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I couldn’t believe my father actually said those words. Vanessa was his only daughter, and he was far more protective of her than he’d ever been of me.
“So, I think I’m going to try to get to know him better, to stop insulting him, and to see the man Vanessa has fallen in love with. Honestly, I’ve never really tried. I’ve only made him feel as unwelcome as possible. He’s never pretended to be something that he’s not, and he’s very transparent about who he is…which makes me respect him. He also told me that I was hypocritical for not accepting him, considering your uncle and I aren’t exactly the most noble people…and he’s right.”
My relationship with Sapphire wasn’t exactly respectable. I paid for her virginity and practically kept her as a slave. I was afraid to tell my father the truth because of what he would think of me, but he said it would be hypocritical to judge him. Now, I treated Sapphire the way she deserved…but it hadn’t always been that way. “But Vanessa deserves more.”
“I agree.” His eyes moved down. “But…this is what she wants.”
My father was taking this exceptionally well, but I couldn’t picture myself doing the same thing. I didn’t trust Bones. I didn’t want him anywhere near my sister or my fiancée. “I don’t think I can be as calm about it.”
“I felt the same way in the beginning. It’s taken time to be this civil.”
“Don’t expect me to be civil.”
He held his glass between his hands. “I figured you wouldn’t be. Doesn’t make a difference to me. Just don’t hit him.”
“Why?” There wasn’t a good enough reason for me to keep my hands to myself.
“It won’t solve anything. And every time he takes a hit without reacting, his power grows. He proves that he’s the man he claims to be. Don’t give him the opportunity to prove himself in any way. Your uncle almost broke his hand against his face. It’s like a slab of concrete.”
I remembered exactly how he looked, all muscle, tattoos, and a solid bone structure. He had a tight jaw, a stern expression, and shoulders so broad he looked like an ox. He was a large man, the kind that could break a man’s skull with a single fist. His size was accompanied by handsome features, looks he must have inherited from his mother. He was the kind of man who could get laid instantly. I’d seen the way the waitress looked at him that night, like she was waiting for him to invite her back to his place once her shift was over. “Then what’s the plan?”
“I’m going to try. But we need to be prepared if things go to shit.”
I nodded in agreement. “What is the likelihood he would do something?”
He dragged his finger around the rim of his glass as he considered my question. “It’s hard to say. He’s already been seeing Vanessa for a while. He could have attacked us much sooner with the element of surprise. Doesn’t make sense for him to go through all of this just to hurt us. A lot more time and effort than necessary. And like I said before…I think their relationship is real. So he may never do anything, but we should always be prepared for the off chance we’re wrong. I always have a gun on me whenever he’s around. You should do the same. Your mother has one too. I hate being armed in my own home, hate increasing security around the house and preparing for war when I’d dedicated my life to peace…but I don’t see any way around it.”
I resented Vanessa for doing this to us, for bringing a criminal into our lives like this. She could have any other guy she wanted, but she had to pick the worst possible person. “What do you know about him? What does he do?”
“He’s a hitman.”
I remembered reading that in his file. He owned a business with a few men. Other than drinking too much and spending money on whores, there was nothing else interesting about him. He did his job then went home. “Anything else?”
“No. He’s been honest about everything I’ve uncovered about him. But he did tell me his mother was a prostitute after his father died. She was killed by one of her clients when he was just a boy. He had a vendetta against us ever since…and dropped it after he fell in love with Vanessa. I don’t see why he would tell me that unless it was the truth. Part of me believes him. Part of me thinks letting it go and accepting him would bring us all peace. But another part of me…will never stop hating him for what his father did to us.” He bowed his head and turned silent, his finger still moving around the rim of the glass.
