Page 109 of Caught Up

“It’s commercial,” I said. “Rented out by amembers-onlyclub.”

His gaze shifted to Lauren. “You plan on running girls out of it? Is that what this is? You’re a wannabe pimp now?”

Lauren’s fingernails dug into the back of my hand.

Across from us, Aly made a low, angry sound, and I could see my brothers shifting in their seats out of my periphery. “No. It’s a legal club, and I plan to let them keep operating out of the building for as long as they like.”

“You want to use them to help launder money?” Dad asked.

I shook my head.

“Move drugs?”

Another head shake.

“Then what, Junior? What’s the con?” he demanded, because to him, there always was one.

“There’s no con. They are a legitimate business. This is me striking out on my own. I don’t want to do this anymore,” I said, gesturing between us. “I don’t want to run oil or any of the other shit you want me to.”

He shot forward in his chair. “Are you fucking—” His gaze slid past me, to Lauren, and then over to Aly and Josh, reminded of our audience, silenced by their presence. Dad’s number one rule was that we never discussed mob shit in front of people who weren’t in the know.

“Get out,” he spat at Aly.

She lifted her glass and took a sip of her wine, unperturbed. “Nah, I think I’ll stay right where I am.”

“You were so quick to run out of here the last time things got tense,” Dad said. “Nowyou want to stay?”

Aly settled back in her seat. “Yeah, I do.”

Josh wrapped an arm around her shoulders, smiling ear to ear, and I’d never been more grateful to have these two assholes in my life.

Dad shifted his focus to Lauren.

“Don’t,” I said. “She stays.”

Fury crawled over his face, and he jabbed a finger toward her. “I fuckingknewthis little whore would be trouble.”

Aly swore. Greg drained his drink and set his glass down hard enough to rattle the table. And Mom...God help Dad after we all left and she had him alone to herself. Josh was the only one as still as I was, likely gone to that empty place in his head that he’d tried to explain to me a few months ago. My own quiet was much calmer. This wasn’t anything I hadn’t anticipated. My father wasn’t stupid. Like Mom, he probably sensed that this was the “big one,” and I knew that meant he would be at his worst.

“Are you okay?” I asked Lauren.

She surprised me by laughing. “I’m fine. That is the least creative way to insult me he could have chosen.” She leaned past me, looking at my father. “If you were a sub, I would respond by inviting you to a private chat so you could find out just how big a whore I am.” She added a wink for good measure, and my love for her swelled.

My father’s expression shifted into disgust. “This is who you choose to be with? Someone who says shit like that at the dinner table? Think of your future. How will you ever be able to bring her around your friends? Your family?”

Aly leaned forward. “You literally just called her a whore at the dinner table, you fucking hypocrite.”

A glance at Lauren revealed her looking unconcerned, but I’d felt her tense up, knew that Dad’s words had struck deep, hit some lingering vulnerability. I squeezed her leg, telling her that I was here, that I had her, that I wasn’t about to let my father get away with speaking to her this way. I’d warned her how bad his temper was, how cruel he could be, and that he might turn his fury on her. She’d remained determined to come tonight, assuring me that there was nothing he could say that she hadn’t heard before, which led to me asking her for names, which led to her telling me to stop acting so crazy.

I lifted my gaze back to my father’s. “Don’t ever speak about my girlfriend like that again.”

“Or what, Junior?” Dad bit out “What are you going to do?”

This was the moment I needed to stand my ground. My father only seemed to understand downside, only responded to strength. And it had taken me nearly ten years to realize I held the trump card all along.

“Never speak to you again,” I told him. “Carve you out like a cancer and never look back.” As far as threats went, this was the worst one I could make. I’d considered blackmail. Lord knew I had enough of it. But after my talk with Josh, I’d realized that threatening to break up our family like this was the biggest weapon in my arsenal.

Dad didn’t say anything in response, but his fingers tightened around his wineglass, and I could tell from the look in his eyes that if we had been alone, we’d be having a much different conversation. This was why Josh and I had come up with the plan to do this out in the open for everyone to see. To not let Dad hide his abuse and vitriol behind a closed door anymore. To have witnesses to this exchange soeveryoneknew I wanted out, making it harder for Dad to force me back in without drawing suspicion and pissing off the whole family, risking all his relationships.

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