Page 67 of You Are Cordially Invited

My heart thudded against my ribs. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, wouldn’t I? Just watch me. Maybe he’ll be a good enough fuck to turn me onto cock. Whaddya think? I might want to keep him.”

I gasped. “Are you threatening torapeCam? What the hell?”

He laughed. “Rape is such an ugly word. Call it therapy. He might even like it.”

“Jesus Christ, that’s a new depth, even for you. You touch him and—”

“And you’ll what? You won’t touchme,son.You’re too fucking worried about tarnishing that golden boy All Black halo of yours. You step one foot out of line, and they’ll dump your sorry arse. You might tick all their PR boxes now, boy, but you touch me, and my mates will cause such a stink in the media that the rugby bosses will be glad to see the back of you. You’re just like all the rest of your fairy friends. No fucking balls. Nobody wants you in the locker room with them. You make any real man want to puke. They’re all just waiting for an excuse to get rid of you.”

And just like that, I was done with him. I had enough. “You have abigimagination,Dad,” I drawled. “But you won’t come near Cam for a few very important reasons, or you would’ve done it by now. You’re nothing but a scumbag bully and no one who matters gives a shit about you or the bigoted crap you spout. The few people who agree with you are as sad as you are. You’re all swimming in this tiny little goldfish bowl with a few of your mates, seeing your reflection in the glass and thinking that everyone’s just like you. Well, they’re not. So listen up.”

“I don’t have to—”

“Shut the fuck up,” I shouted. “The first reason you won’t come near my family is that Cam could whip your arse and your mates with a hand tied behind his back, and you bloody well know that. He’s about as far from helpless as you could imagine. And how fucking embarrassing would that be, right?”

“As if—”

“Second, if you laid a finger on him,orCory, you’ll have half the Samoan population on your tail, and more than a few rugby players as well. Those are some big, big boys, and they don’t forget easily. Family means everything to them. And you’d be shocked to learn just how many rugby players think Cam is the best thing for rugby since the name All Blacks was first coined. He’s the new era in this sport, so you better get used to it, and you better be very, very careful what you say about him.”

Brian Taylor grunted dismissively but said nothing.

Yeah, you absolute bastard.

“And third, you might not think much of the LGBTQ community, but let me tell you something, they could eviscerate your life in the media without stopping to take a breath.”

“That’s utter cr—”

“And finally, you total arsehole, I’ve just recorded this entire fucking conversation, and my next step is to hand it to Cam’s killer lawyer sister to see just how far we can take these threats you’ve just made on Cam and Cory. Plus, I’ve got witnesses here who have heard every word you’ve said.” I glanced at Nellie and Roberta standing with faces as pale as the fresh sheets on my bed, while Roberta held her phone alongside Nellie’s.

I continued, “And if we can’t get you in court the way we’d like to, and you say another thing against my family, I’ll let the press have this recording and your words will be sprayed across the six o’clock news. Let’s see how you like the press poking into every aspect ofyourlife. I know damn well you’ve got more than a few nasty secrets hidden away. In fact, I can probably point them to a few myself, starting with taxes on the garage,Daaaad.”

“You little shit,” he flustered.

I snorted. “I learned from the best. So be warned. The legal stuff is happening regardless. But if I read or hear another word from your filthy mouth in the media about us, I will do exactly what I said and give them the recording. Goodbye,Dad.”

I hung up and slammed Nellie’s phone into his outstretched hand while I tried to fill my lungs past the mountain in my throat.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Nellie grabbed my shaking hands and rubbed some life into them. “Holy shit. I’d heard about your dad, but I had no idea. You were fucking awesome.”

As the adrenaline settled, I blew a couple of deep breaths and raised my head. “Thanks for helping with that.”

“An absolute privilege,” Nellie said seriously with Roberta nodding furiously alongside. “Just let Roberta know where you want the recording sent to and she’ll delete the original, right Roberta?”

More nodding. “What an arsehole.” She blew a low whistle. “Now, how about a coffee?”

I snorted. “The great cure-all.”

* * *

The confrontation with my father worked to release some of the steam I had backed up, but it didn’t last, and by 2.00 pm when Cam still hadn’t shown his face in my room, I was nothing short of wholesale furious with my fiancé—spitting tacks and pissing enough vinegar to keep the nurses out of my room and ready to rip the head off the next person who came through the door.

Which explains why I was completely unprepared to turn at the soft knock and find Cam, pale and uneasy, leaning on the door jamb as if he couldn’t hold himself up and staring at me with desolate, red-rimmed eyes like his whole world had ended.

Fuck.

This couldn’t be good.

---