If I could've taken his pain, I would've.
Without a second thought.
"Pop, what if I lose my head and—"
"You will not hurt your kid," I said, telling him a truth I believed with my entire being. "You are not my father, and you are not me. You are stronger, better, and this fucked-up cycle of violence that has done nothing but destroy one life after another will end with you."
I let my tears fall without bothering to wipe them away. "It will end with you, Hendrix."
And goddammit, it would.
My boy would make mistakes, and he'd stumble along the road to becoming the best dad he could be—every man did—but he would not succumb to the darkness as I had.
Stronger and braver than I ever was, he'd break the carousel of suffocating pain and torment we'd both suffered from, ending it forever.
I would make sure of it.
"Now say it," I demanded, needing to hear him both speak the words and believe them. "Say it so—"
"It ends with me." Standing tall, his determined, unwavering gaze locked with mine. "All of it. The abuse, the pain. On my life, I swear it will fucking end with me."
"You're damned right it will." Relief like I'd never experienced swelled inside me, spreading warmth through my limbs. "Want to know something, buddy?"
Chin trembling, he nodded.
"You're going to be one hell of a father." Despite the pain, the smile that curved my lips was genuine and filled with pride.
My son had once been a broken little boy, yet he'd grown to be a man who was anything but. "I may not have done a lot to raise you, but I'm so damned proud that you're mine."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"I'm sorta glad you're mine too, old man." I froze, his unexpected words washing over me like a tidal wave. "You were a shithead most of my life, and you're still a dick most times, but few people would've pulled their life together like you have. Maddie and I are proud of you."
"Hendrix…" At a loss of what to say, my voice drifted silent. Once again, he had no idea the gift he'd just handed me, one which I didn't deserve, and for the life of me, I couldn't find the words to tell him. Still, I tried. "I—"
Headlights blinded me as a car, one I didn't recognize, roared up the station's driveway, headed straight for the spot where Hendrix and I stood.
"Pop, look out!"
Hendrix's hands met my chest as he shoved me backward, sending me stumbling out of the way. Fisting the front of his shirt, I took him with me, pulling him out of the speeding car's path.
Caught off balance, we stumbled.
Then, we fell.
My back hit the asphalt in a jarring thud as he landed next to me, his elbow cracking against the hard surface. With the car still careening toward us, I quickly rolled to my side, shielding my body with his.
If somebody was going to get hit, it would be me. Not him. Ever.
"Pop!"
Tires squealed as the driver of the vehicle slammed on the brakes and came to a sliding stop, mere feet away from where we laid, our pounding hearts beating in sync with one another.
The smell of burnt rubber filled the air.
"What the fuck!" Mad as hell, I jumped to my feet, leaving my dazed kid on the ground, his eyes flooded with confusion. "What the hell is the matter—"
My words died when the driver's side door swung open, and a familiar face appeared as a terrified-looking woman jumped out of the idling vehicle. "She needs help!" Faye, of all people, screamed, clearly panicked.
I reacted quickly.
Erasing the space between us, I looked down at her, skin prickling with trepidation. "Who needs help?"
Spinning around, she popped open the door behind hers and pointed to the backseat. "Robina Hood." My heart sank. "She's hurt, and you've gotta help her. Please! I know it ain't right bringin' her here, but I didn't know what else to do and—"
The thump of my quickening pulse filled my ears, drowning out her voice as my feet moved, carrying me to the car's open back door.
I became unhinged when I caught sight of who lay inside, her tiny body covered in sweat, and her face swollen and bruised.
Blood boiling, I moved on autopilot. "Hendrix!" I yelled over my shoulder before leaning into the car. "Get me a medic bag!"
Trembling with both fear and rage, I slid my arms under Carmen's almost lifeless form and lifted her to my chest, cradling her against me as if she were a newborn baby.
Head turning toward me, she buried her face in my shirt and groaned in pain, sending shards of agony slicing through me. "It's alright, sweetheart," I whispered. "I have you."
A whimper was her only reply.
"She's withdrawin'," a manic looking Faye said, running her shaking fingers through her wild, unbrushed blonde hair. "Been sick for four or five days, and she doesn't seem to be gettin' no better even though she's usually startin' to get over the worst of it by about now."
"Withdrawing?" I snapped, tone harsher than I meant for it to be. "That didn't give her a busted face, so how about you tell me what the fuck else happened."
I had to know what she'd been through and what kind of injuries she might've sustained as a result if I was going to help her.
Faye's chin wobbled. "Her face got busted on account of her turning down the bossman's dope." Before I could ask her what the hell she meant, she quickly continued. "She's tryin' to get clean. For the girls. So she can help them escape. But as you can see, it ain't goin' so well, and I'm scared. Can you…?” Tears falling, she looked ready to splinter. "Can you help her?' Cause if you can't, I've gotta—"
I nodded. "I can help her."
Her shoulders slumped in relief.
"I'll take her to my house and—"
"No!" she interrupted, shaking her head. "You can't do that. You've gotta take her to the paper mill. I can work and scrounge up some cash to
