The Perfect Fix (Perfect Kisses #5) - Miley Maine Page 0,54

would do absolutely anything to have my family back here.

“Okay, well I wasn’t calling you to ask for financial help,” I insist. “Ronnie, who I presume you know is Travis’s father…” I will mention the boy, even if he isn’t going to ask. “Has created a shit storm for Aisha. Somehow, he has sparked all of this, and I need some help taking him down. I thought this might be something you would like to help me with.”

I don’t know what I’m expecting, I don’t know what next will come out of this man’s mouth which makes me nervous, but I’m sure that deep down there must be a part of him that wants to help his daughter out. He can’t just totally turn his back on his child, no matter what he tries to tell himself. I just have to drag it out of him somehow…

That last phone call was bad enough. Contacting Aisha’s parents was a fucking nightmare, but this is a million times worse. Still, after thinking it through a number of times, I don’t see what else I can do. I’m honestly not sure what other option there is.

“This can only go one way or the other,” I tell myself as I stare at the phone screen. “This can either be the best thing you have ever done, the right decision, or…”

I suppose it could also get worse, but I don’t want to consider that possibility because I’m pretty sure that this is the worst that it could possibly be. I don’t want to think about the chance of it becoming even more horrific than this.

I hit the dial button, because I don’t want to give myself a moment to talk myself out of this. I have made the choice to do this and it’s what I need to do.

“Aisha?” he picks up far quicker than Aisha’s parents did. “Is that you?”

“You know damn well it isn’t,” I reply with a hardened tone. “Ronnie, since I already know that you have been following her, I’m sure you are aware of where she is.”

“Ah!” He sounds far too pleased with himself. My blood bubbles with a burning hot rage. “So, you are calling me to try and protect Little Miss Mother of the Year.”

“What the fuck do you know about parenting?” I can’t lose my cool, I have to keep it together, but he’s getting to me. He’s winding me up. “You haven’t been around at all.”

“Not being around is much better than being arrested for taking out an illegal loan.”

The fact that he even knows about this makes me wonder if he had something to do with it. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to learn that he orchestrated it all somehow. But I can’t start accusing him of this. Not now anyway. I need to at least keep him on side for a little bit.

“I think we need to meet,” I tell him seriously. “We have some stuff to discuss.”

“And can’t we do that over the phone?” The smug bastard knows that he has the upper hand right now. I don’t know if he has Travis yet, but he must be on the way to getting him.

“No, I don’t think that we can talk over the phone. I think that this is something we must do in person.” I need to angle a chance here. “I’m sure you have some things that you want to discuss with me as well. Am I right?”

He pauses for just a second, before thankfully giving me the positive answer that I need. This is good, if we get to meet face to face then I’m sure I can figure this out. It’s the step in the right direction that I need. If I get to see this asshole, then I’m sure I can help Aisha out at last. It isn’t happening right away, but I can’t let impatience get the better of me.

22

Aisha

January 24th

I’m shaking. I’m trembling from my head to my toes, and I think I have been shaking like this all night long. I haven’t slept even a wink, which isn’t because of the horrible hard bed, although that doesn’t help, but because I’m so scared. Terror doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Actually, being in jail has made all of this much more real. Having hand cuffs on was horrible but being locked in a cell behind bars is something else. There is something ice cold about it, something very unwelcoming and horrifying. It has chilled me