste to just turn around and go home. I think I’m long due for a holiday. I’m so sorry I scared you. I promise I’ll never do anything like that again.”
Her father took a deep breath. Aja was afraid he would blow again, but he just let the air out slowly. “Okay, Aja, if that’s what you want. I’ll hold you to your promise, though. Don’t ever do this to us again. I might not survive it.”
The guilt struck deep and quick, just as her father intended it to.
“I promise.”
“Okay. Do you need anything? Any money?”
Aja swallowed her impatience. “No, I’m OK. I have money. I really want to make it on my own for a while, okay?”
“Okay, baby.” His tone was mildly patronizing. Aja pushed back her irritation.
“Say hi to Mother for me. I’ll call again when I get settled.”
“Be careful.”
“I will. I love you.”
Aja set the phone down and averted her face from the curious eyes of the concierge. She went back up to her room and flopped on the bed, exhaustion overtaking her. She no longer had the energy
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