Daddy's Girl: A Daddy Issues Novel by Rebel Wild (books to read for 13 year olds .TXT) 📕

“The girl is eighteen and I don’t think she has a clue.”

“She’ll learn.”

“Are you telling me you don’t care?”

“Are you telling me you think my brother will do something to hurt her?”

“No,” she tells him quickly. “Not intentionally, no.”

“Bree, I want you to stay away from her. You’re all worked up over nothing.”

“That girl is screaming for a friend. You know it as well as I do.”

“Maybe, but it shouldn’t be you. Weren’t you the one saying how you wanted nothing to do with her when she first got here?”

“So now I can’t change my mind? Since when?”

“Forget it. I’m tired of talking about it. Do what you want.”

“I always do.”

“Shit,” I say when I hear him walking back up the hallway. I slide out of my chair and run upstairs before I’m caught.

The rest of my morning is spent wandering around with nothing to do. I really don’t get why Mr. Garrett wants me here all the time when I’m by myself most of the day. I’m stuck here sprinting around like a scared cat whenever I hear someone coming, thinking it might be him. This place has a million doors for me to go outside, but the locks on them are mocking me. I try to pick the lock on the front door, but I’m busted by Joe.

“Going somewhere?” His voice comes up behind me.

“Who me?” I point to myself and I even look behind me to see if there’s someone else he could be talking to. “No, I was just wondering how I’ll get out if there is an emergency or something.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“But what if the house is on fire or we have a really big earthquake and I can’t get out?”

“You’ll be fine.”

“I’m not a prisoner here, you know? I have a right to leave if I want.”

“Not according to the contract you signed.”

“You know about that? Isn’t that a violation of the NDA?” I try to stare him down, but it has no effect on him. “You’re not going to tell me a thing, are you?” I ask him after he stands forever like a statue, wanting me to step away from the already locked door.

“Not a chance.” He laughs. “I know it may seem like you’re alone, but you never are. Someone will come for you if there’s an emergency.”

“But what if they forget me? I’m very easy to forget.”

“My brother won’t forget.”

“But what if he’s hurt or can’t talk or—”

“Look, I will personally come for you, okay? You have my word.”

The look in his eyes lets me know that his word means something.

“Okay. Thank you.”

I shuffle around until he goes back to wherever he was. He turns the corner and I can hear Bree laughing at him.

“What’s so damn funny?” He asks her.

“Just you forgetting everything you just yelled at me about.”

“Unlike you, I know when to duck in and out of shit,” he says.

“Whatever you say, Joe, but you never gave your word to the others.”

“Let it go, Brianna,” he warns. “For your own damn good, close that big heart of yours, babe.”

My cell phone goes off and I fish it out of my back pocket, walking away so they won’t hear it.

I read the text from Mr. Garrett.

Mr. Garrett: I emailed you. Since you haven’t responded. I take it to mean you’re not in your room.

Sydney: No sir, I’m in the great room.

Mr. Garrett: Do you need my permission to visit your father today?

Sydney: No, sir, but I’ll need to check in with his new lawyer.

Oh, hell, I forgot to ask for permission.

Sydney: With your permission, sir.

Mr. Garrett: Granted. The school semester is starting soon. Let me know which classes you are interested in taking.

Sydney: Yes, sir.

Excited about going to school, I practically skip up the stairs. The school’s website is tagged on my computer, so I open it up to the course catalog. I’ve already been registered. How the heck did he do that? I lay across my bed and look through the requirements for the Linguistics program. I jot down the classes I’ll need. I hope that I’ll get to discuss it with him at some point.

I watch the clock get closer to five. My stomach flips when I think about us starting fresh in the playroom tonight. What does that even mean? How do you start fresh when beating and fucking someone? I know I agreed to this, but I don’t know if I’m going to be able to pull it off. Maybe I should just take the money and run. Daddy has a great lawyer now. Maybe we can just take our chances that he’ll get him off.

Don’t be an idiot, Sydney. Mr. Garrett will personally see to it that Daddy gets thrown under the jail with you along with him. I’m screwed, in more ways than one.

I sit up when I hear a knock on my door, hoping it’s not him coming home early.

“Come in.”

I’m happy to see that it’s Bree.

“Joe needs me to run you over to your place,” she says. “The cops caught him breaking in.”

“But he has the key,” I say, getting up and putting my shoes on.

“Like they give a shit.”

I grip the console in front of me while Bree drives. She has to be going twenty miles over the speed limit. I don’t know if she always drives like this or it’s because Joe’s in trouble, but either way, she’s going to get us both killed.

When she pulls up to my apartment building, I jump out so fast I didn’t even see her put the car in park.

Joe’s sitting on the curb with his hands cuffed behind him, and some of my neighbors are peering out of the windows. Good thing Mrs. Leland is on the other side of the building or else I’d have some explaining to do.

“Oh, no.” I groan when I see Detective Dalton. He’s been a pain in my ass since Daddy got arrested.

“Sydney, nice to