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

“Hello,” I say before looking past him at Joe.

“I found him breaking into your apartment,” Dalton says, following my stare.

“Yeah, and how did I unlock the door, genius?” Joe asks him.

“Joe, honey, come on,” Bree says, coming to stand next to me. “Don’t give them anything to arrest you for.”

“Man, fuck that shit,” Joe says to her.

“I take it you know this guy?” Dalton asks me.

“He’s a friend. He has permission to be in my place. He wasn’t breaking in or anything.”

“There, you happy now?” Joe asks. “Get me out of these damn handcuffs.”

Dalton nods to his partner who stands Joe on his feet and takes the cuffs off. Bree runs over to check on him.

“Why are you even here?” I ask Dalton. “Detectives usually don’t show up for break-ins.”

“I needed to ask you some questions, ran into this guy.” He nods his head in Joe’s direction. “You need to be careful about who you let into your apartment.”

“As I said, he’s a friend.”

“Right. I know those types of friends. You mind coming down to the station with us?”

“I don’t know what else I can tell you. I already said I don’t know anything about anything.”

“I just find it hard to believe that your father never discussed what happened with you. You lived with the man. Perhaps he said something in passing, a conversation at the dinner table.”

“He didn’t and if he did, why would I tell you? You’re trying to put him away!”

“I’m not the bad guy. I’m just trying to find out the truth. I’m also trying to keep you from being charged.”

“With what? I haven’t done anything.”

“We can talk about it at the station.” He tries to take my arm, but Joe and Bree come to stand beside me. She grabs my other arm to keep me from moving.

“She’s not going anywhere,” Joe says to him, rubbing his wrist.

“Last I checked, she was old enough to make up her own mind,” Dalton says.

“Sounds like she already has, so give it up,” Joe says to him.

“You’re interfering with an ongoing investigation and breaking the law.”

“Like I care.”

“Some things never change,” Dalton says, shaking his head at him. He looks at the three of us, then at my apartment building, shaking his head again before turning back to me. “You need to make better choices, Sydney. Friends like these will drag you down. Just ask your father.”

“Are we done here?” Joe asks him, but Dalton ignores him.

“I’ll come back another time,” he speaks to me instead. “Maybe then you’ll be more cooperative when your friends aren’t around.”

“Good luck with that,” Joe says. Dalton leaves and I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Jackass,” he says to the car when it drives past us.

“You know him?” I ask Joe.

“I’ve had more than a few run-ins with him. Nothing worth talking about.”

“He’s as dirty as they get,” Bree says, looking at the car as it turns the corner. “Don’t trust anything that comes out of his mouth.”

“I won’t,” I say.

“I better get you back home,” Joe says to me after he kisses Bree’s temple.

“Damn. I was going to take her clubbing,” Bree says.

“Get out of here.” Joe smacks her on the butt as she walks away from him to her car. “And keep it under forty. We don’t need the cops on us again.”

“Will do.” She blows him a kiss before hopping in the car and taking off.

“Come the fuck on,” he says as we watch her pull off so fast, she burns rubber.

Chapter Six

Mr. Garrett called Joe while we were driving back to check in with him. He told him about Dalton trying to question me and now he’s on his way home. I have a sinking feeling that I’m in some kind of trouble. Why else would he come home in the middle of the day? I run upstairs to change. No need to make him even more upset by not being dressed properly. I choose a black halter top mini-dress with a lace back and matching stilettos. After running a brush through my hair, I sit on the edge of my bed and wait. A knock on my door makes my stomach hurt in anticipation of who’s on the other side.

“Come in,” I say, softly.

The moment I see it’s Mr. Garrett, I stand and bow my head. I don’t know where to place my hands, so I lace them in front of me.

“Look at me.”

“Sir,” I respond, looking up to see him checking out my attire. His lips curl in his version of a grin, and I take it to mean I’ve made the right choice.

“Detective Dalton tried bringing you in for questioning?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What did he say to you?”

“That he wants information on my dad.”

“Did you tell him anything?”

“No, sir, but he says he’s trying to keep me from being charged.”

He blows out an angry breath.

“I’ll take care of it. I don’t want you in the middle of what’s happening to your father.”

“Why would I be in the middle?” I slip and ask without permission. “I don’t know anything.”

“That rarely matters,” he answers me anyway, although it’s really not an answer. “For the time you’re here, you’re not to deal with him.” I look at him in question. “What?”

“You can do that, stop the cops from doing their job?”

“Yes,” he says, loosening his tie.

I take note of the cranberry color and my mind flashes back to when I used to tease him about wearing those blue suits that said, “I’m boring and I know it.”

Things were so much fun back then. Daddy was free and happy. I was excited about my birthday. School was almost out, and I was going to spend the summer in Miami with my best friend Leslie and her parents. I was on top of the world.

I zipped up the boots Mom sent me for my birthday, four months early. Her excuse was she wanted me to