Becoming Miss Visible

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

My heart rate sped up and my pulse rushed in my ears. He has something to tell me? What could it be? I mean what else could go wrong, right? I turned off the engine of the car and turned toward him.

"What haven't you told me?" I asked in a small voice. I wanted to sound strong, but the truth was I was scared out of my mind.

"Well it's my fault my dad died... I think that's a good place to start." At first I thought he was kidding, but the more he hung his head, the more I realized the truth in his words.

"Why do you think that?" I asked confused. He wouldn't hurt a fly, why would he think that he killed his father?

"I used to be in a gang. One of those if you leave us we'll make your life miserable type of gangs. Anyway, I got involved not really knowing I was involved. I just thought they were cool and fun to chill with. And then one night they told me that for my initiation we were going on a hit. I wasn't really sure I wanted to go through with it, but they told me I had no choice. They said they would kill me right on the spot if I didn't do what they asked. So I went with them and tried to wash those memories from my brain. It was horrible, your classic drive by. I thought for sure the cops would get us, but surprisingly they didn't. I found out later that several cops were with us. We were pretty much a mafia, except no one called it that. So I was sucked into it, I was scared, but what choice did I have? A year and a half went by and my dad was a cop, he knew when something was up. He questioned me every night and every time I told him nothing was going on. One night almost two years after that first hit, my dad's squad was called in to take our group down for everything we had done. He arrived and saw me, he tried to take me first without me getting hurt, but the boys decided that I was too important for me to let go. I was the brains of several operations since I didn't have to stomach to do anything else. He tried to get me, but none of his efforts did anything. He was killed that night. My mom has no idea I saw him die..." I knew Dalton was not finished with his story, but I know this was hard for him, the tears would not stop flowing from his cheeks.

I grabbed his hand and waited for him to regain his composure.

"I'm okay. So yeah, I told the guys I was done I had to move away. Mom couldn't live in the same house with all the reminders of dad. So we moved but the group told me they would find me... And they did. They are the ones that burned the house and they are the ones ruined your house. I'm so sorry." He started to sob and I did the only thing I knew to do, I grabbed him and hugged him hard.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this." He said after a while.

"Don't worry sweetheart, we will get through this. I'm not going to leave you." I meant what I said I'm not going to leave him, even if he was involved in a gang.