Betrayal - Fern Michaels [26]
Silence. And more silence.
Alex’s hand shook, and he felt the blood flow from his face to his feet. Surely he hadn’t heard what he thought he’d just heard. “Say it again, Don. I’m not quite sure I heard you. Apparently, I did have too much to drink.”
“I think you heard me right the first time. Sara says you’ve been touching her for years. She says it only happens when you all come to our house to visit, except for one time during Easter break. Goddamn you, Alex! How could you? She’s just a little girl! I swear, if I was in the same room with you right now, I would kill you with my bare hands! You son of a bitch! Do you realize what you’ve done to her? You’ve ruined her for the rest of her damned life,” Don sobbed into the receiver. “You bastard, I loved you. And now look at us.”
More silence.
Alex cleared his throat. He downed the cup of cold coffee in front of him. His hands trembled like dry leaves. “I don’t know what to say, Don. This is . . . I don’t know why . . . I would never . . . Let me talk to Sara. She’s just, hell I don’t know what I’m saying.”
“There isn’t anything left to say. You’ve molested my daughter. My best friend, more dear than a brother to me. I don’t think there are any appropriate words for a conversation of this nature. You’ve ruined my little girl, Alex. I’ll see you in hell before I allow you to get away with this. I will see you in hell, old man!” Don shouted, then slammed the phone in Alex’s ear.
He continued to hold on to the phone as though it were a lifeline of sorts. If he hung it up and acknowledged his conversation with Don, that would make it real. There had to be an explanation. Surely, Don was playing a cruel joke. But to do so at Sara’s expense wasn’t like Don. He could be a prankster, but this went too far, even for Don. No, there had to be another explanation. Maybe he had a bet with a friend down there in Florida, maybe Don just wanted to see how many hoops he’d jump through before he got in his truck and hightailed it to Florida to kick his ass. But that was too lame even for Don. The only possible explanation—and this was too far-fetched to imagine—was that maybe Sara had really convinced her father that he’d touched her.
God, it was sick to even think about, let alone actually doing something as repugnant. Him a child molester. He couldn’t imagine something happening to him like this in his wildest dreams. Maybe tomorrow he would wake up and he’d find out this was nothing but a dream.
“Alex. Alex, are you okay?” Kate’s voice sounded tinny, like it was coming through a deep, dark tunnel. Kate shook him. “Alex, you’re scaring me!”
Alex gazed around the kitchen looking at all the familiar things that he and Kate had collected throughout their marriage. Now it was all a joke. A dirty, filthy joke.
Ruined.
Tainted.
“If you don’t speak up, Alex, I’m going to have Jay give you a shot of whatever he gives to crazy horses. I thought I heard you talking when I got out of the shower.” Kate was basically sober. She still had a slight buzz, though nothing she couldn’t handle.
“That was Don on the phone,” Alex said, his words coming out like an automaton’s.
“It’s about time he called. Are the girls okay?” Kate waited for Alex to answer.
“No.”
“God, Alex, what’s happened! Was it Emily? Sara?” Kate was almost screaming at him, yet he remained seated at the table. He was like a zombie in another time zone.
He stood up and went to the kitchen sink. He splashed cold water on his face, hoping its briskness would wash away all that he was feeling. He cupped his hands together and drank greedily from the faucet.
Kate had never seen Alex like this. It frightened her. “I’m going to call Don myself if you don’t tell me what happened. I’m scared, Alex.”
Kate’s words brought him out of his daze. She would be changed forever when he told her what Don accused him of. His sweet, perfect Kate. Any shred of innocence she’d ever had, gone. He had to get himself together. For