“I think you have the wrong number.” Madison knew for a fact that Adam did not associate with his father. It had been his father who’d gotten him addicted to drugs in the first place.
“This isn’t Adam Taylor’s room?”
Her forehead crinkled. “Yeah. This is Adam’s room.”
“Well, let me talk him,” he said loudly. “I need him to get me something special on his way home.”
Adam sat up beside her on the bed. “Who is it?” he asked.
She wasn’t sure how it was possible, but . . . “It’s your father.”
Chapter Thirteen
Fuck. Why did the old man have to ruin everything? It wasn’t enough that his father had run off Adam’s mother, ruined his childhood and introduced him to drugs. Nope, he had to call his hotel room at two o’clock in the goddamned morning and make his unwanted presence known to Madison. So much for getting rid of the bastard before Madison could find out his toxic existence was back in Adam’s life.
“What do you want?” Adam said into the phone.
“Cocaine,” his dad answered in his two-pack-a-day rasp.
“I’m not getting anything for you. We’ve been through this.” No matter how many times he told his father that he was clean now, the man didn’t believe him. He thought Adam was holding out on him.
His father clicked his tongue. “What good is it to have a rock-star son if he doesn’t share his prime drug sources with you?”
Adam couldn’t bring himself to look at Madison, because even though she’d said he never disappointed her, he knew this would.
“I have to go,” Adam said.
“Will you be home tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” His stomach twisted in knots, Adam hung up.
“When were you going to tell me he was back in your life?” Madison said in her calm, professional voice.
Damn it. Adam shrugged, turned off the TV and switched off the lamp on his side of the bed. “Let’s go to bed. I’m tired.”
“Adam!”
“I’m working on getting rid of him, all right? Give it a rest.”
“I’m not going to give it a rest. Is he the real reason you didn’t want me to visit you in Austin?”
He plumped his pillow and stretched out on his side with his back to her.
“Don’t you f**king shut me out, Adam.” There was no calm professionalism in her tone now.
“I don’t want to talk about this.”
“You told me he was out of your life. Did you lie to me about that too? How can I believe anything you say?”
“That wasn’t a lie. He was out of my life. He came to visit a few months ago and he’s been staying at my place ever since.” He impersonated his father’s grating voice to say, “About time you were good for something, boy. You rock stars have access to all the best drugs. Do your daddy a favor and get me some choice cocaine. Been way too long since we snorted a line of blow together, son. It’ll be just like old times.”
“So you’ve been doing drugs with your father again?”
He hadn’t, but guilt clenched his gut as if he had. He shook his head. “No, but he has drugs stashed all over my house. I hope to f**king God my parole officer doesn’t decide to drop in for a visit. The only reason I didn’t do any jail time last year is because I agreed to see you. If they find drugs in my house, I’ll do time behind bars for sure.”
“Adam, you have to get rid of him.”
Adam flopped onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He still couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eye. He couldn’t handle the disappointment he feared he’d see in her gaze. Or the mistrust.
“Ideally, yes. Realistically, the man does whatever the f**k he wants to do. That will never change.”
“I could try talking to him. Does he even realize how much trouble he can get you in?”
“Does he care, Madison? Does a man who shoots up his thirteen-year-old son with heroin as his rite of manhood care about anything but an altered state of mind?” Adam had broken down the first time he’d told Madison about his thirteenth birthday. And then he’d cussed her out for making him cry. And then he’d cried again. It had been his first step to healing and the first time she’d held him. Maybe that was when he’d fallen in love with her.
“I could turn him in when you’re out on the road,” Madison said. “You wouldn’t be the one to get busted then. He would.”
“I don’t want him in jail. Has jail ever helped an addict? It just turns people with addictions into criminals with addictions.”
“I can help him the way I helped you, but you’re my priority. We have to keep him away from you until he’s clean.”
He sighed. “Madison, I don’t want you to get involved. This is a family issue.”
“That’s bullshit!”
He didn’t argue. He knew it was bullshit, but he didn’t want her to get involved. He had this situation under control.
“Adam,” she said, “you had to know if you told me, I’d get involved. It’s my job. No, more than that.” She slapped his belly. “It’s who I am. I have to help.”
“But it won’t help anything, Madi. For an addict to become clean, he has to want it. And my father loves his lifestyle.” Loved it more than his wife and his son.
“Sometimes we have to force them to want it.”
He shook his head at her. “You don’t really believe that. You’re too smart to believe you can force it.”
She released a heavy sigh. “Will you at least let me talk to him? Try to reason with him. For your sake.”
Adam rubbed his left eyebrow with the side of his index finger. He always got a headache behind his left brow when he was stressed. “I’ll talk to him,” he said, “and if he won’t see reason, I’ll let you try to gain his cooperation.”
Madison pursed her lips and then nodded. “Okay. I trust you’ll do what you have to do to get him out of your house. I do know some good counselors in Austin. If you want, I could have someone—”
“I’ll handle it.”
Her entire body was tense as she struggled to maintain her composure. Adam knew it was killing her to leave this up to him, but he also knew his father, and the man wasn’t ever going to change. The best thing would be to get him to move out. If threats didn’t work, maybe bribes would.
“This isn’t Adam Taylor’s room?”
Her forehead crinkled. “Yeah. This is Adam’s room.”
“Well, let me talk him,” he said loudly. “I need him to get me something special on his way home.”
Adam sat up beside her on the bed. “Who is it?” he asked.
She wasn’t sure how it was possible, but . . . “It’s your father.”
Chapter Thirteen
Fuck. Why did the old man have to ruin everything? It wasn’t enough that his father had run off Adam’s mother, ruined his childhood and introduced him to drugs. Nope, he had to call his hotel room at two o’clock in the goddamned morning and make his unwanted presence known to Madison. So much for getting rid of the bastard before Madison could find out his toxic existence was back in Adam’s life.
“What do you want?” Adam said into the phone.
“Cocaine,” his dad answered in his two-pack-a-day rasp.
“I’m not getting anything for you. We’ve been through this.” No matter how many times he told his father that he was clean now, the man didn’t believe him. He thought Adam was holding out on him.
His father clicked his tongue. “What good is it to have a rock-star son if he doesn’t share his prime drug sources with you?”
Adam couldn’t bring himself to look at Madison, because even though she’d said he never disappointed her, he knew this would.
“I have to go,” Adam said.
“Will you be home tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” His stomach twisted in knots, Adam hung up.
“When were you going to tell me he was back in your life?” Madison said in her calm, professional voice.
Damn it. Adam shrugged, turned off the TV and switched off the lamp on his side of the bed. “Let’s go to bed. I’m tired.”
“Adam!”
“I’m working on getting rid of him, all right? Give it a rest.”
“I’m not going to give it a rest. Is he the real reason you didn’t want me to visit you in Austin?”
He plumped his pillow and stretched out on his side with his back to her.
“Don’t you f**king shut me out, Adam.” There was no calm professionalism in her tone now.
“I don’t want to talk about this.”
“You told me he was out of your life. Did you lie to me about that too? How can I believe anything you say?”
“That wasn’t a lie. He was out of my life. He came to visit a few months ago and he’s been staying at my place ever since.” He impersonated his father’s grating voice to say, “About time you were good for something, boy. You rock stars have access to all the best drugs. Do your daddy a favor and get me some choice cocaine. Been way too long since we snorted a line of blow together, son. It’ll be just like old times.”
“So you’ve been doing drugs with your father again?”
He hadn’t, but guilt clenched his gut as if he had. He shook his head. “No, but he has drugs stashed all over my house. I hope to f**king God my parole officer doesn’t decide to drop in for a visit. The only reason I didn’t do any jail time last year is because I agreed to see you. If they find drugs in my house, I’ll do time behind bars for sure.”
“Adam, you have to get rid of him.”
Adam flopped onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He still couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eye. He couldn’t handle the disappointment he feared he’d see in her gaze. Or the mistrust.
“Ideally, yes. Realistically, the man does whatever the f**k he wants to do. That will never change.”
“I could try talking to him. Does he even realize how much trouble he can get you in?”
“Does he care, Madison? Does a man who shoots up his thirteen-year-old son with heroin as his rite of manhood care about anything but an altered state of mind?” Adam had broken down the first time he’d told Madison about his thirteenth birthday. And then he’d cussed her out for making him cry. And then he’d cried again. It had been his first step to healing and the first time she’d held him. Maybe that was when he’d fallen in love with her.
“I could turn him in when you’re out on the road,” Madison said. “You wouldn’t be the one to get busted then. He would.”
“I don’t want him in jail. Has jail ever helped an addict? It just turns people with addictions into criminals with addictions.”
“I can help him the way I helped you, but you’re my priority. We have to keep him away from you until he’s clean.”
He sighed. “Madison, I don’t want you to get involved. This is a family issue.”
“That’s bullshit!”
He didn’t argue. He knew it was bullshit, but he didn’t want her to get involved. He had this situation under control.
“Adam,” she said, “you had to know if you told me, I’d get involved. It’s my job. No, more than that.” She slapped his belly. “It’s who I am. I have to help.”
“But it won’t help anything, Madi. For an addict to become clean, he has to want it. And my father loves his lifestyle.” Loved it more than his wife and his son.
“Sometimes we have to force them to want it.”
He shook his head at her. “You don’t really believe that. You’re too smart to believe you can force it.”
She released a heavy sigh. “Will you at least let me talk to him? Try to reason with him. For your sake.”
Adam rubbed his left eyebrow with the side of his index finger. He always got a headache behind his left brow when he was stressed. “I’ll talk to him,” he said, “and if he won’t see reason, I’ll let you try to gain his cooperation.”
Madison pursed her lips and then nodded. “Okay. I trust you’ll do what you have to do to get him out of your house. I do know some good counselors in Austin. If you want, I could have someone—”
“I’ll handle it.”
Her entire body was tense as she struggled to maintain her composure. Adam knew it was killing her to leave this up to him, but he also knew his father, and the man wasn’t ever going to change. The best thing would be to get him to move out. If threats didn’t work, maybe bribes would.
