Avalon and Maddock

Chapter 16: Avalon

I marched over to my father wishing I had a gun. Wondering if the nice police officers might let me borrow one of theirs just for a minute if I explained the situation to them. I didn't even need a full minute, really.

Trying to mess with my children? I shuddered to think about what could have happened had I not taken my father off the list of people approved to pick up the boys.

"Avalon!" my father practically shouted my name, sounding relieved when he saw me storming over to him. I wasn't sure why since he had to know by now what I'd done to him. Since he could see my face. Was he actually thinking that, since a few days had passed, I'd be ready to forgive him? Aw, Dad, you tried to ruin my marriage, tried to make me think Maddock was cheating on me, tried to ruin his company and now you tried to get to my children, but you know what? It's OK! All is forgiven! After all, you were doing it all for me!

He would have run to me, but the police officers held him back, probably because, unlike my father, they were reading my face. My father, who always looked perfect, now looked like he'd been on a bender. Scruff on his face, his shirt wrinkled, half tucked out of his pants, which were also wrinkled, and his hair, normally neatly brushed, was sticking out at odd angles on his head. The bags under his eyes made him look as if he'd aged twenty years. The look in his eyes was bordering on unhinged.

"You haven't returned my calls or texts, and I don't even know where you're staying. You have to help me!"

"And you decided that kidnapping my boys would be a good way to force me to talk with you?"

The police perked up at kidnapping. Maybe they would let me borrow one of their guns, just for a quick second or two. A girl could always hope.

"What? I wasn't going to kidnap them! I just wanted to see them!" he protested loudly.

"Without my permission. Knowing that I told you after all of the horrible things you'd done to Maddock and me, you were out of all of our lives forever. You would have taken them to force me to talk with you."

From the guilt on his face, I knew I guessed it right. Maddock made to move past me, growling you motherfucker, but I grabbed his hand and he stopped.

"Why did you come here?" I asked this man who was like a complete stranger to me.

Let's see if you give the right answer, you bastard.

"My business is a disaster, Avalon. My clients are leaving me nasty messages, I've lost all my files, the phone and the internet at the office is out, the cleaners aren't coming, most of my MLS listings are gone and the ones that are left are destroying my reputation -- and I can't even log in to change them. Some of them are even threatening to sue me! All my files are gone, and I've got so much Amazon shit piled at the office I don't know what to do with it since I can't get into my Amazon account to return it. You have to help me straighten this out!"

That was definitely not the right answer. Not even close to you're my daughter and I'm so sorry for the shit I pulled and I love you and the boys and I don't want you to turn your back on me. It was all about the business. That's where his concern was.

"Well, there we disagree. I not only don't have to help you, I'm not going to."

"I will fucking beg on my knees if that's what it takes." My father was actually crying now in his desperation, his face getting all oozy and mucky. Slime was not a good look on him.

"OK. That's probably what it would take, so beg me."

With a hopeful look on his face, my father dropped to his knees and, throwing all pride away, shamelessly begged me to help him. Pleaded until he was shaking. I watched him dispassionately, trying to summon up any sympathy for him. After a few minutes, I called it.