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Daniel’s gaze slips to mine, looking for confirmation. I hesitate for
a moment, looking between father and son, and then give a little
shrug, deciding not to push it. Kent has made his point – I need to do what he says – but if he was really going to hurt me, he’d have done it by now.
“See?” Kent says, looking at his son. “She’s fine.”
With that, Kent strides from the room, brushing past his son and
not giving me another look. Confused, Daniel looks after him, and
then turns to me.
“Am I crazy?” He asks. “Or did I hear you scream?”
I sign and sink onto the bed. “You’re not crazy,” I say. “I did.”
“But you’re okay?”
I nod as he sits down next to me, concern all over his face. I have
to admit that I am a little surprised by it – all this time I think I
thought, at least a little, that I’m just a pawn in Daniel’s life. It feels
good to know that he cares about me enough to come running
when he hears that I’m in trouble.
“I just…well, I broke a rule,” I say, twisting my hands together and
grimacing at him. Daniel groans, starting to calm down a bit.
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“Yeah,” he says, giving a little laugh. “He does not like that. What did you do?”
“Um,” I bite my lip, trying to decide where to start. I was watching
some of your dad’s homemade porn in the basement doesn’t seem like quite the auspicious beginning, so I jump ahead. “He told me not to go into the basement. And I did. And I saw him…”
I hesitate, wondering how much he knows.
Daniel’s face drops, going a little pale. “I’m sorry, Fay,” he says softly. “Some of the stuff that goes on down there…is…did anyone get hurt?”
I nod a little and he puts a hand on my shoulder.
“Does it happen often?” I ask softly.
“I don’t really know,” he says, shrugging. “I saw it once as a kid and then…I never went down again. Honestly, I think my dad was a little disappointed in me. He doesn’t want me to be…well, a sissy. And I ran away crying.”
I bite my lip at this, feeling for Daniel, who is sensitive. After a beat, I feel a question rise in me.
“Daniel?” I ask. “How are you going to inherit this family, its… business…if you can’t handle its methods?”
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He shakes his head at me, looking sad. “I ask myself that all the time. I don’t think even my dad has an answer. Honestly, sometimes it feels like he’s fighting so hard to keep this family’s power together so that he can give it to me, pass it on to future generations, but…if it were up to me, maybe I just don’t want it.”
I nod, understanding. But I also know that there’s so much at
stake – even if Daniel were to give up the family’s business, it would cause a power vacuum in the city that could be disastrous,
even lethal to the people he loves. He’s in a tough place, and I feel
for him.
“I’ll do my best,” Daniel says, looking at me seriously. “To protect you from all of that, in the future.”
I nod, smiling at him softly at his generous offer. But inside, part of me remembers the rush, the adrenaline, and wonders whether I want him to keep that promise.
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Gifts
Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Father
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Chapter 50