Just One Kiss, Please Daddy

Chapter 12

Livia’s POV

Tyler has never been the better one.

He and David have always been equally rotten. You can really see that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Vicious, cruel, and vindictive—they both have equal amounts of contempt to give away.

I don’t really know how he makes the day pass, Tyler. He’s twenty-one, supposed to be going to the community college because that’s the only place he’s good for. But I don’t think even that place accepts him, so now he’s walking around drunk like his dad.

I’ve never been one to fight. The only emotion that I can show towards David and Tyler is fear.

But not right now. Not when Nadine is on the line.

Tyler makes his way towards us. I push Nadine behind me.

“Do you know him?” Nadine whispers in shock.

I shake my head and lie. “No.”

Maybe Tyler didn’t hear. Or maybe he did. Either way, his smirk widens on his face like he just found a piece of gold on the ground.

“Pretty, pretty,” Tyler mocks in a sing-song voice.

Now that he’s in front of us, I can smell… everything. Booze, cigarettes, something sour like body odor. His matted black hair tells me that he hasn’t showered in a long time. But his clothes look clean enough. Nadine coughs behind me, and that catches Tyler’s attention even more.

He reaches for her, taking a lock of her hair between his fingers, his eyes pinned on me. “I didn’t know you hang out with such pretty people.”

I feel sick. He always does that to me. Touching my hair. My face. He makes me feel like he’s thinking about something more vile, and when he sees that I’m afraid, he laughs it off and always tells me that I’m not pretty enough for that kind of thing.

Seeing him do that to Nadine, knowing that she’s exactly what he’ll go for, makes my stomach heave.

“Leave her alone,” I snap at him, swiping at his hand so he’ll drop her hair. “Stop this and leave.”

“Or what?” Tyler challenges me, laughing. “What are you going to do? Gonna cry for mommy?”

Casually, he takes her hair again, but this time, he’s using a bit more force. Nadine yelps in pain.

The sound is all I need to act fast.

I make a wild grab at the bottle of liquor in his hand, causing it to fall to the ground with a satisfying shatter. His face goes slack with horror. But it’s too late. It worked. It made her release Nadine.

“RUN!” I yell at her.

But Nadine hesitates. “Then run with me, Livia! Let’s go!”

She grabs me by the arm and prepares to bolt with me, but then out of nowhere, Tyler recovers from his loss and wraps his hand effortlessly on the back of my neck.

The force of his hand sends me back, gasping. I land butt-first on the ground, my backpack weighing me down.

Seeing this, Nadine is paralyzed. I can see her thoughts behind those eyes. No more running away. Just focusing on saving me.

I open my mouth to tell her to leave me, but Tyler is now advancing towards Nadine with intent in his eyes.

“You don’t have to run from me,” he says in a slow, malicious tone. “I just want to take a good look at you. Get to know my sister’s friend.”

Nadine’s eyes widen. She glances at me, her gaze full of questions. My throat closes up, knowing that she’s looking for answers about Tyler’s words. About me being his sister.

He tries to take her hand, but Nadine tears her eyes off me and moves fast.

Or at least, her knee does.

It jerks up, driving all the way between Tyler’s legs.

His face immediately turns pale. He clutches his crotch, clearly in pain, collapsing on his knees as his mouth opens up for a scream that can’t even reach his throat.

Nadine snatches up my hand and pulls me up, breaking into a run.

“You said you don’t have a brother,” she says to me mid-run. “Why did he call you—”

“b***h!” Tyler yells behind us.

My lower back is stiff from my fall, making my legs awkward in result. Nadine is being held back by me, and I know that if Tyler finally gets up and catches us, she’s going to be the first to feel her wrath.

“Run!” I tell her. “I’ll hide, then I’ll keep up with you! I’m too slow!”

“Do you really think I will leave you with that maniac?”

“Do it, please!” I slow down, letting her know that I can’t do it. “I… I hurt myself. The fall hurt me. Please, Nadine, please do it for me. We need to split up!”

“I’m going to kill both of you!” Tyler yells in the background.

We whip around to face him, and sure enough, he’s recovering from his pain. He’s starting to limp towards us—faster than I expected.

She must’ve seen the desperation in my face because she falters. “f**k me, Livia! Why do you make me do this?” Tyler’s grunts make her pause, then she stomps her foot in frustration. “Okay, fine. But you hide well, okay? I will call you.”

I nod, slipping into a corner. Nadine starts to break away from me, glancing at me even as she crosses the street. I motion her to go faster, but I don’t see how far she actually goes because I’m already looking for a place to hide.

There’s a big dumpster right behind a house. I slip behind it, not minding the smell of trash and the moisture off the walls rubbing on me. I hold my breath, hoping against hope that Tyler won’t catch me.

“Come out, come out, little Livia!” he taunts from somewhere around me.

He’s close.

I close my eyes. My body withers against itself. Footsteps echo somewhere behind me.

Then, just as I thought the footsteps would pass, my phone rings and gives up my location.

I can sense Tyler’s triumph.

“There you are, little bitch.”