Page 31 of The Wolf

Poppy

I sat in the parking lot, staring up at the building. The sun sat behind the tall, gray cement structure with black-tinted windows, and its arms were bursting out of the sides of the building like the sky was exploding in the background.

It was two in the afternoon when I reached the office park.

My father was probably still tucked behind his desk on the fourteenth floor, maniacally scanning the different research papers laid out for him.

That was his routine when he wasn't traveling around the world.

He would spend most of his day in the lab, and then in the afternoon, he would go through the other work he had ordered or the results from testing on something he was experimenting with.

I had always thought my father was out to cure cancer or Alzheimer's or some disease you might inherit.

I thought he had a deep desire to fix the sick.

To earn a Nobel Prize in medicine for some incredible discovery.

What a gut punch it was to learn how corrupt and evil he actually was.

My father was manipulating people. He was testing his drugs on them, on me, on my mother. We were his guinea pigs.

My hands tightened around the steering wheel.

I had never felt so angry and betrayed. I didn't deserve this.

My mother didn't deserve it. I thought he loved me like a daughter.

Tears threatened to drown me where I sat, but I forced them away.

Despite the hurt and the pain of everything I had learned about what he had done to me, nothing hurt worse than feeling like I had lost my father, too.

My mother was gone, and for a long time, my father and I only had each other.

That was gone now, too. I had no family.

But I wouldn't give that man one more ounce of my sadness. He killed my mother, then let me cry on his shoulder. My father consoled me with hugs and smiles and memories of our life when I was little. He stole my childhood from me and comforted me without remorse.

I could see it now. I could see the plastic smile of a man who didn't care. I could see the lackluster gleam in his eyes and feel the memory of a forced hug and fake embrace. He never loved me. He never loved my mother. He just loved having homegrown lab rats at his disposal.

A flood of adrenaline surged through my muscles as rage took over.

The anger went deep, striking a nerve and setting it ablaze.

I threw the door open and stormed to the entrance with heavy steps.

My lids were thin, eyes heavy, throat scratchy and dry as my nostrils flared.

My hands were balled at my sides into tight fists.

My stomach was coiling up into knots. I wanted answers.

I needed to know why. Why did he do this to us?

Why not just leave if he hated us so much?

Why choose the two people who loved him more than anything else in the world?

The double doors split open, allowing me easy access.

The woman behind the desk, Vanessa, looked surprised to see me and smiled.

“Oh my god, Poppy. How did you get here? Your father has been looking all over for you since you took off. He said things got a little. . .” Her voice trailed off as she glanced around, looking for the right words.

“Unstable. You know, like your mom. And that you ran off.

He's going to be so happy you're here. Let me call up.” Vanessa reached for the phone, but I stopped her.

He told people I was crazy and disappeared? Really?

“No, don't do that. I know I worried him, and I feel awful about it. But I'm feeling better, and I want to surprise my father, so shh,” I said as I held a finger to my lips. “Don't let him know I'm here. Okay?”

Vanessa grinned and nodded. “Of course. I won't say a word. I'll call Bill to let him know. This way, you can sneak right in there, and he won't see you coming.”

“Perfect,” I said with a bright smile. I walked behind the desk and gave her a hug. “It was good to see you.”

“You, too. Your father is going to be so happy. He's been really off. I'm sure he's just been so worried about you.”

Yeah. Worried.

I forced a soothing smile and said, “I'm sure he has been. I put him through so much. Thanks again, Vanessa, for keeping my arrival quiet.”

“Absolutely. I wish I could see your father's face when you walk through his door.”

“I'm sure it'll be a shock,” I said as I got in the elevator and pushed the button for his floor. It was four in the afternoon. Everyone was busy finishing up their work for the day, so the elevator was empty, and the halls were quiet. I didn't see anyone.

As I approached the security guard for my father's area of the building, he gave me a wink and a smile. “We weren't sure we'd see you again. Your dad didn't say much, but it sounded like it wasn't good.”

“It got dicey for a bit. I made some really poor decisions, but I bounced back.”

“He told us things were tough at home.”

“Yeah. I feel terrible that I put him through this. I really want to surprise him and make it up to him.”

“Well, I'm really happy to see you.” Bill patted my arm. “And I bet he's going to be happy, too.”

“Thanks. Can I?” I asked as I pointed to the locked door.

“Absolutely.” He pushed the buzzer, unlocking the door to the lab area.

“Good to see you, Bill. Tell Linda I said hello.”

He gave me a nod as I walked through the door, which closed automatically behind me.

The lab tables were buzzing. Employees in long, white lab coats, wearing face shields and goggles, were focused on their end-of-day tasks.

No one turned their head as I walked by.

Not a soul paid attention to me. I was certain they heard the door and felt the breeze as I walked past, but it was too close to the end of the day to get sidetracked.

My father's office was in the back of the room, tucked in the corner. His name was tacked to the door in gold letters. I stood outside the door for a moment before knocking. My mind was suddenly a jumble of thoughts and emotions. There was so much I wanted to say. So much I needed to get out. But then what? What happens after I say what I need to say? What happens after the confrontation?”

The doorknob was cold against my palm as I held it.

I turned it slowly and pushed the door open cautiously.

“Did we forget how to knock?” my father asked.

His face was buried in paperwork, lit up by his computer screen.

Before I could say anything, he said, “Doesn't matter anyway.

Can't you see I'm busy? Get the hell out.”

“I don't think I'm going anywhere just yet,” I answered.

My father's gaze jumped from the papers to my face. His eyes were huge as saucers, and his mouth was partially open in shock.

“Surprised to see me?” I asked.

“Poppy,” he said. “Wh—what are you doing here? How did you—how did you get here?” he asked, his words stuttering out. He was so stunned to see me that he could barely speak.

“I drove here. Just like I usually do. Aren't you wondering where I've been? I've been missing for a couple of weeks now. Surely, you want to call the cops and let them know I'm still alive.”

“Of course. Absolutely. And I will. But first—” My father got up swiftly from his desk and walked around to meet me in the center of his office.

He held his arms out to embrace me like a regular father would.

His smile was so fake it made me sick. Everything about him made me sick.

The shock in his eyes, the wrinkles on his forehead as he tried to figure out what was going on, the way his eyebrows arched in thought, and his lips as they curved upwards, held a twitch of anger and frustration.

“I'm just so surprised and relieved to see you. I had no idea where you were, Poppy, or what happened to you. I think I'm just in shock right now.”

I grunted as I stepped away from his embrace. He gave me a wary look. I kept my back straight and my neck long as I moved past my father and walked to the giant window beside his desk.

“You're so full of shit, Dad. You were never worried. You did this.” I looked out the window and crossed my arms over my chest. “What I don't know is why. Why did you do it?”

“Poppy, I have no idea what you're talking about. I've been going crazy since you went missing. I've been looking all over for you. What happened?”

“You're such a liar,” I snapped.

“Poppy, I swear, Honey. I'm serious. I was terrified something bad happened. It really made me think of your mother. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you.”

I cocked my head over my shoulder and glared.

“Just shut the fuck up. You hired someone to kill me. You actually hired someone to take my life. Tell me why? I would have just left if you had asked me to. I was planning on leaving anyway. I was just waiting for the right time. But you wanted me dead? Really, Dad? Who the hell are you?”

“How dare you make these accusations! I'm your father,” he snapped angrily as his face reddened. “Why would I want you dead? That just doesn't make sense.”

“Because I know what you did.” The reason was simple. I was the link between him and my mother's death. I could turn his world upside down. He had become paranoid. Fearful that I might remember one day and destroy his world. Well, he was right.

“I don't know what you're talking about.” My father cautiously walked around the other side of his desk, his eyes stagnant as they fixed on me.

“Are you taking your medication, Poppy? Because you're not making sense. Those are strong allegations to make about your father. You should be careful.” He rested his hand on the top of his desk and placed the other in his pocket.

“Let's take a second to calm down. Alright?” He pressed the tips of his fingers into the wooden top as he watched me.