Page 62 of Knox's Boy

"Florry," he rasped. "There's my boy. I was waitin'. I knew you'd be done with your schoolin' soon."

He took a step toward me. I took a step back. The dance was old. He looked back at the car, running a dirty hand along the rear fender. I flinched as if he were touching my own skin. "Fancy ride. Real fancy. That old man of yours... he sure likes to dress you up, huh?"

"What do you want? You're supposed to be recovering. You know he told you not to come looking for me."

"I am recovering!" he insisted, his voice a whine. "I'm doin' great. But…" He patted his pockets, pulling the lining inside out to show emptiness. "I just need a little help. To get back on my feet. Just a bridge, you know? I need to pay for my meds. That sugar daddy of yours didn't buy me meds."

"Knox paid for your hospital," I said. "He handled it all. If you're out of meds, go to the clinic."

"The clinic is for junkies," Finn spat, darkening. The angry drunk I knew. This was my bitter and horrible childhood. No wonder my mom left. "I need cash, Florian. Just a couple hundred. For food. For a place to sleep that isn't under a bridge. You drivin' this... this spaceship, and you can't spare a dime for the man who raised you?"

"I don't have cash," I said, stepping sideways. "And even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you. I'm not enabling you anymore. I'm done."

Finn’s face contorted. The late sun caught the sweat on his upper lip. "Done? You're done? You think you're better than me now because you spread your legs for some rich pervert?"

My blood heated, a rush of defensive fury for Knox rising in my chest.

"He's a better man than you'll ever be," I said, my voice trembling with rage. "He takes care of me. He doesn't drain me dry."

Finn laughed, harshly. "Takes care of you? He owns you, boy. Look at this." He slapped the roof of the car hard. "This ain't a gift. It's a leash. And now you're turnin' against your own flesh and blood because he told you to."

"He didn't have to tell me anything," I said. "You did this yourself." I moved to unlock the car, desperate to get away. "Go away, Dad. Before I call security."

"Oh, you're gonna call the cops on your dad?" Finn snarled. He looked wild now. He glanced down at the landscaping strip that bordered the parking spots.

He bent down.

"Dad, don't…"

He grabbed a stone, the size of a baseball.

"You love his money more than me?"

He swung his arm.

The sound was sickening. A sharpcrack. The stone impacted the driver's side mirror. The glass cracked. I froze, the air leaving my lungs. It was violence, pure and simple. It was a blow meant for my face, redirected to the thing I loved.

"See?" Finn panted, his chest heaving. "See how fragile it is?"

He didn't stop. He dropped the rock and fished a set of keys from his pocket. Before I could move, before my shock could become action, he dragged the jagged metal tip along the driver’s door. The sound was a shriek, a high-pitched scream of metal on metal that set my teeth on edge. A long, white scar opened up across the midnight-blue paint.

"DAD, STOP!" I roared.

He danced back, eyes wide and manic. "See how much he loves you when his precious toys get broken!" he taunted. "See if he keeps you when you're damaging his stuff!"

In the distance, I saw the flashing yellow lights of a campus security cart turning down the row, but they were still very far.

Finn saw them too. He spat on the ground near my feet, a glob of phlegm landing inches from my sneaker.

"I know you'll come crawling back to me soon.”

He turned and bolted, scrambling between the parked cars, disappearing into the shadows of the tree line before the security cart could even get close.

I stood there, trembling, the setting sun painting the world in blood-orange hues. The Jaguar, Knox’s beautiful gift, looked violated.

I stared at the white scar on the blue paint, the jagged line looking like a exposed bone. White-hot fury, brighter and purer than anything I had felt in years, surged through my veins.

I spun away from the car, needing to hit something, needing to break something. The brick wall of the facilities shed was right there.