𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞〚𝚙𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 〛

Chapter 18

"Shit," muttered Kiara, eying the old pickup truck parked in front of the police station.

"JJ's father?" asked Delilah.

"JJ father," confirmed Pope, a shadow crossing his features.

The blonde girl took a deep breath, stepping out of her uncle's car. "Alright, guys. Let me deal with this. It might be better if he didn't see you."

Ross frowned. "Do you want me to come, Eli? If you'd explain in more details..."

She forced herself to smile. "Everything should be fine, uncle Ross. But, please watch just in case."

"Yeah," he answered, trying to hide his worry. "Yeah, of course."

"Lilah," protested Pope. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"We're running out of time," she said, hoping it sounded like some sort of apology.

She shut the car's door, cutting the argument short. Kiara turned around in her seat, watching with an anxious expression as she walked towards the entrance of the police station. Her walk was confident and stable. The same kind of walk her mother had when she knew she had an important business meeting to attend. 

Delilah's heart was beating so hard that she wondered if JJ's father would be able to hear it from afar. Saying she was nervous would be an understatement. 

But she did not have the time to think about turning back: the door to the police station was thrown open. JJ's father stormed out, shoving JJ in front of him. 

Delilah slid in front of him before he could reach his truck, a haughty expression painted on her features. "Mr. Maybank, I suppose?"

The man froze, staring at her with unfocused eyes. "Who're you?"

"Your son's employer."

"What?"

She raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips as she stared him up and down.

"I paid your son to sink that boat," she said slowly, as if speaking to a child. "How much for the restitution?"

Perhaps he didn't understand everything she said, but he did understand the word restitution.

"30 k," he snapped, irritated by the kook girl's attitude.

Delilah held herself back from flinching. She hadn't expected that. 

Breathing calmly, she changed her denamour, realizing that she couldn't help JJ if his father attacked her for being such a snob. 

She tried not looking at JJ, knowing she wouldn't be able to stand the sight. The usually confident boy was hunched over, as if he would break under the slightest touch. 

She waved her hand, as if the price meant nothing. "That will be taken care of. Now, if you'll excuse us, JJ hasn't worked the required amount of time, today."

Without waiting for an answer, she strutted away, knowing that if she stayed any longer, she would lose control of the situation. But the man didn't let go of JJ.

"Well?" she threw over her shoulder, sounding impatient.

"Yes, m'am," hurriedly said JJ, shaking off his father's hand and running after her.

Just as she turned away again, Luke Maybank's eyes met hers. Brown eyes devoid from emotions stared into her soul, chilling her from the inside. Lifting her chin, she looked away, heart beating wildly. 

Oh, how she wanted to grab JJ's hand and squeeze it tightly, letting him know that she was there for him. That she was scared too. But her fear couldn't compare to his. 

Wordlessly, she gestured for him to get in her uncle's car, sliding into the front seat. The old pickup truck roared to life, passing by them at a suspiciously slow speed. As it disappeared from view, Delilah focused all of her willpower on not breaking down there and then. 

Shaking with rage, she balled her hands into fists, wishing she had enough strength to bolt out of the car and chase after Luke, giving him a taste of his own medicine. He had no right to treat JJ that way. He had no right to be his worst fear. A large hand pressed her shoulder, making her look up.

"I may not know exactly what's going on," whispered her uncle. "But I'm proud of you, Eli. And if you ever need help, I'm here for you, okay?"

She took a deep breath, calming the raging anger that had replaced her previous fear. "Thanks, uncle Ross."

Delilah glanced back, her expression softening at the sight behind her. Pope had his arms tightly wrapped around JJ, whispering words only they could hear. They were holding each other together, eyes shining with unshed tears. Kiara gently rubbed JJ's back, the softness in her movements showing exactly how scared she had been. 

The ride back to Figure Eight was silent, and if Ross was confused, he didn't show it. Delilah wasn't even sure if JJ had noticed his presence. She was grateful for her uncle, for his silent support and his lack of questions. He would have been a wonderful father. 

When she stepped out of the car, she found herself face to face with JJ, who struggled to find the words to say.

"You didn't have to go through that trouble," whispered the boy. "I'm going to have to face him at some point."

"Not alone."

"He's my dad, Delilah, there's nothing you can do."

"He doesn't deserve to be called a father," she snapped, perhaps a bit loudly. 

Her uncle looked over his shoulder, lingering in the doorway.

The blonde girl pinched the bridge of her nose, tilting her face towards the sky. She breathed deeply, calming her anger.

"Come on," she told her friends. "We're going inside. Kie and I have to get ready for Midsummers, and we need your opinion."

With the tone she used, no one thought of arguing with her.

A/N Hey, Folks! I hope this isn't bad, the chapter went through a good bit of editing before I was alright with publishing it. 

Have a nice weekend and thanks for reading! 

-Aella