Into the Dark (Completed)

Chapter 16

"I'm really not into the whole 'Daddy' thing. To be honest, it creeps me out." Tate whispered into my ear.
"No!" I said too loudly. "That is my father." I lowered my voice, but it was too late.

The men below stopped talking. "Who else is here?" My father demanded.

"There's a guard out front." Sal told him.

"That didn't come from outside, moron. Search this place top to bottom and bring me whoever that was." The man who raised me up until I was fifteen reached behind him and pulled out a handgun. His goons followed his lead.

They all took off into different directions through the maze of crates.

"Split up." Tate said urgently. "I'll take Luna. Josh and Jackson find out what is in those crates. Conner get the car and drive it down towards the park. They need to think they were hearing things. Don't be seen." Before I even had time to process what he said, Tate grabbed my arm and started tugging me towards the broken window we entered through.

My eyes didn't have enough time to adjust to the darkness outside before we were jumping off the crate. Well, Tate was jumping. I was falling.

I landed on the ground, hard. Tate's grip on my arm didn't loosen at all. He was up and running as soon as his feet hit the ground, dragging me along with him.

He must have gotten annoyed at having to pull me along and suddenly stopped. I don't know exactly what I was expecting. Maybe he was stopping to give me a little bit a breather so I could run with him.

He turned at faced me. With a single, confusing wink, he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder like some barbarian. He took off running again.

I couldn't even find the energy to be angry at the way he manhandled me.

I closed my eyes and just let Tate figure everything out.

Ten minutes later, he set me on my feet.

I plopped down, ungracefully, onto the cold concrete floor. We're in a cold dark rundown room. It must be one of the neighboring warehouses.

Where I am and the danger that I may or may not be in is the furthest thing from my mind.

My father is in town.

Not only that, he owns a gun.

He's obviously involved in Sal's gang somehow.

Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me.

There's no way that the man that abandoned his family would be in town. There just isn't a reason. Men who run from their families are cowards and cowards don't face their problems.

I tried to convinced myself, but I know what I saw. No matter how much I wish it wasn't true, he's here.

He's home and he didn't even bother to visit me. He never sent child support. He never even called me on my birthday. I could be dead and he would have no idea.

My eyes started tearing up involuntary.

"Hey." Tate said softly, "Don't cry."

"Don't look at me." I growled at him.

He sighed and sat down next to me. "We'll get through this, Luna. We'll meet up with the guys in a few hours and find out what we are supposed to do about all this."

"Just stop." I snapped back at him and sniffled, unattractively. I turned and faced the wall.

I don't like to cry in front of people. It makes me vulnerable.