Page 93 of Royal Icing

“Open up, girls. Daddy’s home.”

The oily, gravelly voice of her father was a sound she had never quite been able to eradicate from her brain.

Lisa gasped. Emma’s hands went numb. He was supposed to be in prison for another five months. She kept tabs on him so that they were able to anticipate when he might come around.

He always wanted something. Usually it was money. It was the only thing that would make him leave, and a big part of the reason why they were in this mess.

This time, there was no money to pay him off with. And they couldn’t afford to move anywhere else. They were trapped in this apartment, where he knew he could find them.

Cooper appeared at her side, growling softly.

“Leave now, or I’m calling the police,” Emma said through the door.

Every cell in her body screamed at her to run—hide. Like she had as a little girl.

“You’re gonna leave your pop out in the cold?” he said, softer this time.

“Leave, Don,” Lisa said. There was a tip-tap of dog toenails, and Emma glanced over her shoulder. Arizona planted herself in front of her mom, back bristling.

“Li-li,” Donald said, and the sound of her mom’s discarded nickname curled Emma’s toes. Her heart was in her throat. He wasn’t going to leave. But the police would take their sweet time getting here for a simple trespasser. What the hell were they going to do?

Emma ducked into the bathroom and hammered on the shared wall. Maybe Bob was home. Silence greeted her from the other side.

She shot a look at her mom and mouthed “Call 9-1-1.”

Lisa nodded and picked up her phone with shaking hands.

“We both know you’re going to let me in,” Don said on the other side of the wall. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my girls, and it’s almost Christmas.”

“The police are on their way,” Emma called. Hopefully it was true.

There was a sigh on the other side of the door. “Six grand and I’ll leave right now.” His voice was flat but dripping with a hint of malice.

“No,” Emma said firmly.

“I’m gonna give you one more chance to reconsider.”

“Get the fuck away from this door before I shoot you through it.” Her voice shook.

“Come on, sweetheart. You and I both know you were never the gun type.”

“Things have changed.”

But they hadn’t. Even if she wanted a gun, they couldn’t afford it.

“I know you’ve got the money. You’re dating a prince. My little girl’s gonna be a princess. I have a feeling we’ll be spending more time together.”

Emma’s heart fell into her butt. Of all the complications to come from her entanglement with Leo, she had never even considered that her dad would hear the news in prison.

“I’m giving you to the count of three to reconsider,” her dad called through the door. His voice was different now. Darker. The way it had been after one too many drinks.

She exchanged a panicked look with her mom, then hefted the baseball bat. Her hands trembled.

“One. Two.”

Suddenly, something hit the door with enough force that it wobbled a little. Cooper barked, a booming warning that was promptly ignored.

“Let me in, Emma.”