Read Online The Right Time by Susan X Meagher - Free Book Online Page B

gain, what would she do for booze? “I don’t know. Tell me.”
    “I stopped him at the gate. He seemed kinda…sleazy. Guys like that are always good for a bottle. He said he’d keep me stocked if I’d blow him.”
    Hennessy let out a breath, relieved that was all she’d done. Then she realized the facts didn’t add up. “Maybe you do it differently than we do in the South, but how does a man nearly bite your nipple off while you’re giving him head? The geometry doesn’t work. Now, please, tell me the truth.”
    “I am telling the truth. I had to let him paw me to get him hard,” she snapped. “You’d think an underage girl would do the trick, but no, he had to suck and bite on me for ten minutes in the cab of that truck. Sick bastard. What sort of creep can’t get hot without making a girl scream?”
    Sick to her stomach and shaking with disgust, Hennessy stood and handed Townsend’s shirt back to her. “Get dressed. We’re going to go pay a visit to Mary Ann.”
    Gleefully, she crowed, “Finally! My ticket out of this dump.”
    “No chance. First we call the police. After that, we’ll call your parents. Next, you’re going to have to see the doctor.” Just saying the words made her a little weak in the knees. She dropped to the bed, locking her gaze on Townsend’s. “I don’t believe you weren’t raped.”
    “I wasn’t! I told him what I wanted, and we agreed on a price.”
    “A price,” Hennessy muttered, torn between pity and revulsion.
    “I suggested the blow job,” Townsend said. “And I wouldn’t have had to do it if you hadn’t taken my money away!”
    That hurt, but only for a moment. If Townsend had money, she’d probably drink herself into a coma again. Making it harder for her to drink was not something Hennessy was going to feel guilty about. “What he did was a crime,” she said softly. “The fact that you suggested it won’t matter to a judge. But you might want to think about the impact you have on other people’s lives when you pull them into your games.” She took a breath and told the truth. She had to—for Townsend. “What if he’d never done anything like that before? What if he never would have acted on those sick instincts? He’ll go to jail—which is where he belongs—but…” Hennessy clamped her mouth shut. Abusing a child was a crime. There were no two ways about it. But a lot of people had darkness hidden inside. It wasn’t right to yank it out of them. Townsend knew better. She had to. Looking at her, while sitting so close to each other on the bed, Townsend’s darting eyes showed a hint of discomfort or maybe even guilt. Hennessy prayed it was guilt. If Townsend could learn to think of other people as more than just pawns she could use to feed her habit—she might have a chance.
     

     
    They were unable to reach Mrs. Bartley, but Mary Ann left a message. Townsend claimed not to have a number for her father, which spoke volumes in Hennessy’s book.
    The ride to the doctor wasn’t long, but even with four of them in the car, Mary Ann, Destiny, Hennessy and Townsend, not a word was spoken.
    Hennessy didn’t want to admit how relieved she was when Townsend refused her offer to go into the examining room with her. Torn between anger and pity, she wasn’t the kind of support the kid needed right now.
    Destiny put an arm around her shoulders and Hennessy surprised herself by starting to shed silent tears. In seconds, Mary Ann was crouched in front of her, holding both her hands. “I know you did your best, honey,” she soothed. “But this is taking too much out of you. I don’t want to ruin your summer. We’ll move her over to Spoonbill.”
    “No,” she croaked, sniffling while she wiped her eyes with the back of a hand. “I want to keep her.”
    “Brianna’s got an easy bunch. I already asked, and she’s up for the challenge.”
    “Please don’t,” Hennessy said, her voice getting more forceful. “The last thing Townsend needs