Page 84 of Broken Daddy

Still, she couldn’t believe that Derick had gone to Freddy for a loan. And he’d already given him money?

God. He wasn’t going to see that again. And how would Freddy take that? He might be Rohan’s friend but he was also a bad guy who couldn’t just let things like that slip.

Jesus.

This was worse than she thought.

“Not Freddy. Lucan.”

“You . . . you went to Lucan Mars?” she asked, stumbling over to the sofa to sit.

She couldn’t stay on her feet any longer. And not because she was exhausted.

Because she couldn’t believe the stupidity of this man. How was she related to him? She really wished she wasn’t.

“So you’ve been gambling and you need money to pay those debts. You’ve already b-borrowed from the Scorpions and you thought that it was a good idea to go back there and ask for more?” Damn stupid stutter. She hated how it came when she was worked up.

“They owe me! My only boy is in jail!”

“How do they owe you for that?” she asked in bewilderment.

“Because if he was here he’d keep his old man safe.”

“No, he wouldn’t,” she replied incredulously. “He hates you.”

“He does not!” her father roared.

Crap.

“Why does Vega want to talk to you?” she asked. “Why did he help you home the other night?”

“Vega? Well, uh, he offered to help me home after I lost a whole lot of money at a place run by Satan’s Sons. Yeah, that’s why I was with him.”

Satan’s Sons? Holy shit. That’s who he owed money to?

But why did he sound so odd? Like he was lying? Or leaving something out?

“You do know that Vega is a bad guy, right?”

“Don’t pretend to know shit about this. I need money. Where is my stash? It was under the sink! You moved it!”

“I didn’t move any money,” she said. “You probably removed it and forgot.”

“I didn’t fucking move it, girl!” He swung toward her and she was too sluggish and tired to move.

Smack!

The back of his hand landed against the side of her face. Pain engulfed her and she leaned over with a groan, trying to protect her face in case he came at her again.

Shock held her immobile. No one had ever hit her before. Grabbed her roughly, sure. But never smacked her.

Nothing followed and she carefully sat up as he started searching around the trailer. He moved stuff around, throwing it.

“I have to find some money. Got to find it . . . got a tip off . . . sure thing . . . got to win big.”

Right.

A sure thing?