Page 36 of Hidden Truths

Dash and Dante are the only ones who don’t mind going to meetings and shit with their dad. He’s a great man and rules over the loans and debts section of The Faction. Even when people owe The Faction money, Mr. Peterson doesn’t beat the shit out of them and make them out to be an example so others don’t get into a debt they can’t pay back when the time comes. Dante won’t go to anymore of those meetings now though.

Dante has started working on his underground fighting shit. He has almost everything in place to open up to those who get his invites. It will not be open to the public because that will bring too much attention to this business venture. He’s got their cousin, Brendan, working with him on things. Brendan will run things when Dante can’t personally be there. Dante won’t trust anyone but us with most everything he does in life. Brendan is one of the very few he lets in completely. He’s the only one he’d trust with the fighting because Brendan knows all of his secrets and he won’t fuck Dante over for any reason. My father has tried to get him to fuck them over in the past and it never worked. The only thing Brendan did was tell the guys what my father said and then went on about living his life.

“I’ll see you fuckers later,” I say before leaving the house and heading toward the garage toward my brand-new Stingray.

My father won’t be happy with the newest addition to my car collection. He feels it’s a waste of money and there’s no reason for me to continue buying new cars. He’s actually threatened to sell them without my knowledge. There’s no way he can because every car is in my name and if he sells any of them without my permission, I’ll have him arrested quicker than hell. The man won’t touch a thing of mine that I’ve bought with the money I earn through The Faction or from the trust fund my grandparents left me. It’s a massive trust fund that I’ll never be able to spend in my lifetime. So, for now, I buy cars to piss my father off.

Racing through town after leaving campus, I don’t hesitate to speed because no one’s gonna pull me over. The cops in town are all in our pockets and don’t want to lose their payday because I’m speeding. I’m not going that much over the speed limit and I’m being safe. Well, as safe as I can be. This is the first time I’ve really gotten to take out my new car and I’m testing the boundaries of what it can do. So, I head to the poor section and make my way to the warehouse where all business is conducted.

When I pull up, my father’s car is already parked there and his driver, some new guy, is standing outside waiting for my father to come back out. I park my car next to his and get out after revving the engine for a few seconds. No, it’s not needed but I know it’s just one more way to piss my father off. He’ll be able to hear me from inside the warehouse. It’s not soundproofed because he wants to ensure everyone here knows what will happen to them if they cross my father in any way.

Sliding my keys in my pocket, I make my way in the warehouse to find my father holding court with Don, Tyson, and Chester. Chester is over all the drug dealers in the poor section of town. He gets the shipments in, divides the drugs up to the various dealers under him, and then gets the money to my father when they have their weekly meeting. Yes, he wants his money on a weekly basis. I’m surprised he doesn’t make Chester meet him on a daily basis because he doesn’t trust anyone with the money that goes into his hands.

Tyson is the pimp in the poor section. He’s the guy who rules over all prostitution that happens in the area. The girls barely get to keep any money they make and they’re fed the drugs that Chester brings into High Point. That’s about the only time my father gives up the money for drugs that he could be making. So, the girls are kept doped up and with their legs spread. I’d say on their backs but that’s never the case. The guys who use these girls have some sick fucking fetishes that they live out through the girls they pay for. For the most part, Tyson is a good guy and he doesn’t beat the hell out of the girls he keeps in his brothel. If my father didn’t demand he give the girls drugs, I don’t believe Tyson would do it. However, my father is a jackass and he wants these girls kept down to remain prostitutes until they die from one reason or another.

Don is the leader of the local gang. He didn’t grow up the best after his dad was killed in the same accident that took out Arabella’s dad. We didn’t know he even worked for the same company at the time. It was only discovered by Kash a few years later. I actually pulled Don aside to make sure he wouldn’t do anything to Arabella when we realized she was moved to the poor section of town. Don is a very angry guy and we didn’t want that to be taken out on an innocent little girl. If anything, he fucking goes out of his way to make sure the dealers, Tyson, and everyone else leave her the hell alone. He can’t stop everything as he’s said before because he's so damn busy. And he won’t divulge anything he knows about her because he wants to protect her at all costs even if it’s from the five of us.

“Good of you to finally join us, Fallon. It took you long enough to fucking get here,” my father says after I greet the men we’re meeting with tonight. “Chester, you got the guys I’ve requested here for the night?”

Chester doesn’t respond with words. A simple nod of his head and a door at the back of the warehouse opens to reveal two guys being dragged in. They’re gagged and tied up as they’re tossed to the floor at my father’s feet. I stand behind my father and watch as he fucking starts yelling and shit. His voice echoes in the warehouse making him seem even more villainous. I tune him out and fucking don’t listen to his words because they mean absolutely nothing to me.

“Fallon, want to get your hands dirty? Or are you gonna pussy out like a little bitch?” my father questions me, not leaving any room for me to back out of getting my hands dirty with these two men.

Stepping up, I remove my jacket and hand it over to Tyson who takes it and drapes it over his arm while watching me work. He’s about the only one who’s ever seen me get my hands dirty because I found one of his girls being raped by a guy who didn’t feel the need to pay for her services. Tyson had already been informed of what was going on, but I was taking care of it for him.

“So, what slight did they commit against you, Father?” I question, letting him know I wasn’t paying attention to him as usual.

“They’ve stolen money from the drugs they’ve been tasked with selling. I’m not going to let them get away with it because if I do, then everyone else will think it’s okay to fuck The Faction over and take what doesn’t belong to them. So, are you gonna get your hands dirty or not?” he questions me, his voice low and deadly as if he’s warning me not to make the wrong decision.

There is never a right decision when it comes to my father. Especially considering he hasn’t ever gotten his fucking hands dirty a day in his life. My father is a coward, the only one who ever shows what a pussy he is because of his lack of ability to get his hands dirty regardless of the situation. I take out all the rage I feel at knowing my father is standing there watching over me and that he’d never take this step himself. I’m the one who has to take it because I’m better than he is. I’ll always be better than my father because it’s the man he’s molded me into being. It still does nothing to quench the rage filling me because of the beady fucking eyes watching my every move.

When I’m done, I step back and look at the men on the ground before me. They’re both still alive but I doubt they’ll make it through the night. Turning my attention toward my father, for the first time I see fear filling his eyes. This is truly the first experience he’s had with me letting out my dark side. The only reason I’ve never done it at home is because I refuse to traumatize my mom and little sister. I have more respect for my sister than that. Yes, only my sister. My mom lost my respect a long time ago.

The second I let loose on the first guy, a red haze took over my vision and I lost all sense of what I was doing and the area around me. It’s not the first time it’s happened, but it is the one I’m the most aware of. It honestly feels as if I’m standing back next to my father and watching someone else doing this shit. The reality of the situation is that I’m a fucking monster and for the first time in my life I’ve lost control. I’ve never once let myself have anything other than absolute control over every aspect of my life. As much as my father will let me have because at the end of the day I am my own man. I don’t have anything left to prove to him because I can beat the fuck out of him and if it comes down to it, I won’t have a problem taking him the fuck out for all the crimes he’s committed in his lifetime.

Without saying a word to anyone, I accept the jacket Tyson holds out for me. I don’t clean off the blood or anything else as I leave the warehouse. The only thing I do is grab the towels I have in the truck and cover my seats with them. I’m not about to ruin my car with another man’s blood. The second I get back to the house, I’ll shower and make sure the clothes I’m wearing are disposed of properly. This is one of my favorite suits and I have to fucking burn it now. Fucking stupid douche canoe. All because my father wanted to prove a point and it backfired on him. I pause long enough to let Dante know I’m on my way back so I can shower and get ready to head to the gym. It’s a good thing darkness has fallen and I can hide in the shadows to get back to the house without anyone seeing me.

Overheard Conversations

Arabella

TWO DAYS HAVE passed since Karmen came in and caused a scene in Slice of Heaven and tried to get me fired. I’ve been at school and didn’t once see Karmen or Collette. My nerves are on edge because I know something is gonna come from them, but I don’t know when or where it’s going to happen. Even with Brock trailing me all over the place, I’m looking over my shoulder and waiting for everything to fall on me. Brock is pissed because he knows how anxious I am and how this is making me feel. He meets me outside of class every single day no matter where his last class is and then walks me to my next one because he doesn’t want me alone on campus for any reason. Brock is one of the best guys I know and I’m happy I get to call him my friend.

I’ve seen the guys on campus and they’re pissed as fuck about the situation. Brock told them about things when he was at football practice and there’s nothing I could do to stop him. He wanted Kash to know and doesn’t have any classes with him. So, his solution was to talk to Fallon, Braxtyn, and Dash when they were together. I don’t want them to know what’s going on, but if Kash is going to be my husband, he’ll have to know what’s going on and maybe the guys can ensure the girls don’t come near me for any reason. I’ve had more than enough of their shit and I’m ready to make sure they don’t touch me ever again. Especially that Marianna bitch.

Marianna’s the worst one of the group. I’ve seen her hanging all over Kash on a daily basis and there’s nothing he can do to get away from her. I’ve watched him try everything to get away from her and not have anything to do with her when they’ve been on campus. If he’s in the courtyard with the guys, they sit far away from him and her and ignore anything she tries to say to him. Kash has started only leaving the house to go to class and then he hides like I’ve been doing since the start of school. It’s all over campus that Marianna’s pissed as hell and is bitching about Kash not spending any time with her. She’s taken to treating everyone like shit even more than normal and doesn’t care who she hurts or pisses off. Even the rest of the guys are freezing her out which only pisses her off more. From what Brock says, she’s trying to fuck them all and none of them are touching her.

Today’s classes were long and I almost fell asleep. Vinnie’s sick and I was up all night long with him because I didn’t want him to get sick and me not hear him. So, I finished the last of the assignments I had to do and got the rough draft of my paper written while I wasn’t sleeping. If it weren’t for Mrs. Andrews, I wouldn’t even be coming to school today. She assured me she’d take care of him and if he got any worse then she’d call me. I gave her my phone number and it’s taped to the refrigerator in her kitchen so she doesn’t lose it in case there’s some kind of emergency. Today is one of the few days I’ve ever kept my phone on anything but silent because I refuse to miss a call from Mrs. Andrews if I have to leave and take my brother to the doctor to make sure he’s okay and doesn’t need to be admitted to the hospital or something. He’s not able to keep anything down and he’s got a fever. I’ve given him medicine for it and am hoping he’ll start to feel better soon. When I called to check on him earlier, Mrs. Andrews said he's still sick and not feeling any better. She’s given him more medicine and tried that drink stuff just to get something in him so he doesn’t get dehydrated.

Now, I’ve been at work for hours and my feet are killing me. It’s still busy as hell and I’m ready to go home, check on Vinnie and get some sleep. Tomorrow is another long day filled with classes, tutoring, and then working once again. If I don’t get some kind of sleep, I don’t know how I’ll make it through the day. Yeah, I’m used to running on little to no sleep, but with everything going on right now, exhaustion is consuming me. Sal almost sent me home because I’m dead on my feet. I begged him to let me work because I need the hours and the money so I can still do whatever I need to without exposing myself as having more money than what my mother knows about. The less she knows, the better I’ll feel because she’s a bitch and I refuse to enable her to continue her addictions and treating Vinnie and me like shit until she needs something.

So, as far as my mother knows, I’m still working here at Slice of Heaven and that’s where any money I have comes from. I don’t leave anything from my bank at the house because I refuse to have her find out about anything that’s been going on since Kash showed me the will and I met with Mrs. Donovan. So far, my mother hasn’t shown up at Mrs. Andrews for any reason, but you never know when it comes to her. As long as she gets what she wants, she really doesn’t care who she has to go through and I won’t see Mrs. Andrews hurt because my mother is a vile bitch.

“I’m headin’ out, Arabella. If you need anythin’ I’m just a call away. I want to get the deposit to the bank before I head home tonight and there’s nothin’ here that needs me. You have the key to the shop and can lock up. How much longer do you think you’ll be here?” Sal asks me, his voice sounding muffled as he bends down behind the counter and digs around for something.

“I’ve gotta finish wrapping the silverware, sweep the floor before mopping, and get the garbage out to the dumpster. It shouldn’t take me too much longer. You get out of here. Give your wife a hug from me,” I tell him with a tired smile on my face as he stands back up and leaves through the back door of the pizzeria because he parks out back every day.

Once Sal’s gone, I turn up the music on the radio Sal keeps for when we’re closed and gather the garbage to take out back where the dumpsters are located. There’s four bags tonight that have to go out and I grab two of them. My trip to the dumpster goes quick because I hate being out here at night alone. Usually Sal makes sure one of the other girls comes out with me. However, the new girl quit just after clocking in because she was going to actually have to work. I swear to everything holy that this generation is the laziest group of people I’ve ever met. They want the money that comes from being employed but refuses to work to get the paycheck. When Sal yelled at her for talking and not doing her job, she clocked out and disappeared quick as fuck. So, I’ve worked the pizzeria all alone tonight. It definitely didn’t help knowing I want to get out of here quick tonight because of my brother.

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