Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“CPS is a no-win situation. You’ll have too many critics. There’ll never be a right decision no matter what you do. This could ruin your chances…” His father continued his tirade, his voice growing louder the longer he ranted. Alec suspected his father hit something in the background, probably his desk to help drive his point home. Alec looked down at his fingernail, surveying the damage from a morning of constantly picking at the nail while thinking about the previous day’s dinner.
Alec wondered what Key was doing now. He looked over at the clock and gave a silent chuckle. He’d lasted until eleven o’clock in all his indignation before boredom and curiosity got the better of him. Man, he sucked at playing hooky.
If he remembered correctly, Brioni had their new line at Neiman’s. Maybe he could persuade his personal shopper to pull some selections for him. He’d liked the tonal-striped suit he’d seen during fashion week. The material was mostly a wool blend. How did he feel about that? And when had the vest made such a strong comeback? He’d always liked the three-piece look the best…
“Goddammit! I hate when you don’t fucking answer me.”
Alec looked up, forgetting what he’d been doing. “I’m sorry. My phone went dead for a minute,” he said unconvincingly. Just the flippant attitude he’d been giving his father in their private sessions should be a huge indicator that Alec was losing interest in his father’s plans. His father needed to go back to grooming his oldest son, Patrick. The guy seemed lost without his father’s constant direction.
“…I’m getting the governor involved. He’ll call the mayor…”
“Oh lord, Father, don’t do that unless you want me working DNA case reviews, and you think there’s no win to CPS? Wait until I point out all the errors in past cases. I’ll be the most unpopular guy in the office—” Alec stopped talking. That actually didn’t sound half bad. Better than dealing with all those hurt children and their families.
“The only other option is to push your nomination through faster,” his father said, sounding thoughtful.
“Or you can let me handle it,” Alec said dryly.
“Look what’s happened with you handling things.”
“It wasn’t me who thought I should be in the DA’s office. I certainly didn’t think we needed an announcement of your intentions for me,” he shot back, not allowing his father to place blame on him. He was doing everything that man wanted.
“I needed the information out there. We’re gaining ground in the LGBT community…” And the next rant began. Alec tuned him out again. That was the other thing that had changed, driving home the belief Alec was being used. His father wasn’t hiding his desire to win over the coveted LGBT demographic even though Alec knew deep down that his father’s opinions hadn’t evolved. As if Alec’s appointment would be enough to show millions of men and women that his self-righteous father had suddenly become accepting. How ridiculous.
The phone went dead. Alec stared at the screen until it went dark. He shrugged then swiped a finger across the screen to pull up his contacts. He needed to call his Neiman’s buyer ASAP. Putting the phone to his ear, Alec wondered about a dog. He’d been playing around with the notion of a puppy for a while. As the phone started to ring, another call came through. His father. He could go to voicemail. Alec had no interest in anything the man had to say.
“Where the fuck have you been? I had to turn away the only fuckin’ customer we had this morning, because I can’t change the fuckin’ tire alone and you weren’t fuckin’ here.”
Keyes strolled past his old man who sat perched on his bench, spewing his normal bullshit negativity, not paying him one bit of attention.
The ride from McKinney to South Dallas took at least ninety minutes in all that snarled traffic. Since he was already late, he took the time to swing by the post office and hire a couple of day-workers to help clean the place up. As if they heard his thoughts, he looked over his shoulder to see the men pulling up together in an old beater truck. He had trolled the group of men, eyeing each one, asking questions. With any luck, the two he’d chosen could help change a tire, and maybe he could hire both at the end of the day.
Keyes surveyed the warehouse, deciding on the best place to start. Nothing had changed since he’d left last night. His old man wasn’t quite the invalid he pretended to be. He absolutely could have picked up a fucking broom since he’d been there alone all morning.
Why did his father even bother showing up?
“You smell like a fuckin’ flower.”
He looked back at his father who stood in the open doors of the warehouse, oxygen tank in hand.