“What if...” my sentence stops as Daniel rounds the corner.
Taking out his keys he announces, “I will be back. Full. Fucked. And feeling fantastic.”
“Just go,” Knox demands.
As soon as he shuts the door, I suggest, “What if you didn't see me go out?”
Sarcastically she tilts her head.
“What if...no one did. So no one is to blame.”
“Then we're all to blame.”
“Madden included,” I point out cleverly.
“You really think that's gonna hold up?”
“It'll hold up well enough not to let all the blame fall on you.” She folds her arms across her chest, her defenses weakening. “Come on, Knox. I'll be gone just a couple hours.”
“Where do you wanna go?”
I have a plan. It's crazy. It's insane. I think it'll work, but you've seen this whole fucking household. No one is gonna listen to me. No one wants to hear it, but it needs to be heard. Trust me on this one. Just...go with me on it.
“Just...on a drive. I'm going insane here. This is the longest I haven't been behind the wheel of car since I was 10.”
“Aw, I remember when we let you drive the 4 wheelers.”
“This shit is killing me. Between Ben's death and Jovi's kidnapping, I need something...anything I can control.”
Knox lets out a deep sigh and shakes her head. “I don't condone this.” Standing she gives me a mischievous smirk. “I'm gonna go shower while you sit here, in a house with no big brothers to watch over you, and grieve over photos of Jovi on your phone.”
“Yes,” I lie like she wants. “Grieving over photos of Jovi.”
“Try not to make yourself too upset,” Knoxie winks and heads back the direction of her room.
The window of escape is small, but perfect. As soon as I hear her door shut, I quickly grab my keys off the bar where Madden has demanded they stay in his sight.
Yes. He's that controlling right now.
Darting out of the apartment before Knoxie can rethink her decision about looking the other direction, I start to play over and over in my head exactly what I plan to say when the chance comes.
I've got one shot to make this right. I won't fuck it up. I swear.
After zipping up my hoodie, I cautiously jog around the corner from my car towards the one place I know I need to be even if no one agrees with me.
My side remember? You're supposed to be on my side.
Looking around constantly to insure I'm not being watched, I arrive at the front door giving it a heavy knock.
Thankfully the first face I see isn't going to bash mine in. “Merrick...”
“Nadie,” I greet her sweetly in return.
Gripping the edge of the door, she leans her face against it. “Now's not really a good time. Jovi's not here. She hasn't been here for a couple days. Actually, now that you're here, I should ask. Have you seen her? Please tell me you've seen her.”
My mouth drops to reply when the door is yanked open harshly and a face that I prayed when I finally did meet it, would be under completely different circumstances and he would be trying to figure out how to divorce us not kill me.
Oh yeah. He's gonna try to kill me.
“Who the hell are you?” The Commissioner's voice booms.
“Hello Commissioner Carter. My name is Merrick McCoy.”
“McCoy? As in-”
“The McCoys.”
“What the hell is a McCoy doing on my door step?”
“I'm your daughter's fiance-”
They shriek together. “Fiance?!”
On a deep breath I push past it. “And I'm the reason she's been kidnapped.”
Much faster than I anticipated, he wheels himself quickly around and tosses me against the wall. His large hand wraps tightly around my throat, fingers digging into my pressure points.
Fucking impressive for a guy his age. He's commissioner for a reason right?
“Nicholas!” Nadie screams banging on his arm to let me go.
I don't struggle for him to drop me. Instead I ease as many shallow breaths as I can while waiting for him to give up on trying to kill me on his front porch.
We all know I deserve much worse than this.
“You can't kill him,” Nadie pleads.
The Commissioner crushes my windpipe tighter. “I can.”
“Nicholas!”
His hand unclenches and air rushes back to my burning lungs. As he watches me struggle for oxygen he grunts, “In my house. Now.”
Nodding rapidly I slink past him inside, looking around my surroundings once more.
Can't be too careful with what's about to happen next.
Nadie leads me around to the living room, a place I've never actually been before.
Come to think about it, besides the kitchen where Nadie made us breakfast and Jovi's amazing bed, I haven't seen much of this house. Not complaining. Right...Head in the game.
Carefully I have a seat on the couch while stroking the bruising flesh.
“I'm going to get you an ice pack,” Nadie volunteers.
The Commissioner immediate says, “No.” With an even more livid expression than he originally was wearing before, he stops in front of me and demands, “Speak.”
“My name is Merrick McCoy-”
“I heard you the first time.”
“Jovi's my fiance.”
“Heard that lie as well.”
“It's not a lie,” I cautiously argue. “Today would've been our wedding day.”
He quickly shuts down the idea. “That's impossible.”
“Fiance?” Nadie whispers at me. “When did...How did I not know?”
“You knew they were together?” He bites at her.
“Not now,” Nadie brushes him off.
“What the hell do you mean not now?” The Commissioner snaps. “This is the time to have that kind of discussion!”
“It's really not,” Nadie calmly disagrees.
“To hell it isn't! You knew my little girl was dating a thug and didn't tell me?”
I'm just fucking over relationships left and right.
“He's not a thug,” she argues.
“His last name is McCoy isn't it?”
“That's not fair,” Nadie defends. “Your name doesn't define you! That's part of the reason Jovi has been struggling so much to find herself. Because she's attached to the name Carter. Because she's attached to Commissioner Carter. It's not your favorite thing to hear, but she's not a little girl any more, Nick. She's 21. She can make her own choices. She's an adult.”
“She's not an adult.”
“Just because you don't want her to be doesn't mean she's not.” He attempts to fight again when Nadie looks at me. “How long have you been engaged?”
“Not long,” I quietly respond.
“What's not long?” When I don't answer she asks a follow up question. “What about a ring? Where's her ring?”
“It's the one she usually wears around her neck. The rose.”
“Of course it is.” Nadie shakes her head. “How could I not get that?” She lets out a deep breath. “Why didn't she trust me enough to tell me?”
I offer her comfort. “We um...we weren't telling anyone.”
Although if we had to pick someone, I would've picked Nadie or Knox. They seem least likely to convince us otherwise.
“McCoy,” the Commissioner invades the conversation. “You fucking McCoys haven't stayed off my desk for years. Like that Ben McCoy kid.” He turns to Nadie with a displeased expression. “You knew she was dating a McCoy?”
“Not until the day Ben died,” she answers before shooting me an apologetic look. “I am so sorry for your loss.”