Page 180 of Filthy Love

It was a gorgeous April day, a little hot, just enough breeze, and in the space of an hour two of the most important men in her life had pissed her off. “He’s my boyfriend, dad, if you have something to say then say it.”

“You got no idea of his past,mikrí kóri.”

“I know exactly who he is. What I want to know is why you have such animosity against him? I saw it the night you were at my house. He wouldn’t say what you said to each other, but I know it wasn’t anything good.”

Ajax snorted, and that noise told her he was about to be the tough-ass he was known for. With her and her mom he was the best guy in the world, always had been. She had no complaints about her childhood other than he’d been a typical Greek father with the overprotection and wanting her to succeed.

“I bet he didn’t. He’s no good for you, Gia. You need to end it.”

“Not happening.” Hawk wholly consumed her. She was keeping him.

Then her dad burst with a fit of spiked anger. “He’s disgustin! He had a sexual relationship with his own goddamn mother, Gia! Is that the kind of man you want?”

The shock poured into her sternum like a physical pain. She caught an angry sob by pressing her fist to her mouth.

“Oh, my god.”

“Exactly. So, give the bastard his marching orders, right?”

“I mean oh, my god you actually believe something like that. Tell me everything you know.”

“Some woman … came to the club when I was still the VP, looking for him. Said she was his mama. What she told me then still turns my stomach, Gia. He’s filth. Using his mother that way. Then I saw the way he was looking at you. You were fucking young. Did he think I’d let him near you?”

A tickle of dread pooled into her belly.

“Dad? What did you do?”

Ajax growled. “I told that asshole to keep his dirty eyes off you and to never go near you or I’d tell everyone his filthy fuckin’ secret.”

“And then you moved us to Texas … right?”

Oh, god. The missing piece of their puzzled slotted into place and Gia felt sick. Everything and everyone had worked against them. And now she found out her dad was a major player in that too.

“Dad. Tell me you didn’t...”

“We were leavin’ anyway. But knowing I was getting you away from him before he could do any damage made the decision easier. You didn’t see how he looked at you, Gia. He had no right lookin’ at a kid that way.”

“I wasn’t a kid. I was looking at him in the same way, dad! Oh, my god, I can’t believe you.” She yelled. Actually, yelled at her dad. Something she’d never done before.

“For goodness sake, Ajax, leave her alone, Gia isn’t stupid.” She heard her mom in the background. “If she likes this boy then he’s obviously not all bad. I fell for a bad boy, remember?”

Like a switch, her dad’s tone changed to the one she recognized. Patient and loving towards his wife. She would have laughed listening to them bickering sweetly if she wasn’t so mad.

“Shall I tell you how wrong you have it? You listened to the wrong person, dad. That woman … she’s disgusting. She abused her own son. Abuse. Do you need me to paint a graphic picture, so you can throw up about it? For his whole life.”

She was so livid; her body shaking. “I don’t care what you think about Hawk. He’s my boyfriend. I love him. And what you’ve held against him all these years was utter bullshit.”

“This what he told you?”

“For Christ sake, Dad! Abuse against a child, he was a damn kid and she did things no parent should even be thinking about. Then she extorted money out of him. She came to you because she’s an animal and she wanted money and you being you fell for it. Ask Ambrosio. He knows.”

Her dad sucked on his teeth. He wouldn’t believe her. Ajax Marinos was a stubborn man. “If you can’t accept who I’m with, that’s fine. Maybe you stay home when mom comes to visit me. Bye.”

“Gia!”

She hung up. And then cried for ten minutes ignoring her dad trying to call back.

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