Chapter 18: CORD

"You've got to do something." I knew she was going to follow me outside; that's why I did it. I was proud of her for holding her tongue in front of the others, not showing her displeasure or her fear, but I wanted her to come to me always.

"This is not for you little Susie. There are things going on here that you know nothing about." I stayed away from her, okay like a few feet. But that was a lot considering I wanted to reach out and take her in my arms and...no Cord not yet, remember who you're dealing with.

Even before the suspicion that she might be the old man's daughter, I knew I had to take it slow. She was like a dainty little bird, one wrong move and I'd bruise her wing; I could never have that.

"It doesn't matter, that's her baby, it's not right." She's so fucking young, and even with all that mouth of hers, so na飗e in some ways. I'd seen the fear in her back there when my brothers were telling Vanessa how things really were.

For someone who