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My dad always left some lunch money for me on the kitchen counter. I guess that was when he was sober and remembered he had a son still in school. I’d saved that money to pay Pam, but she never took it. So in exchange for feeding me, I took out the trash and broke down boxes for her. She said my mom was her best employee and didn’t mind helping me.

“By the way, your dad is eating with a woman on the other end,” Pam said before walking to tend to another customer.

Shit.

If he caught me skipping school, he’d beat the crap out of me and kick me out. I slid further down the booth. He could probably recognize the back of my head. I didn’t understand why he kept drinking when he knew it changed him.

Maybe I reminded him of his responsibilities. Or maybe he was stressed and needed someone to hit. I’d fought back a few times. But he was bigger and stronger than me. Though he didn’t hit me when he was sober, he ignored me. Neglect was also a form of abuse, wasn’t it?

Abuse came in all shapes and sizes.

But what could I do? My friends would help me, but I didn’t want to burden them. Besides, it was embarrassing for people to know how shitty my life was.

I snuck a peek down toward the other end of the diner. His back faced me. A pretty Asian woman smiled across from him. Then the door chimed, and four Asian men dressed in black suits entered. My stomach clenched. Did the gangsters send their men after me?

I slid further down the seat so they couldn’t see me. I shouldn’t have come here. What if they destroyed Pam’s restaurant?

Their footsteps sounded elsewhere. They weren’t here for me after all.

“It’s time to go home, Angela,” said one man.

“I don’t want to go,” said a woman.

“Your father won’t like it.”

“Go home with them, Angie,” said my dad.

A dispute occurred between my dad and the woman, but she eventually said, “Fine.”

I heard them exit the diner. I glanced out the window, which was partially hidden by the flower bushes.

My dad held the woman’s hand until one man broke them apart. Who was she?

“Stay away from her,” said the man with a snake tattoo on his neck.

Angela wiped the tears from her eyes. She tried to reach for my dad, but the men ushered her away. Was she his new girlfriend? Mom and I had suspected he’d been cheating since he always came home late and never gave a straight answer. That had made her sad and worsened her condition. How could an injured heart heal the body? I’d never forgive him for that.

“I won’t hurt her,” my dad told Snake Tat.

“Just do your job, and you’ll get paid. If you don’t, you know the consequences.” Snake Tat smirked and escorted Angela into an expensive black car with dark windows.

What was my dad doing for these dangerous people?

CHAPTERONE

VIVIAN

“Any news on Aimee yet?”Dad asked. The worry in his voice practically seeped through the phone.

I hated that he was going through this stress. It wasn’t good for his weak heart.

“Not yet,Ba. But I’ve got a lead. Aimee’s a smart girl,so don’t worry.” I stared at the picture of the unique nine-year-old girl splashed on my computer screen. She had big, curious eyes and adorable dimples. But it was her brilliant mind that stood out from everything else. “They won’t harm her. If anything, I’d be worried aboutthem.”

He let out a laugh, which was what I’d wanted.

“The not knowing is killing Will and Susan,” he said. “They’ve lost so much weight.”

Will and Susan had helped my dad and me during a difficult time in our lives and were practically members of our family now . . . Aimee was like a niece to me. Will was the doctor who’d taken extra care of my injuries back then. If it weren’t for him, I would’ve developed other issues beyond the physical wounds.