Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“You can go, Pop. I’m good.”
“You’ll call if you need something?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay. I’m sure the boys will want to come by and see ya. I’ll tell them to take it easy on you for a couple of days.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“Alright. I’ll be at the clubhouse if you need me.”
He gave me a pat on the shoulder, then walked over and spoke with Toni. I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but I could tell by her expression that she didn’t like what he had to say. They whispered back and forth for a moment longer, and then Dad slipped out without even glancing in my direction.
Yeah. Something was definitely up.
Pretending like nothing had transpired, Toni continued putting the groceries away until I asked, “What the hell was that all about?”
“What was what about?”
“You and Pop? Seemed like something was going on there.”
“Oh, that was nothing.” I could tell she was lying when she said, “He was just offering to help pay for the groceries and stuff.”
“Hmm. Alright.”
I wanted to push and see if she’d fess up, but I got distracted when the front door opened, and Shep walked in with Ghost. They started towards the kitchen, but the second he spotted Toni, he stopped and motioned for me to come to them. I nodded, then turned to Toni and said, “I’ll be right back.”
When I got to the living room, Shep leaned back on the corner of the sofa and said, “I did what you asked and looked into the new husband and the brother.”
“And?”
“Looks like your new stepdad has run into some financial troubles, and he made them worse by dipping into the company funds.”
“He embezzled?”
“Oh, yeah. And not just a little bit.” He handed me the folder full of intel he’d collected as he added, “We’re talking six digits or more at a time.”
“Holy shit.” I glanced through it, and a knot formed in my throat as I sifted through the various pages. “I don’t get it. He throws all these big ass parties and lets Mom spend money like it’s growing on fucking trees. Why not fess up and stop the crazy?”
“Probably thought he could dig himself out.”
“Yeah, but embezzling? Damn. I wouldn’t have thought he’d pull some shit like that.”
“Desperate men do desperate things.” Shep grimaced as he told me, “There’s something else.”
“Yeah?”
“Prez had me look into him when your mom married him.”
“That doesn’t exactly come as a surprise.”
“Well, he had me look into him again a month or so ago.” Shep shrugged. “He didn’t really get into the why. He just told me to do it, so I did.”
“Still seems odd that he’d ask.” I thought for a moment, and then, I remembered all the times he was at the hospital with my mother. “Maybe Mom mentioned something to him.”
“Maybe so.”
“You find anything on the brother?”
“There is no brother.”
“You sure about that?”
“He’s got two sisters and a few cousins, but none of them have the name Vittorio.”
“Ah, damn.” My blood ran cold when I thought about Mom saying he gave her a bad feeling. There was no telling who the guy really was. “I need to know who this guy is, and I need to know now.”
“I’ve done all I can on my end. See if your mom can get me a picture. I can try and use it to figure out who he really is.”
“I’ll text her tonight.”
“Good deal. Just send it my way when you get it.”
“Will do.”
“You making it okay? You need anything else?”
“Nah, I’m good. Just trying to get used to being back home.” I wasn’t in the mood to talk about me, so I asked, “Any word on the Vipers?”
Shep glanced over at Ghost, and after exchanging an odd look, Shep answered, “We had a run-in with them the other night at the Vault, but it was dealt with.”
“What kind of run-in?”
“A couple of them managed to get through security and tried to rough up a couple of the girls. Star’s got a pretty nasty black eye, and Nikki punched one of them and broke her wrist.”
“Well, fuck.” Now, I knew why Dad was against having them come to the house. He had no business hiding that shit from me, and it pissed me the hell off. “I’m so sick of this bullshit!”
“It’s alright. We handled it.”
“That’s not the point!” I’d spent weeks feeling weak and inept, and hearing that my father had been keeping things from me only made me feel worse. I wanted to be back to my old self, and it infuriated me how long it was taking me to get back on my feet. I’d tried to hold it together, but I’d met my breaking point and couldn’t hold back any longer. “I had no idea it had even happened! I may not be able to walk or ride, but I’m still a fucking brother! I have a right to know what the hell is going on!”