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“He says your father tried to lay hands on you.”
Oh, right. I roll my eyes. “Pft, that’s ancient history now.”
“It was yesterday.”
I shrug.
“And I can’t let that slide. I wanted to let you know, I’m going to sit him down.”
“You mean break his kneecaps?”
His lip twitches, although I can tell he was fighting it. “Not yet, but he needs to know that’s gonna happen if he tries that shit again.”
“Honestly, it’s a waste of your time. He is five seconds from dying, anyway. As long as he’s not invited to the wedding, we just don’t have to ever see him again.”
“What are you talking about?” His brows furrow even more as he frowns, confused.
Oh right, I haven’t told anyone about Dad. He swore me to secrecy along with all his dirty sins.
“Dad’s dying. He has pancreatic cancer. They said he didn’t have long, and that was eighteen months ago. He’s lost a lot of weight since I saw him last. He must be close now.”
Ren cups my face with his hands, and his eyes grow soft. “Babe, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay, no one did. Seriously, he was dead to me a long time ago. I’m just counting down the clock now.”
He nods, but his eyes seem unconvinced. “I know, but he is still your father. If you need—”
“I’m fine, Ren. He deserves a slow, painful death for leaving me with a monster.”
He does the lifting of the chin thing again, and my heart melts, taking away the sting from the memory. “Both those mother fuckers are going to pay.”
Oh, a man after my own heart. There must be something seriously wrong with me because I just answer him with a kiss. It’s a slow, sweet kiss that ends with his forehead resting on mine.
Nothing like the talk of murder to set the mood.
“Are you ready to go back there for a bit?” he asks.
I swallow knowing exactly what he means. “Yeah. Are you ready to hear it?”
His eyes close and breathes in deeply. “No. But I’ll manage.”
He opens his eyes again, and kisses my forehead then leads me back into the kitchen. We all sit around the counter and enjoy a nice light-hearted lunch, because as soon as it finishes, the mood is sure to shift.
As Ren leans back into the leather chair behind his enormous mahogany desk, he seems to grow taller, more dangerous, oozing authority. The sweet Ren from earlier has gone, and this Ren is not in the joking mood whatsoever.
So, I quietly sit in the lounge next to Tommy and listen as they go over all the security measures in place. They have men at most of their businesses, keeping an eye out for any unusual activity. They even sent Amari to stay with her dad, who also has extra security.
I feel better knowing they aren’t taking the threat of Sergei lightly, but the icky responsible feeling is still there lingering underneath. But I suck it up and push it away, so I don’t be the girl in the room and start crying.
This is not the room for tears.
There is a pause in conversation, and I look up to see all eyes turned to me.
“What do you think he means giving you three days? Why give us a heads up?” Dante asks.
And so it begins.
“Because he likes to test me.” I don’t look at Ren while I talk. It’s easier that way; I already feel the room getting heavier. “He says if I am smart, I won’t take that long. So, for some reason he thinks I’m still going to willingly go back.”
