Do I Wanna Know?

Chapter 20

As I sat in the driver's seat of my car, the whole vehicle was moving while I bounced my knee up and down and cracked every single knuckle in my finger over and over and over again, a nervous habit of mine.

It was lighter outside when I first got to Compton, but I watched my dad's door turn from a pale brown to a rusty orange color, and finally a deep blue as the sun began to go down. I must have wasted an entire gallon of gasoline just sitting there, waiting.

I wanted to believe that the whole thing was just an insane coincidence, but I was losing sleep and I could feel myself started to lose my mind as I tried to come up with answers to the questions I had circling around my brain.

It was Friday, which meant Harry would be working until late tonight, and I was sort of banking on the idea that my dad might know what that meant and where he would be. That was the only reason I was here, and that was all I came for.

"Just fucking do it," I muttered to myself through clenched teeth before I yanked my keys from the ignition and jumped out of the car.

I paid no mind to the two men smoking cigarettes at the bottom of the stairs, and even though I could have done without their lingering gazes, they said and did nothing as I squeezed past them to run up to my dad's unit.

This time, I used my own key to let myself in and I swear I thought him and the two men inside just about had a heart attack with the way they jolted on the floor. Three needles were laying on the carpet with a half empty bottle of Jack and some kind of fast food in brown paper bags.

"Grace? What the fuck are you doing here?" John scoffed, but didn't bother to try and hide what he was doing in here.

For only my own sake, I switched over all the locks as if that could possibly make myself feel safe. How safe could I be in a room with three full grown men high on meth?

"I need you to tell me more about Harry," I said, standing in place by the door.

"Shit, Johnny," one of the men coughed out a laugh. "This is your daughter? Are you sure about that?"

"Fuck off," John lazily nudged him with his foot, but stayed relaxed on the couch. "I'm not telling you shit, Grace. Get the fuck out of here, I mean it."

The threat both sounded and looked empty when he could barely keep his bloodshot eyes open, but it was the other two men that scared me. They looked slightly healthier, and definitely heavier.

"Whatcha wanna know about Styles?" The one with the long hair and overgrown beard asked.

I made a subtle face of disgust when I saw his rotting teeth. "You know who he is?"

With a heavy sigh, he laid down on the carpet and tucked his arms behind his head, speaking to the ceiling now. "Who's asking?"

I rolled my eyes at the question again. "I am asking. His girlfriend."

That was enough to make him sit up and turn his head to look at me, and if I wasn't mistaken, he seemed scared now in the same way my dad was. "You serious? You his girl?"

"Yes."

He shook his head and took the time to stand to his feet just to get as far away from me as possible, plopping back down on the carpet against the opposite wall. "Nah, you gotta get the fuck outta here."

"Why?" I stepped forward.

The other guy, the one who was checking me out, was the one who answered. "Styles will have all our heads if he thinks we're doing anything with you. Or worse, he'll stop supplyin'."