Page 117 of Daddy’s Fortitude

“You said I’m moving in with you.”

“It’s not outrageous. You are moving in with me.”

“I can’t move in with you, Ammo.”

“It’s the only solution. I can’t stay here forever. You shouldn’t stay here for much longer either. This place isn’t healthy for you. You need somewhere to live. I need to keep an eye on you. The compound it is. But there will be rules. And consequences if you break them.”

She didn’t know what to say. She really didn’t. She wasn’t sure she even had words to explain how she felt, mainly because her feelings were a rioting mess inside her.

“Now, it’s far too late for this conversation. It’s time for sleep. We can discuss it all tomorrow.”

Right, tomorrow. Maybe he’d be reasonable in the morning.

However, she wasn’t holding out much hope.

Aimee rounded the corner of the block, glancing over her shoulder to make sure he wasn’t following. Yes, she was being ridiculous. No, she wasn’t going to stop.

Spotting Kirsten’s car, she raced over to it and climbed in the front passenger seat. “Go, go, go.”

“What’s going on? What’s wrong? Why are you running? You never run,” Kirsten said as she glanced around.

“We need to go before he notices I’m gone,” she said. “Come on, hit the accelerator. Let’s go.”

“Before who notices that you’re gone?” Kirsten asked. “Do you mean Ammo?”

“Exactly. Now go, go, go.”

Kirsten was normally a speed freak, so Aimee couldn’t understand why she was hesitating over this. Finally, she drove away from the curb and headed down the street.

“Is he the reason you wanted me to meet you around the corner?” Kirsten asked. “He’s not hurting you, is he? He wasn’t trapping you in the house, was he? Do I need to go and teach him a lesson?”

“Yes, Kirsten. You need to go and teach the man, who’s at least half a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier than you, a lesson.”

“I could take him,” Kirsten muttered. “Just you wait and see.”

“Kirsten, be serious. You couldn’t take him. You know you couldn’t take him. Maybe if you had a taser, some pepper spray, and a really big dog, you’d have a chance. But you can’t take him on your own.”

“I’ll have you know, I’ve been taking Taekwondo lessons.”

“What? Seriously? When have you been doing that? I didn’t know you were taking Taekwondo lessons? Where do you take them?” She didn’t know that anyone in town was doing them. But maybe Kirsten went somewhere else.

“Well, in my living room.”

That was odd. “Someone comes to your house and gives you a lesson?”

“Not exactly. You can do these online lessons. They’re free.”

“So you watch an online tutorial, and you practice the moves, and you think you can do Taekwondo on Ammo?”

“Well, there’s no need to sound so skeptical. You might hurt my feelings. You still haven’t explained what’s going on. What’s with all the sneaking around and secretive behavior? Why did I have to park around the corner instead of driving up to your house?”

Aimee winced, feeling bad. “Sorry about all of that. It does seem overly dramatic, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, I don’t mind doing it. You always know I’m down for a bit of fun. I think I was a spy in another life.”

“Maybe a Taekwondo expert,” Aimee told her dryly.

“Hey, don’t be rude. I’m actually getting really good at it.”