Page 96 of Duke

When I look up, he has tears in his eyes. They pool before falling down his rugged, wrinkled, old face. A face I’ll never forget.

“No. Get this out of your head. I’m staying. I love it here stupid. Besides, who would run the bar? Meat? He’d drink us out of business. Don’t do anything stupid either. I want you to give me your gun. Now. If I come home one day to find you gone—I’ll drag you outside for the birds.”

He hesitates, still crying but slowly reaches into his waistband and pulls out the gun.

“I knew you thought about it.”

He nods his head.

Taking the gun, I unload the clip and walk inside knowing the perfect spot for it, in my room, where my bag of money used to hide.

“Come on, time to go in. We have another season of The Walking Dead to watch.”

Wheeling him inside, I kiss the top of his head, “I love you, dad. There’s nowhere else I’d want to be.”

Well… besides in a house on the cliffs of Malibu, riding my man in the moonlight. With a sigh, I help him sit on the couch and go to the kitchen for a second helping of gelato.

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