“I just want to know how and why Sienna fits into all this. If your father goes through with the deal, that we will potentially make with him, you could stand to lose everything. Your freedom, your reputation, The Sandy Claws, Marked Inc., all of it gone. So, why bring Sienna into this?”
“And what deal is this?” I ask in genuine curiosity.
“Well, I can’t disclose that information to you, Mr. Moretti.”
“Doesn’t surprise me, the man is a coward. He would make a deal with a tree if he thought it could get him out of trouble. He is what we call a rat in our line of work.”
“Interesting,” she says, raising a brow.
“How so?” I reply, not sure if I follow.
“The dynamic, or lack thereof, between you and your father is interesting at the very least.”
“What’s not to get? It’s a tale as old as time. Father brings son into the world, makes him a sacrifice to absolve him of his own sins, while he gets all the glory and freedom.”
Vanessa just stares at me with a blank expression. I guess she wasn’t expecting a crash course in mine and my father’s fucked up history.
“Poetic, huh? A father’s love so great that he wishes suffering on his son in exchange for his salvation. My father has a God complex, he thinks he is untouchable when, really, he is just a fool.”
“Clearly, you and your father have some unresolved issues,” she says, shrugging in discomfort.
You don’t even know the half of it.
Vanessa thinks that me learning of my father’s betrayal will break me. Luckily for me, my father broke me years ago. Her words are meant to scare me, but instead, they ignite my desire for revenge.
I need to end this conversation. Vanessa is starting to chip away at the facade I have worked so hard to build. This isn’t a time for vulnerability, this is a time for battle. I need to end my father and absolve myself of his wickedness once and for all. Freeing myself, freeingmireina.
I put out my cigarette and immediately grab for another one. As I light the tip, I see Vanessa’s agitation begin to build with me.
“You know, since you know so much about my family, why don’t we talk about your cousin, Eric?”
“What about him?” she asks, her jaw tensing as she clearly doesn’t want to discuss him.
“As I am sure you know, he works for me.”
She nods. “Unfortunately,” she says as she rolls her eyes.
“I know that he has a history with Sienna. Do you think he would let that get in the way of his ability to work for me?”
Shaking her head, as if I am throwing her off guard, which was the intention of my conversational detour, she responds, “I’m sorry, I’m not seeing what changing the subject to my cousin has to do with anything.”
“Answer my question, Vanessa,” I demand.
“Fuck that, you didn’t answer mine. Why Sienna? What the fuck gives?” she shouts, standing up and making the chair skid across the floor.
I don’t let her antics affect me. I chug my whiskey and glance over to José, who has been eyeing Vanessa and me this whole time. He is like a trained and loyal pit bull, ready to attack if I need it. I gesture to him to stand down. Vanessa and her badge do not scare me.
Clearing my throat, I respond to her. “My father isn’t who he appears to be. He paints himself a saint when he is as wicked as they come. He has destroyed any semblance of normalcy or hope that I could have ever had in life. He thinks he can write the story of my life however he sees fit. He may have conjured up a story for you, but I have control of its ending.”
Vanessa looks confused, as I intended her to be. I speak cryptically on purpose; it is to get people stuck in their head and distracted from whatever it is they want from me. It’s like a conman’s magical power. Works every time.
I get up from the table and turn to Vanessa before I head to the back room.
“And to answer your question of why. It’s always been about her, that’s why.”
She and I are simply meant to fucking be.
Chapter34
