62-Scarlett Thorn
Editing in Progress…
~Chapter 62~
"Thank you for the ride" Kehlani appreciated Miller, who optioned to bring her home. Per usual, she had told him to drop her a few blocks away from her house, just to prevent her father from knowing she came back with a man. And not just any man, a grown ass man.
"Listen, Kiddo," Miller started as he whined down the glass. Lani leaned in closer to listen to him clearly as he spoke, "You don't have to keep doing this, you know?" He calmly said.
They both knew it was a sensitive topic for her, but it still needed to be touched on. It was clear, if Miller was given the green light, he would happily go take a swing at Ethan — Kehlani's dad — knocking his lights off.
But for some weird (and rudely speaking) fucked up reason, Kehlani still had hope for her father. She miraculously hoped that he would turn around for the better, but both Miller and Marco could see that it was utter bullshit.
He was far gone and far from it. They sometimes would even believe that he was just using his wife's death to cover up for his natural bulllshit. But there dared not say anything in front of Kehlani.
"I have no other home and—"
"And you can live with us. I am sure the skating can give you plenty of cash to help out with some bills and save for college, and I am sure you would have extra for the fun activities you like to do," Miller advised, stressing out his worry to her. Kehlani sighed as she looked up into the dark clouds. She wished dearly in her heart that Miller was her father.
She wondered when at last someone had worried about her this much.
Her brother?
Santiago, who was barely around and would go off the deep end once she gets bruised. It didn't make any sense to her. He knew how her father treated her. He knew he would beat her for no apparent reason, but will it kill him to spend the night in the house?
She only needed him at night, as by morning, she always made sure to leave before he woke up. So it was just at night she wanted him, but her brother can go weeks without coming back home and would only text or call her, or sometimes have lunch with her.
"I worry about what would happen to my mom's house. This was the last thing she had from her family before they cut her off. I worry he will sell it off and do something crazy with it. That is why I stay, that is why I get him money from my race." She said, looking at Miller.
"If he has money at hand, then maybe, just maybe, he may not put up my mother's house for sale. If he does that, I'm certain I won't be able to buy it back." She finished. Miller sighed, knowing he can't do anything about it. After all, he can't promise her he would buy the house if her dead beat dad sold it.
"But can I at least beat up your brother?"
Lani chuckled as an amused smile played on her face. "Well, I doubt you can beat him, he is very strong"
"You are telling me I can not beat a kid who barely has any hair on his dick"
Kehlani's face cringed at the comment of her brother, privacy part. "I did rather not imagine that right now, Miller" She said, making a gagging face as she laughed.
Miller was happy that she was smiling at this. She would go to bed with a smile this night.
"Alright, let me leave now. It is getting cold and late. A young girl like you shouldn't be out here by this time." She nodded as she waved at him. He turned his headlight on as he watched her safely unlock and enter her house safely.
Turning his car around, she left her block.
If only Miller knew that what he thought about her being happy for the night would be a major contradiction for what was going to happen.
Lani froze once she closed the front down and had her back nervously against the door. Right at the foot of the stairs were familiar, scuffed black leather shoes.
Her heart sank to the floor.
She recognized the shoes immediately as she saw it. Usually, guests are not forced to take off their shoes once they entered the house.
Therefore, the owners of the shoes didn't have any reason to take them off, or else they purposely wanted her to know they were here.
Loan sharks.
They belonged to the loan sharks, who had been coming around for a while now. Anxiety gripped her, her breath caught in her throat.
Her home wasn't a home anymore. Now it was just a house filled with pain and suffering.
She lost count of how long she had being standing there as she weighed her options. Running wasn't an option. Where was she supposed to run to? Savannah's house? She lived far away from hers, and Miller had most likely left the block.
She had to go inside. She knew she had to face whatever awaited her. Lani began climbing up the stairs one after the other. She didn't want to rush, as she hoped her brain would function properly and give her a way to get avoid this situation. But she knew it was unavoidable once she reached the last step to the short hallway.
The hallways were dark as the light bulb had gone bad for a while now. She could hear a low voice mixed with some laughter and her father's familiar pained grunts.
They were probably beating him up while asking for her whereabouts. Now that her father was taking the beating for her, she wondered if she should make a run for it and stay in a nearby park or playing ground.
But it was of no use as when she moved to turn back, the creak of the floorboards openly announced her presence.
Caught.
She was caught.
The voices and laughter stopped. Three mean turned to look at her, their eyes narrowed. She could see their immediate joy once they realized she was present. Her father lifted his bleed head up as he immediately flew to curse at her. "YOU FUCKING CUNT!! WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEING? I WAS ABOUT TO GET BEATEN TO DEATH BECAUSE OF YOUR SLUTTY ASS WENT PROSTITUTING YOURSELF".
Lani flinched at the wild insults thrown at her. "ANYWAY, THAT IS NOT A PROBLEM, C'MON GIVE THEM THE MONEY YOU MADE FROM WHORING YOURSELF. YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD PAY THEM BACK, REMEMBER!!!"
Lani gripped her fingers tight as she locked eyes to the floor. She didn't promise. She didn't promise any money.
She wanted to cry; she wanted to beg them to leave her alone. But here she was in a room filled with men who all had terrible things to do to her.
She was so lost in self wallowing that she didn't hear her father continue talking. Ethan had turned into the leader of the loan sharks,
"I PROMISE YOU JAN, SHE HAS THE MONEY" His voice suddenly changed from harsh and scary to soft and obedient. Turning back to her, his voice flipped again as he began hurling insults at her. "WHY ARE YOU STANDING THEY LIKE A FUCKING MORON, YOU FUCKING IMBECILE"
'Hold it in' She warned herself.
"I don't have it," She replied in a low and soft voice that was barely audible to the ears.
"WHAT DIDN'T YOU SA??!! SPEAK LOUDER!! IF IT WAS TO SPREAD YOUR FILTHY LEGS, YOU WOULD BE SCREAMING LIKE SOME—" He began cursing and swearing at her but was cut off when Pablo, Jan's left-hand man, aggressively slammed his boot on her father's tummy.
Ethan, after that kick, felt the need to throw up the beer he had taking that day. But Pablo steeped on his neck as he glared at him.
"Swallow it back," Pablo threaten whilst stepping on his neck. It didn't take Ethan long before he knew the loan shark was telling him to literally swallow back the throw up that was about to come out.
Jan stood from the couch and walked towards Lani. Her body shivered like a leaf in a storm.
"You are out late, aren't you?" He drawled.
Her heart pounded as fear riddled her body. "Please," she said, her voice trembling.
Jan stood at full length to her suddenly small size. His shadow loomed over their room light. "Please what doll?" He asked, his hand reaching out to touch her cheek. She flinched, but he caught her arm. The grip on it was like an iron.
"Little girls like you shouldn't be out this late," Rico, another man, said, circling her like a predator would a prey. His fingers grazed her shoulder, shivering a fearful shiver down her spine. "They could get into serious trouble."
She didn't know what possessed her to glance hat her father for help, but he looked knocked out after Pablo had done something to him.
Noticing where her eyes lingered to. Jan chuckled as he noticed the pathetic, knocked out father.
"Don't worry, he isn't dead… Probably".