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Chapter One
Like I need another reminder.
“You know the drill, Roman,” Officer Daniels said to me as she nodded to the chair beside her desk and picked up her phone receiver.
I fell into the chair, dropped my cuffed hands in my lap, and stretched my neck to wait while she dialled the number. The Sergeant saw me and rolled his eyes before sharing a silent look with Officer Daniels. She gave him a very ‘I know’, look in response.
“Oh, Mr Lombardi,” she said into the phone mere moments later.
She shared her surprise with me. Surprise that he’d picked up so quickly. She knew I didn’t care, but we’d done this dance numerous times before. We’d built up rapport, unintended though it was. We didn’t like each other, more we shared in a set of specific circumstances during which we’d become familiar. One of those specific circumstances was him not answering his phone.
“Yes,” she continued. “It’s Officer Daniels from the Waketon Police Station.”
I didn’t need to hear him to know what sort of things he was saying to her. But I saw Officer Daniels’ face and knew he was using his most colourful language. Between me and him, the woman put up with her fair share of shit. And that wasn’t even taking into account the other fuckwits in this backwater town.
“I understand,” Officer Daniels said into the phone with a nod. “Yes. He was picked up at a party.” She nodded again. “Fighting. No, we didn’t get anyone else.”
Here, she threw a look to me, and I shrugged aWhat do you want me to do about it?
Yeah, Rio had been with me. He was the closest thing I had to a best mate and we were firm believers that friends never let friends get into shit alone.
Officer Daniels knew he’d been there and I knew he’d been there. Fuck, my father probably knew he’d been there. But no way was I ratting Rio out. He knew the drill; first sign of lights or a siren and he runs. I was the one with the lawyer for an absentee father, who disagreed with the notion of parenting but was quite happy to keep me out of gaol to avoid any potential embarrassment to him and the new trophy wife’s perfect life.
I sometimes wondered if I let myself get caught so often because I wanted to see if we’d get even one of those headlines he was so scared of seeing:Prominent Sydney Lawyer’s Son Arrested For [Insert Any Old Crime Here]. Personally, I doubted he was as prominent as he liked to think he was. Still, he managed to get me out of trouble, time and time again. I’d long since stopped caring why he did it. He did, so I got to live whatever life I wanted.
“Of course, I’ll pass him over.” She pulled the receiver from her ear and held it out to me. “He wants to talk to you.”
“I’ll bet,” I said as I took it, my lip stinging in protest. I gave her a polite nod because I wasn’t a total heathen. “Rocco,” I said into the phone.
“Respectful as always, Roman,” was the first thing he said.
“Respect where it’s due. Isn’t that what you taught me?”
“I don’t know why I bother,” he said to me. “Why do I waste my time?”
It was the same thing I’d heard my whole life. Accidentally broke Mum’s vase when I was four? I was stupid and useless. Put my dishes in the sink instead of the dishwasher? I was lazy and useless. Had the flu for two weeks when I was seven? I was lazy and stupid.
“How should I know?” I replied. “You’re the one who insisted they call you when they picked me up. Maybe your child bride has given you a taste for drama.”
“Annika is old enough to be your mother,” was the old man’s favourite retort.
“Mmm… I seem to recall you saying Paris having a kid at that age wasscandalous,” I reminded him.
“Paris is still a child.”
“You’re just making my point for me,” I told him, throwing a victorious wink to Officer Daniels.
Needless to say, she did not share my enthusiasm for antagonising my father.
“Of the children I expected to breed before reaching the age of majority, I’d put you firmly in the lead. But, no. That would require some effort. Whereas you will never amount to anything.”
I grinned, but it was anything but humoured. “Oh, I put in plenty of effort, Rocco. I’m just not as stupid as my sister.”
“No. Stupider, I’d say. You’ll never change, Roman. At least I won’t have to see the day you become a deadbeat father.”
I shouldn’t have done it, but I rose to his bait. “Oh, really? How’d you figure that?” I sneered.
“No one would want to be around you long enough. You ruin everything you touch.”
