All For You, Daddy

16 - William.

What in God's name have I done?

Acid boils in my stomach, pain jabbing the backs of my eyes. The world is lacking in all sound as I turn in several directions, searching for Grace. There is no sign of her. She has vanished into the landscape, taking all of the color and sound along with her. My breaths are loud in my ears, dizziness rising up and causing me to pitch sideways, thanks to memories of her stricken expression.

What did I just do?

Jesus, how could I say those things to her?

She was sent to me as a sacrifice. A virgin offering. It brought her into my life, yes, but she never should have been put in that position. As far as she knew, I was an evil bastard before we met. What if I'd been the kind of man who hurts women? The fact that she was put in potential danger is unacceptable. She's eighteen, for godsakes. Her family is supposed to protect her, not use her for their own advantage.

And I...I blamed her.

Lashed out in anger and said truly mean things that I didn't mean in an attempt to disguise my own pain.

Damn me. I called her a liar, an opportunist. I pushed her away.

Now I'm going to pay for it, aren't I?

I've hurt the sweetest, gentlest girl in the world. The girl who loved me and fought to get through to me, even when I was a bitter shell of a human.

No. No, please. I can't have lost her.

A hole forms in my stomach and grows rapidly larger as I stumble to the limousine and brace my hands on the roof, trying to think. My driver stands a few feet away, calling my name, but his voice sounds like it's coming from the inside of a tunnel. Freezing cold sweat beads on my face and rolls downward, soaking into my collar. What if she's in danger? What if I find her, beg her forgiveness, but the hurt I inflicted is too great for her to love me anymore?

My knees almost give way, my mouth going bone dry.

Focus.

Focus.

I have to find her.

I'm burning so hot with grief that it takes me a moment to realize where we are. I own several of the high rises on this street. Does Grace live in one of these? No. No, thinking back to the conversation, didn't she say I postponed the eviction of her family? I've only done that once in my career in real estate.

"Carter Avenue," I bark at my driver, throwing myself into the back seat. "The tenements."

As soon as the vehicle starts moving, I call the building manager and demand the details of Grace's family. Who are they? What ages? How many of them? What is the apartment number? And as I find out more about the Hellingtons, the lesson Grace taught me becomes painfully obvious.

I was going to throw these people out on the street without knowing a single thing about them. I could have made my future wife homeless and never batted an eyelash about it. These tenants of mine are people. People who make huge mistakes, sure, but if Grace loves them, they can't be all bad. As a fellow human being, I owe them a chance. I've owed a lot of people a chance they never got.

My head falls back against the seat, eyes gritty and raw.

And I start to pray.

Please God, if you let me have her back, I won't forget the lessons she taught me. I'll be a better person. I'll be more like her. Please.

When I lift my head again, we are turning down Carter Avenue and I see the block through fresh eyes. It's not just a low-rent neighborhood, it's the place where Grace lives. Is this where I will find her?

Frantically, I search the street for some sign of her, hoping like hell she ran home instead of going somewhere I'll never pinpoint. I need to hold her in my arms so badly, they're shaking, an apology jammed in my throat.

My driver pulls over and I waste no time getting out, marching straight into the building where Grace lives and scaling the stairs to her apartment. Just knowing she walks these halls makes me miss her so much, I'm all but hunched over by the time I bang on the door.

A woman answers, looking terrified.

"Oh, Lord, is the eviction happening now? We weren't notified—"

"No." I brace a hand on the doorjamb. "You're not being evicted. You're never paying me rent again. Just help me find your daughter."

The color drains from her face. "Is she lost? Last time I spoke to her, she was leaving for Paris. With you. She said..."

"What?"

Grace's mother only shakes her head, shame dancing across her features.

"I know about the plan to trade leniency for her virginity. She told me."

"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I regretted my decision as soon as she left, but it was too late. I should never have sent her to do that."

"No, you shouldn't have." When tears fill her eyes, I soften my harsh tone and it's all Grace's influence. She's turned me human, hasn't she? "But it brought her into my life," I say gruffly, my heart squeezing. "I could never be angry about that. She's my angel. She's everything to me."

The woman nods, as if she knows exactly how special her daughter is. "When she called me to tell me about Paris, she told me the plan was off. That she'd given herself to you freely because...she loves you."

A pitiful sound leaves me and I nearly rip off the doorjamb. The plan was off. She'd taken her one bargaining tool and given it to me out of trust, affection, and I turned on her at the first opportunity. God, I don't deserve her, do I? "I love her, too. I love her so much it hurts. But we argued and...and I just need your help bringing her back to me. Please. Where would she go?"