Morozov

Chapter 4

I heard Jack's car pull up our driveway so I opened my window and climbed out. I didn't want my father to see that, especially after he beat me up for 'dressing like a hooker'.

Jack didn't seem to have noticed the bruise on my face until I was in the car. "So," he started as he turned to face me. "What's-" his face dropped. A look of surprise masked his face before it turned bitter, angry.

"Who did that to you?" he asked angrily. "I'll explain it but please just drive. I don't want anyone to see us," I said, causing him to nod and drive off without any discussion. He definitely knew what was going on.

After a few minutes we pulled onto a hiking parking lot. Jack stopped the engine and turned to look at me. "Before you say anything I want you to know that I didn't call you to get revenge for me or anything," I forestalled as he already opened his mouth to speak.

He then closed it and gave me a confusing look. I felt like he was trying to read my mind. Like he was trying to figure out what was going on in my head when I didn't even know that myself. "Why did you call me in the first place? Did your brothers do that?" his voice got angrier at the second question.

"No not my brothers," I answered quickly. "Your father?"
I didn't answer his question with words but the silence that developed in the car did instead. I felt fucking guilty. I shouldn't have called him. But now that I did, I pulled him into the misery with me. Selfish. Really fucking selfish.

"Apparently I was dressed like a hooker. That's why," I spoke after a few seconds, causing his gaze to snap over to me. I lifted my head slowly, almost not daring to look him in the eyes - but I did anyway. And to my surprise, he looked rather vulnerable than angry.

"How often-" "That was the first time," I lied. He didn't believe me one bit, I could see that. "Can we just- I want to get this off my mind," I proceeded to change the subject before he could ask me any more questions. I was a good liar but it was only a question of time that I was going to say something that didn't add up with my story.

He nodded before getting out of the car. I followed him with a surprised look on my face. "Let's go for a walk, shall we?"

Vera
"You requested me, father?" I asked as I entered my father's office. It was dim and the furniture was old. The stench of smoke was abnormal.

"It has come to my attention that you're friends with that Rodrigues girl in your class. Is that true?" he asked, leaned back in his chair and sucking on his cigar.

I swallowed, unable to evaluate whether I could tell him or not. He already knew about our contact. But what else did he know? Did he know about our arrangement? Did he know Jack was involved as well? I knew that he would never lay a hand on me, at least he never had before. But Jack wasn't his son. And as far as I was concerned, allying with your enemy never was something a father or boss would be happy with.

"Now that you're already the disappointment you are," he went on with his monologue before I could even answer. "Make your parents proud and do us a favor." The evil smirk on his face couldn't mean good and judging the way his eyes gleamed with malice, he was about to make me do something I would regret for most of my life.

Niveen
"And now that Mallory is gone," I stopped myself because I couldn't dare to say it out loud. To say out loud that my father abused every single one of us.

"He's after you," Jack completed the sentence for me and I just nodded in response. We spent the past hour walking through a forest and I honestly did not have such a deep conversation in months.

Jack raised his hand and pointed at my face. "You took pretty good care of that." "Yeah, I do that very often, it's-" I blabbered but then stopped myself and looked at him in shock.