Her Hope Has Tattoos

Chapter 20: Dad

Jackson Wittenberg

        Kennedy isn't attached to me when I wake up. She's curled up laying on the mattress a few inches from me along with a wet spot next to her mouth as it hung open. She makes everything look cool, even if she is drooling as she is now.

        I turn on my side and wrap my arms around her, pulling her into my chest. Her hair is soft and smells amazing as I run my fingers through it. Her fingers grab the hem of my shirt as she whimpers, digging her head into my chest.

        "Kennedy?" My eyes go wide and I sit up looking at the door. Sh*t her dad!

        "Kennedy, baby." I shake her shoulders lightly but forcefully. Her eyes open merely and close.

        "What?" She mutters.

        "Your dad!"

        "Oh my gosh." Her eyes shoot open with a look of fear. Kennedy throws the sheets back and walks into the hallway.

        "Yeah?" She closes the door and I get up to hide.

        "Who's upstairs?" What the hell! How could he know? All we did was sleep, but sometimes I snore, but not that loudly!

        "N-nobody!"

        Kennedy Winters

        I stare at my dad with sweaty palms. He stands at the bottom of the stairs and smirks like an evil Cheshire Cat.

        He takes one step at a time till he reaches me. My hands make a fist and my long nails dig in my skin, but I ignore it.

        "Tell me nobody's in there looking in my eyes."

        "Nobody is here," I bite out slowly. I look into his cruel eyes, then look away. My body starts to shake as he looks at me like he's about to hit me. His eyes strip me clean as they look me up and down slowly.

        "Now tell me nobody's here, with my hand here." My eyes goes wide as he grabs my butt with his hand.

        "Stop!" I pull away and start to cry.

        "You have the body of your mom. C cup, nice tight ass, and long legs."

        "You f*cking creep." I glare at him and start to walk away.

        He grabs my elbow and pulls me to his chest making a strangle cry come out of me. My breath gets stuck in my throat.

        "Relax. I'll make you feel good."

        "Get your f*cking hands off her." We both look up to see Jackson shirtless in my door way. Dad shoves me away, I run behind Jackson.

        "Who the hell are you?" My dad approaches Jackson.

        "If you want to go to jail, don't take another step." Jackson's eyes go dark as he looks down to me to make sure I'm okay.

        Dad leaps on Jackson taking him to the carpet. I shriek and try to pull my dad off oJackson. Dad punches his jaw and Jackson grabs him and slams him against the ground, now on top. Jackson punches his cheek making a spurt of blood shoot out from Dad's nose.

        "Jackson stop!" I grab Jackson's back and pull him off. Jackson struggles to get out of tightly intertwined hands that are around his abs. I've never seen him fight like that before. It hurt that he was hurting my dad but I didn't like it.

        "I will kill you!" Dad yells and jumps up, grabbing Jackson by the neck pulling him up as well.

        "Stop, seriously!" I cry and slip between them. My tears run into my open mouth and I can feel my nose running. My cheeks are red hot from fear.

        A hard fist makes contact with my face and sends me to the ground with a very loud thump making the paintings in the hallway shake. Jackson punched me.

        "Don't punch my daughter!" Dad yells and grabs Jackson's neck again.

        "Stop now." Uncle Dusty runs up the stairs and pushes Jackson away. Jackson's chest rises and falls as he has a busted lip and a bloody nose.

        "Kennedy I'm-" Jackson walks towards me, but I shove him away. My cheek throbs and I can tell it's going to be an ugly color by tomorrow.

        "Stay away." I cry out. My voice is strangled and breaks.

        Uncle Dusty shuffles in his pocket and pulls out a clean, gold, badge. My eyes widen, he's a cop?

        "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?"

        He pulls out a set of handcuffs and turns Dad around who looks paralyzed. As the cuffs are locked around his wrists.

        "You're a cop?" I ask bewildered.

        "Yes Kennedy."

        "What am I getting arrested for?" Dad yells and tries to pull away.

        "So far, child abuse, child endangerment, sexual harassment, sexual assault." My mouth is wide open.

        "Who are you?" I stand up but my knees go weak as they shake.

        "I'm your real dad."

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