The Sinners of Saint Amos - Logan Fox Page 0,179

around my neck, because, well, that’s where scarfs go.

I find leggings. Pull them on. They’re not fully opaque, but they’re better than nothing.

Finally, the last piece of the puzzle. A sleeping shirt. Picture of a grumpy cat on it. Something about needing coffee. I tug it over my head as I turn to head out the room.

Gabriel’s standing by the door. Chin down as he watches me. Hands opening and closing at his sides.

Panic slices into me like frozen razor blades. I wrap my arms over my chest and take a step back. “I was getting cold,” I say.

He’s wearing only a pair of sweatpants. I hadn’t even realized that when he was in bed with me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him bare chested. I had no idea he was so muscular. So strong. No wonder I couldn’t fight him.

He lifts his chin. “You have to accept the things you cannot change.” He turns his palms to face me, arms still at his sides. “I’m your father. That’s never going to change.”

His body fills the doorway. I can only get out if he comes closer. It’s that or jump out of a second-story window. There’s a tree outside—I could maybe catch hold of a branch.

That’s a big maybe.

How badly would it hurt if I missed the tree?

Maybe I can try and find out what Gabriel wants. I mean, I could be over-thinking this. What if he just wants to take me to the mall, watch a movie together, eat some take out?

As long as I don’t mention the Brotherhood, or the basement, I should be fine. Even now, he looks calm.

“I…”

Lord, why is this so difficult?

He puts his head to the side, waiting. Always so patient.

“What are…we doing?” Another swallow. “Here, I mean?”

He frowns, glances around. Then he reaches out and straightens a framed picture I drew when I still believed in unicorns and how awsum they were.

“I’ve always liked this house,” he says. “Spent much more time here than I should have.”

His eyes fix on me again. I don’t know how I could ever have thought those brown irises were warm, or comforting. Now they look cruel. Calculating, even. “They left it to me, the house.”

“Don’t you have a house? Why don’t we go there instead?”

I don’t know if it’s better being here or in a different place, but we’d have to be in a car, on a road, out in public to get there. If I can convince him—

“My house?” Gabriel purses his lips. Shakes his head. “No. My house is no place for a little girl.”

Ghostly fingers crawl up my back and start toying with my hair. That’s what he thinks of me? A little girl? Does he even know how old I am?

It sickens me to think about it, but maybe that’s the only card I have to play right now. He keeps calling me daughter—maybe I can count on his paternal instincts to get me out of this jam.

“I’m kinda hungry,” I say, putting a hand to my stomach. “Can you make me something to eat?”

The kitchen has knives. Pans. Several objects I can use to hurt him with. It’s also closer to the front door, which has a lock I can turn from the inside without needing a key.

If I can get to the front door, I can get out of the house. I can run down the driveway and scream at the top of my lungs. The neighbors would hear. They’d have to look out their windows. And they’d see me running like a lunatic—

“No.”

My shoulders sag a little. “But I’m—”

Gabriel’s eyes narrow. “Do you really think I don’t know what you’re trying to do?”

Fuck.

Fuck!

I try and look innocent. “Really, I just want some—”

“You’ve been bad,” he says, stepping closer.

Yeah, come closer, you fucking creep. Close enough that I can run around you and out of the room. Down the stairs. To the front door.

I wish I’d thought of that yesterday. I’d been a few yards from the front door. But I’d been so doped up on heroin, I hadn’t even thought about it.

No. I’d been convinced my father was in the kitchen cooking breakfast.

Ha, ha, ha. I guess he was.

“Slut like you, you don’t deserve to eat.”

Oh Lord. It’s all coming back to me now. The things I told him when we were in the bathroom. Boy do I regret that plan.

I need to turn this around.

I wish it didn’t have to come to this, but I can’t think of