As I Say

As I Say… MATTHEW DANTE As I Say… Copyright ©2023 Matthew Dante All rights reserved. Cover by The Ravens Touch @the.ravens.touch Edited by Maggie Kern @mskedits Inner book images: DepositPhotos No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, and recording or otherwise – without prior written permission from the author. The exception would be brief passages by a reviewer in a newspaper or magazine or online. To perform any of the above is an infringement of copyright law. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Warning: This book contains scenes which may be considered triggering events for some involving violence, kidnapping, and forced confinement. ISBN: 978-1-7388554-8-3 Contents PROLOGUE 1. Preston 2. Caleb 3. Preston 4. Caleb 5. Caleb 6. Caleb 7. Caleb 8. Preston 9. Caleb 10. Preston 11. Caleb 12. Preston 13. Caleb 14. Preston 15. Caleb 16. Caleb 17. Preston 18. Preston EPILOGUE About the Author Acknowledgments Other Books By Matthew Dante PROLOGUE CALEB Another door slammed, followed by the sound of glass shattering. His father’s voice called out for his mother to get her ugly ass back into the living room. His mother responded by telling him where to shove it. She also added a few other colorful words that no eight-year-old should ever hear from their parents, or anyone else, for that matter. Caleb pressed his hands firmly against his ears, trying to muffle the angry sounds that had been raging on for the past thirty minutes. Sitting in the dark corner of his closet, he kept his eyes shut, while he tried to recall all the names of the transformers he could remember. There was Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Starscream – for some reason, that guy always scared him – Megatron… and there was another one that was yellow and black that he always forgot. Remembering their names always seemed to help calm him. Outside his bedroom, there was another crash, followed by his mother shouting once again. Daddy was angry. Mommy complained that Daddy loved the bottle more than he loved her. He wasn’t exactly sure how someone could love a bottle, but he knew that it made his mommy very upset. Caleb leaned forward and picked up his stuffed dragon, which was missing an arm. His name was Carl, and Carl was his best friend. Carl always kept him company and protected him in the dark while he waited for Mommy and Daddy to stop fighting. He wasn’t sure where Robbie was. He said he was going next door for a minute, but he hadn’t returned. It’s not like Robbie would do much anyway. He always made fun of him for crying or being afraid of the dark. Big boys weren’t supposed to be scared of the dark, and Big boys didn’t have stuffed animals, his brother would say. But Robbie wasn’t here right now, so who cares what his big brother thought. Caleb jumped at the sound of a dish breaking. He hated when his brother left him alone. Where was he? “Get your ass out here, missy. If I have to come get you, so help me God,” his father’s angry voice growled someplace in the hallway. Even through the closet and bedroom door, his father’s voice still sounded like it was in the same room with him. Caleb hugged Carl tighter. He didn’t like it when Daddy was angry or when he had trouble speaking and walking. His eyes always looked red and shiny, and sometimes he wondered if his daddy was a demon or a monster. Demons were mean and scary, just like his dad. Robbie once told him that the Devil himself was coming for him. That he was going to send his guard dog, a large beast with three heads, to come and get him while he was sleeping. Ever since that night, Caleb made sure that he slept with a bat under his bed. Just in case. “Why don’t you go fuck yourself, you impotent piece of shit!” his mother yelled at his daddy. He wasn’t sure what impotent meant, but judging by the way his daddy broke another bottle, he didn’t seem to like it. Caleb hugged Carl close to his chest and began picking at a scab that had formed on his knee. He and Robbie had been playing in the backyard when his brother body-slammed him onto the pavement of their patio, scraping his knee and making it bleed all over the place. It didn’t hurt much anymore. He was a big boy, and Robbie said that men needed scars to show people how tough they were. Caleb didn’t feel tough. Maybe in a few years he would, when he got a mustache like his brother. Picking at his wound made him forget about his mommy and daddy fighting. He wished that Carl would take him far, far away, or perhaps eat his daddy. He wondered whether Daddy’s head would grow back like the Devil’s guard dog. Perhaps his father was a demon, after all. He would have to ask his brother when he saw him again. Demons were cruel and liked to fight with people. Those were two of Daddy’s favorite things. Caleb jumped at the sound of a door slamming open. Was Daddy coming after him next? Was his daddy going to hurt him again like last time? “What the fuck are you guys doing here?” he heard his father shout. His words came out all choppy. Daddy was having trouble speaking again. “I warned you before. You lay a hand on my sister again, and I’ll break your fucking arm,” a man shouted at his daddy. It sounded like Uncle George was in the living room chatting with Daddy. Hopefully, he could make