Liam
Three weeks had gone by since he’d told Daddy about CC and his mother. As usual, he’d talked to his sister a handful of times the week following their discussion, but the following two after that had been filled with more silence from his sister than he’d ever dealt with. He was worried about her, and he could no longer just set it aside as a niggling concern.
He’d had several late meetings at work, and so had Cash, but he’d barely managed to keep his attention on his job, he was so worried. They’d come home and made their meal together in silence. He could tell Cash knew something was going on, but he wasn’t going to pry, and for that, Liam had to be grateful. He needed to be able talk in his own time.
They’d eaten dinner, and Liam was crawling out of his skin by the end of it. Unable to contain his fears any longer, he finally made good on his promise to share his burdens with Daddy. He didn’t ease them into it, either. He just blurted it out, no segue, no finesse. “I’m worried about CC.”
Cash had been carrying their plates to the sink when he’d said it, causing him to pause and glance back at Liam in concern. Cash quickly set the dishes down and walked to him, holding out his hand. Liam grabbed it like the lifeline it was, and they walked to the family room. He was too keyed up to sit on Cash’s lap, so he sat right next to him, his leg up on the couch so he could face Cash.
“The week after I talked to you about her, everything seemed fine. In fact, it was her birthday, remember? I sent her a package and she was happy. We chatted a lot, and everything seemed normal. The next week, she mentioned something about my mom seeing some dude, but that’s really all she said about home. We talked about me and you and school for her then we didn’t talk again that week. This week, we talked once, and I tried to get her to chat about life at home, but she kept changing the subject to her job or her friends or school or me. It’s not like her. She’s usually so open, and I just… Cash, I’m scared.”
“Call her.”
“What?”
“You’re worried about her, now, so am I. Call her.”
“I… Okay.” He pulled out his phone and dialed. CC never picked up, and Liam couldn’t hold it in any longer, he just let go and sobbed into Cash’s chest. “I hate being so far away. I wish she was here. I don’t know what’s going on, and now she won’t talk to me.”
“Do we need to go get her?”
Liam wiped his eyes and gazed at the man who meant everything to him. “You’d do that?”
“Fuck, baby. I’d do anything for you. You know that.”
Liam nodded, “I know, it’s just, that’s me, not my sister.”
“Your sister is a part of you. She’s family. I haven’t met her yet, but if you’re my family, so is she. We can get in the car right now and be there quicker than driving during the day.”
Liam launched himself at Cash and squeezed him as tight as he could. “I love you, so much. Let me keep trying to reach her tonight. If she’s working and just isn’t answering the phone and we show up there, she’s going to be annoyed and embarrassed.”
Cash nodded. “Okay, but the minute you feel like you need to go, we go. Don’t even think about leaving without me”
“Yes, Sir. I’ll keep trying to call and leave her a message.”
He dialed again and told CC he was worried about her and wanted her to call him immediately. He sighed, and they got up and finished cleaning up after dinner. He just wanted to keep trying to reach her, so Cash decided they’d go out to the jacuzzi for a while. When they came back in to get ready for bed, they still hadn’t been able to reach her. They went to bed, but neither of them could get to sleep. They turned the TV on to a movie marathon. They proceeded to watch movie after movie. At the beginning of the third one, Cash dropped off, and Liam watched for another hour. Finally, Cash’s gentle snores lulled him into sleep.
He’d left his cell phone volume on high, so when it rang in the middle of the night, he practically hit the ceiling it startled him so badly. He scrambled for the phone on the nightstand and dropped it in his haste. “Fuck!”
Cash soothed him as he picked it up a second time and answered. “CC?”
He heard what he thought were sniffles. “CC, talk to me. Please, sis.”
“Liam, I’m scared.”
“Oh, god. Why? What happened?”
Cash held out his hand, and Liam handed the phone over without thought. “CC, this is Cash. I’m going to put you on speaker, okay? Talk to us, sweetheart.”
Cash put Liam’s phone on speaker, and CC’s sobs nearly tore him to shreds. “CC, please, talk to me.”
When she finally spoke, her voice was shaking, and she hiccupped a couple times from her crying jag. “Mom’s seeing this guy named Richard, which suits him because he’s a total fucking Dick. Shit, sorry Cash. Ugh.”
“It’s okay, CC. You don’t have to watch yourself with me.”
Liam looked at Cash with worry as CC blew her nose then they could hear her take a few deep breaths before launching into the rest of her story. “So, the Dick has been smarmy from the beginning. But I haven’t been nervous, just kind of uncomfortable, because he keeps mostly to himself when he’s at our place and drinks himself into oblivion with mom then they both pass out. This has been going on for two weeks, off and on. Half the time, she stays with him, and that’s been fine, but the other half, he stays with us, and I just don’t like him. He’s an asshole to mom and pushes her around and talks down to her. He hasn’t hit her that I’ve seen, though it’s not like she confides in me. But he watches me, all the fucking time, and it gives me the creeps.”
She stopped to blow her nose, mumbled an apology, and continued, “The last couple nights, he’s been noticeably less drunk, and the more mom drinks, the more sober he seems. He watches me when I get myself something to eat, when I get up to go to the bathroom, basically any time he sees me. His eyes are always on me, and I mean all over me. He hadn’t made any moves until the night before last. He was waiting outside of the bathroom when I came out and scared me to death. He chuckled and said, ‘Your mom’s using her bathroom, so I guess I’ll use yours, honey.’ So I walked out, ignoring him when he was going in. He brushed up against me and put his hand on my hip, rubbed it up and down my side, and whispered, ‘Mmm, you smell so good.’”
She started crying again, and Liam’s tears started, worried what she was going to say next. “I ran to my room, and he chuckled after me but went into the bathroom to do whatever. I’d been freaked out about him for a while, so I’d gone and purchased a lock to install on the inside and outside of my door to keep him out when I’m home and when I’m not, so I locked it last night. Tonight, as I walked by him and did my best to steer clear of him in the hallway, he grabbed my wrist really hard and yanked me close to him, his breath stank of beer, and he sneered at me and said, ‘You think you’re too good for me, don’t you? We’ll see about that, you stuck up little cunt.’”
Liam couldn’t take it anymore and was about to say something when Cash asked, “CC, are you safe right now? Are you locked in?”
She sobbed. “Yes, yes, I’m locked in, and I guess as safe as I can be. But, I’m so scared, Cash.”
Cash interrupted. “I know, sweetheart. I know you are. Take a deep breath for me.”
She did, several times, and Cash continued to sooth her. “If he comes to your door, you call the police. Do you understand me, CC? Don’t hesitate for a second.”
She sucked in another breath and replied, “Okay. Okay, I will.”
“Good girl. Do me a favor, all right? I want you to start packing. If you don’t have your bags in your room, do not leave your room to get them. Don’t open that door to anyone but me or your brother or the police, not even for your mom, do you understand?”
Her shaky, “Yes,” nearly broke Liam’s heart.
Cash continued. “Pack everything you’ll need.”
“Wait. Like, everything, everything?”
“Yes, sweetheart. If you don’t have anything you can use for bags—”
“Um, I have trash bags in here. Over the next several weeks I was going to clear out my old stuff and toss it. I didn’t want to leave much behind when I left, I guess, so I bought them and haven’t done anything with them.”
Her nervous babbling broke Liam’s heart. He’d never been so grateful to Cash as he was right then. He felt useless, listening to their conversation. He didn’t know what to say or do. He’d never felt so out of control or scared.
“Trash bags will work perfectly. That’s smart. Pack everything you need because you’re not coming back, CC. You’re not safe there, and we can’t have you being so far away from us. Do you understand? You’re coming home with us, and you’re staying here. We’ll work out your graduation situation. We can even stop by your high school on the way out of town to make sure the arrangements are all made.”
By that time, Cash was up and packing them a bag. Seeing him up and moving got Liam going. He took the bag from Cash, relieved to finally be able to take action. He got himself dressed and watched as Cash did the same while he kept talking to CC. He then packed enough for them for a couple nights, worst case. He tuned in again when he’d packed their toiletries and heard Cash mention the cops.
“…Do you understand me? Don’t hesitate. If he talks to you, if he rattles the door, fucking breathes on it, if you hear ANYTHING outside that door, you call nine-one-one.”
Cash grabbed the bag from him and slung the shoulder strap over his head. He made eye contact with Liam and pointed to their pillows, holding up two fingers. Liam shrugged and grabbed them. Cash pointed to the chest beside the chair. Liam opened it and saw a couple fleece blankets. He grabbed them both while Cash continued to talk to CC. Cash took the pillows from him and shoved them under the arm he held the phone with, grabbed Liam’s hand in his other, and they made their way down the stairs.
“…We’re leaving right now, CC. We’ll be there as soon as we can get there, but it will take hours, which is why I don’t want you to hesitate to call the cops. And don’t leave that room for anything unless you’re positive he’s gone. Call us back if you get scared and want to talk.” They continued through the house and into the kitchen as CC replied that she understood and would start packing immediately.
Liam finally spoke up. “I love you, CC. We’ll be there soon.”
“Love you too, Li. Bye.”
Tears rolled down his face when she hung up, and he dragged Cash close and kissed him. Turning around, he pulled a soft travel cooler from the pantry and started filling it with food they could eat in the car and bottles of water. He looked up and said, “Go ahead and get that stuff in the car and get it started. I’m going to get a few more things to eat so we won’t have to stop.”
Cash nodded and headed to the garage. Liam microwaved them each two breakfast sandwiches that Mimi kept on hand for them during the week for a quick on the go breakfast and a couple refrigerated espresso drinks. He packed up several hoagies she had prepackaged as well, with condiments in little containers and side salads to go with them. He’d never been so grateful for Mimi.
Filling the cooler with some ice blocks, he zipped it up and looked around, wondering if they needed anything else. He figured they’d have time to get anything they needed after they got CC but had enough to make it there. He walked out to the car Cash had chosen for the trip. It was a luxurious but powerful SUV, and he knew they’d have space for whatever CC wanted to bring with her.
He put the cooler on the floor of the back seat and got into the passenger seat beside Cash, putting the blanket and pillow Cash had put there on his lap. They got going immediately, and Liam glanced over, happy to see the gas tank was full. He settled back into his seat and gripped Cash’s hand like a lifeline.
“Put your old address in the car’s navigation system, will you?”
Liam told the car where to go, and Cash squeezed his hand as they got on their way. “Thank you, boy.”
Several minute later, Liam handed Cash one of his breakfast sandwiches and dug into his own. He wasn’t necessarily hungry, but he wanted to eat them while they were hot and didn’t want them to go to waste. As he swallowed his second big bite, he said, “Give Mimi a raise, please.”
Cash had already polished off his first one, and Liam unwrapped and handed over the second as Cash gazed at him, smiling. Instead of questioning him, Cash merely nodded and said, “All right. Would you like her to come in daily and cook dinner for us so we don’t have to cook? She also offers other services. When Tommy left, it was just me, so I figured that was overkill. But we could probably use the help with our work keeping us so busy. I have a cleaning service, so we wouldn’t be asking her for help with that, but she offers things like house management and scheduling.”
“So, she’d manage all the cleaning appointments, house maintenance appointments, yard maintenance appointments?”
“Yes, and cater any events we’d need her to handle. I used to have biweekly poker games at the house all the time, but I haven’t since you came. I just didn’t want you to have to worry about it or be stressed about it, but I’d like to start having them again.”
“Yeah, Tommy mentioned those. I thought you didn’t want to have them because you were embarrassed of me, or… I don’t know.”
Cash looked at him, a horrified expression on his face. “God, baby, no! It’s just been a hectic several months, and I wanted to give you as much time as possible. We both work and weekends were when we could spend the bulk of our time together. I just didn’t want to take that away from us so early on.”
Liam nodded. “Yeah. I know that now. You aren’t the only one that messed up. I made a lot of assumptions and didn’t ask or talk to you about how I was feeling. That’s on me. But, I’m sorry you missed so many of them. I’d love for you to start them up again.”
“Don’t be sorry, I never mentioned it. And maybe when we have them over, you can invite some of your friends over so we don’t lose our friendships outside of our relationship. I want you to have time with your boys as well.”
Liam blinked tiredly at Cash. “Okay, that sounds good. And, I’ll do better at telling you what I need and what I’m feeling. I want to be open with you and not feel like I’m holding back.”
Cash nodded, swallowing the last of his second sandwich. He cleared his throat took a drink of his coffee. “I know that rewriting the contract, role playing, and going over the rules isn’t going to make up for everything. We have a long road ahead of us, and I know the only way to prove myself is to be what you need consistently.”
Liam nodded, knowing what Cash said was true. He clasped Cash’s hand in his. “I just want to be sure I’m what you want. I don’t want you making this decision because it’s what I want.”
Cash pulled his hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “I’m in love with you. I have been from early on. I tried to talk myself out of it, to keep my distance because I was convinced it was what was best for you. Convinced that I wasn’t what was best for you.”
“But you are.”
“I know, baby. But the fact remains, I’m twice your age. All I could see was numbers. All I could see was turning sixty when you were forty, and seventy when you were fifty. And I don’t even know if you want kids. But if you did, and we had a baby together, all I could see is my age compared to yours or compared to theirs. It was a record that went around and around in my mind. I couldn’t stop it.”
“I don’t care about your age. In fact, I actually prefer it.”
Cash glanced at him in disbelief, but Liam shook his head and continued, “Why do you have a thing for my small dick? Because it makes you feel bigger and stronger. Why do I prefer your age? Because it makes me feel protected, taken care of, and cherished. You are what I need.”
“I know. I know I am, boy. I’m still worried about it, but I know that no one is better for you than me. No one will love you more than me. No one will treat you better than me. I’m your Daddy, and I’m done being a coward. I’m going to be what you need me to be for the rest of our lives together. I’ll prove it every day with my actions and my words.”
Liam’s mind quieted and he nodded. “I know you will. I believe in you, in us. We still have a lot to learn about each other, and a lot of things to work on, but I believe we’re finally on the same page.”
“Me too, baby. Now, can you get some sleep? You look so tired.”
Liam nodded. “I’m okay. Before I forget, what you said about Mimi works for me. I like the idea of having her manage everything for us. I’m sure we can keep her busy with the size of the house, and all the maintenance it needs. If she wants to do it, give her more than she asks for, please.”
Cash chuckled. “Okay, baby. Go ahead and lean your seat back, cover yourself up with the blanket and rest your head on the pillow, all right? Sleep as long as you can.”
Liam shook his head and began to protest, but Cash interrupted him. “It’s not a request, it’s an order. I know you stayed up later and probably only got an hour of sleep, at most, before she called. I don’t need as much sleep as you do, so I need you to rest so that you’re at your best when we’ve got CC with us and she needs you. Understood?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“That’s my good boy. I’ll get us to her as soon as I can.”
“I know you will. I love you.”
“I love you, too. Rest now.”
Cash
His boy slept like the proverbial dead, only waking up after he pulled over to get gas when they were about three hours away. They both used the gas station’s bathroom and dug into their lunches. Liam laughingly feeding him bites of his salad, lamenting over his poor choice of side dish. He felt better seeing the smile on his boy’s face, and they spent the rest of the time talking.
Hearing some good memories from Liam about his childhood went a long way in cheering the boy up and making Cash feel better about his growing up years. Time sped by much faster with them chatting, and pretty soon, they were taking the exit off the freeway.
“Why don’t you go ahead and give her a call, let her know we’re off the freeway and should be there in about thirty minutes.”
Liam picked up his phone, put it on speaker, and dialed. When CC’s voice filled the car Liam said, “CC, we just got off the freeway. Are you doing okay?”
She let out a relieved breath. “Yeah, I’m okay. He yelled at mom for smoking his last cigarette and made her give him cash for another pack. Which, mind you, is your cash, which is a whole other story involving mom finding out you were sending me money and manipulating me into giving her cash. I’m so sorry.”
“CC, stop apologizing, I know how she is, and I know you have a soft spot for her that left me long ago.”
“I hate that I’m so weak when it comes to her. Jesus. Thankfully, I keep the rest of the money in my savings account. Anyway, he left a couple hours ago to get smokes. I heard the door slam and watched out the window to make sure he was leaving. I saw him walk out of the building and drive off, and thank god for that, cause I had to pee so bad. Then I went and grabbed some food to tide me over and locked myself back in. He was back in less than twenty minutes.”
“Has he tried to bother you?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know. I heard him say my name then ask Mom if she’s seen me. She came to check a little while ago, and I told her I was sick. She just wandered away after that, and I haven’t heard anything else from either of them.”
“Okay, sis, we’ll be there soon. Don’t come out until I come to your room, all right?”
“Yeah. Okay. Thank you, Li. I’m sorry this has turned into such drama. I hate having to barge into your new living arrangements and your relationship when you’re just getting back on track with each other.”
He couldn’t help but speak up to reassure her. “Your brother has been missing the hell out of you, CC. We want you with us, all right? No more apologies. Hang on tight, sweetheart, we’ll be there soon.”
“Okay. Bye, guys.”
“Bye, CC.”
They made quick work of the remaining twenty-five minutes and Cash cautioned Liam before they got out of the car. “You’ll stand behind me until I know you can enter safely. Do you understand me, boy? I know you want to bust in and run for her, but I won’t compromise you both.”
“Yes, Daddy. I promise.”
“If Dick puts up any type of resistance, I want you to call nine-one-one because he doesn’t seem like the type to back down after he’s gotten started. All right?”
“Yes, Sir.”
They walked up to the second floor of the run-down apartment complex, and Cash banged on the door Liam indicated was theirs. The man that opened the door was about five feet ten inches but probably weighed a good two-hundred and twenty-five pounds. His hair was stringy and unwashed, and he wore a flannel shirt that was unbuttoned, revealing a dirty ribbed tank top.
He had a beer and a cigarette in his hand, and his sneer revealed extremely crooked teeth. Jesus, poor CC, being subjected to him for the last several weeks. “Who are you?”
“I’m Liam’s partner. We’ve come to see Ciara.”
“Who the fuck is Liam?”
“Ciara’s brother.”
“Well, she ain’t here. Fuck off.”
He tried to shut the door in their faces, but Cash stopped it with his biker boot. “Now, is that any way to treat a guest? Open the fucking door, Dick, or you’re gonna wish you had.”
The man was obviously not the sharpest knife in the drawer. He put himself behind the door and pushed on it with all his might, not understanding Cash’s boot was well and truly wedged between the door and the frame and wasn’t going anywhere. Not to mention, he’d just put himself in harm’s way, more’s the pity.
Cash waited until the man let up to try something else. When he did, Cash slammed the door back, hitting the man in what Cash assumed was his face from all the ruckus Dick was making. “Oh my, would you look at that? Well, you just got right in front of that door, didn’t you, Dick? That’s rough, man. You gotta be careful.”
“Fuck you! I think my nose is broken.”
“Oh yeah, it sure looks that way with all the blood. Now, I’m gonna ask again, really nicely. Why don’t you invite us in so we can see Ciara, make sure she’s all right?”
“Why the fuck wouldn’t she be all right?”
“Well, we’ve had a few concerning phone calls about you grabbing her, threatening her, and touching her when and where you shouldn’t be touching her.”
“That’s fucking bullshit.”
“Well, it’s my understanding that Ciara isn’t much of a liar, Dick, which leads me to believe you’re lying to cover your own ass. If I see marks on that young girl, you’re gonna have to worry about more than a bloody nose. Now, I’ve had it with being patient. Open the fucking door, Dick, and step aside.”
The man finally relented, but apparently the threats weren’t enough scare the stupid away, because when the guy got a look at his boy, he snaked his arm out quicker than Cash would have assumed he’d be capable of and grabbed Liam’s upper arm, causing him to gasp in pain. “You that little faggot your mother talks ab—.”
Cash punched the man in the throat, making him drop Liam’s arm reflexively and grab his own throat while he tried to breathe. As the man fell to his knees, gagging and gasping, Cash gingerly held Liam’s arm but stopped when Liam placed his other hand on Cash’s, causing him to gaze into his boy’s eyes. “Baby, I’m sorry. I wasn’t fast enough.”
“Shhh. Daddy, I’m okay. I promise. Please, let me go get CC.”
Cash felt sick to his stomach that he’d allowed that asshole to touch his boy, but he nodded, and Liam ran down the hall calling his sister’s name. Dick was gagging and coughing and trying to threaten him at the same time. What a fucking pathetic mess. When an older woman came out of a set of doors to the left—hair wet, face sallow and drawn, quite obviously fresh from a shower, but sadly not looking better for it—Cash knew he was seeing Liam and CC’s mom.
His heart hurt for them, seeing what alcohol had done to her. She looked at him in confusion and was probably about to ask him who the hell he was when she saw the Dick on the floor. She gasped and ran forward to help her boyfriend. Cash watched, unable to help when the angry drunk bastard shoved her away. She’d been in the middle of squatting down to help him up when it happened and fell back into the coffee table, catching the corner with her hip and crying out.
Cash moved to help her, but his priorities ran into the room, trash bags in hand. When they saw what had happened, they both rushed to their mom helping her up and onto one of the chairs. The woman looked so confused and bewildered he felt bad for her, but as he moved forward to help, the Dick made a move again and was about to grab onto CC’s neck from behind when Cash plowed his fist into the man’s face, catching him off guard. The force of the blow knocked the man into the wall, and as he slid down it, Cash could see he was finally, blessedly, knocked out.
Their mother’s voice was hopeful when she asked, “Liam? What are you doing here?”
Both kids spoke at the same time she did, asking, “Mom, are you all right?”
It was the concern in all of their voices that made Cash realize Liam wasn’t as indifferent to his mother as he’d pretended to be. He’d just had to distance himself from her while she drank herself to death, and Cash couldn’t blame him. But what he could do was work hard to help get the family in a much better place. He glanced at the Dick to make sure he wasn’t stirring then walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bag of frozen peas, wrapped it in the kitchen towel and joined everyone back in the family room.
“Mrs. Cavanagh, I’m Cash Moreau, Liam’s partner. Here, this should help ease the pain a little.”
“His partner?” She glanced at her son. “Liam? What’s going on?” She turned her bewildered gazed back to him and asked, “Why did you hit Richard?”
Liam rolled his eyes and lost his patience. “Jesus, you’re something, Mom. Shouldn’t your question be, why did your fucking pedophile boyfriend push you so hard you’re going to have an enormous bruise on your side?”
“What? I… Pedophile? He’s not—.”
“He is! He’s been harassing CC, he grabbed her arm and left bruises. Maybe you think that’s okay when he does it to you, but I’m here to tell you, it’s not fucking okay when he does it to her.”
“He didn’t! He’d never do that.”
Liam held up CC’s arm to show his mom the bruises. “He’s been touching her while he tells her how good she smells and called her a stuck-up cunt when she ran away from him and locked him out of her room with new fucking locks that she felt scared enough to purchase herself, knowing that her drunk clueless mother wasn’t going to protect her!”
CC pulled her arm out of Liam’s grasp and quieted him with a hand on his shoulder. Clarity was coming into Jane’s eyes though, and what Cash saw made him give the woman a bit more respect. “Is that true, CC?”
CC crossed her arm over her chest and nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been locking myself in at night, scared he might try to come in. I had to call Liam because I didn’t know how long I’d be able to fend him off.”
Tears filled their mom’s eyes, and she stood, grabbing CC in a tight hug. She sobbed while holding her daughter then reached out and grabbed Liam, pulling him into their embrace. Cash watched the family hold each other tight, both women crying, Liam unable to keep his mask of indifference in place as the women he loved most in the world wept.
Cash looked at the Dick when he began to moan in pain. He glanced over at Jane, and his respect grew as she gently moved her kids aside and growled. Before Liam could catch her, Jane was across the room scratching the skin off the Dick’s face then punching him anywhere her small fists could reach, all the while yelling, “I’ll fucking kill you! I trusted you! How could you do that? How could you touch my little girl?”
Stupidly, the Dick sneered at her while guarding his face from her wrath. Between pained moans, he argued, “She’s no little girl; she just turned eighteen. She was asking for it.”
“You think the fact that she’s been eighteen for half a second matters? She locked herself in her room because of you. She wasn’t asking for anything! You sick fuck!”
Cash held his hand up when both kids tried to intervene. They both stopped at his silent command and watched in shock as their mom took out what was probably years’ worth of anger, sadness, regret, and aggression on the pathetic piece of shit on the floor who held his hands over his now bleeding face in protection. When Cash saw he was about to go on the attack, rather than just lying there and taking it, he stepped in and grabbed Jane around the waist, picking her up and moving her out of the way before the Dick could hurt her again.
Just then, someone hammered their fist on the door. “Police, open up!”
Cash put Jane down, but he’d obviously underestimated the level of her anger because of her display of calm when he’d picked her up and pulled her away from the Dick. She was back on him in a second, screaming and punching with all her might. He grabbed her again, and again, she became docile in his arms, sobbing suddenly and turning into him.
He nodded at Liam when the police banged on the door again and watched as his boy answered it, holding the door wide and ushering the two cops inside. One of them was a woman, about six feet tall, the other was a man, a couple inches shorter and heavily muscled. They asked which one of them was Liam, and his boy raised his hand and stepped forward, speaking with them and explaining the situation.
The officers didn’t seem surprised at all and made quick work of taking down information from everyone, the Dick included, before locking cuffs around his wrists at the small of his back. They led him outside and down the stairs, and Cash shut the door on the man’s screams and the female cop’s calm response about his history of lying to them and other domestic violence claims.