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“Hush up,” Mama T directs her son. “That’s not what Micah means. Now sit down and stop yelling.”
Victor drops back in his seat, peeved and helpless, arms across his chest.
She takes the hand that Mick has bunched on the table. “Cayo and I knew your home life wasn’t easy. We didn’t know then how bad it was, but we knew you and your mother suffered because of Malcolm’s drinking. We took care of you at first because you were a child in need. Then we did it because we loved you. If you weren’t grateful for that, you wouldn’t be the kind man you grew up to be. I understand gratitude, Micah. But Vittorio is right. You don’t owe us anything. Least of all the sacrifices you made.”
“I just wanted to protect you from him. He would say things like it would be a shame if you were to lose your job at the hospital or if people were to stop taking their cars to Cayo’s shop. He said he would ruin Victor’s chances of ever getting into the police academy. I knew you’d step in if I ever told you. I couldn’t risk that.”
“He counted on it,” Maria says angrily, speaking for the first time. “He knew how much your family meant to you and he used us against you.”
“He realized I would never want you to find out about the abuse when there was nothing you could do about it. He knew I’d never want you to blame yourselves. But it’s not your fault. You have to believe that.”
“What I believe is that Malcolm is a parasite,” Victor spits out with repulsion. “His blackmail didn’t stop with that, did it?”
“No.”
“Of course not, it never does. So, what, he’s demanding more money?”
“I never cared about that part. I did what I thought I had to. Whatever it took to keep him out of my life and away from you.”
“But he didn’t stay out of your life, did he?”
“No.” Mick’s tone hollows. “I’d done his bidding. Played ball. Set him up to live well. He couldn’t take anything more from me. Nothing that mattered, or so I thought. Until I heard from him last week.”
Victor’s eyes go to Mick’s scabbed knuckles, putting that piece together. “You met with him?”
“Yeah.”
“What did he want?”
“He knew about me being back with Dee.”
“Did he threaten her?”
“No, not physically,” I answer. “But he’s added me to the mix, using me as another weapon to hurt Mick with. From all I’ve heard, it’s not just about the money, it’s about making Mick pay for a debt he doesn’t owe. Malcolm blames him for ruining his chances at playing ball; he has turned that into a cruel and ruthless vendetta. He knows how Mick feels about me, how he’s always felt. He’s trying to keep us apart again.”
“What do you mean by again?” Maria asks.
Mick’s eyes go hot and sharp like a flaming sword. “Malcolm told me he knew where Dee was the whole time we were looking for her. He knew she was pregnant with my baby. He laughed about it. Took glee in the fact that he kept her from me.”
“¡Dios mío!” Mama T cries. “He kept you apart on purpose. He kept Dee from us. He’s not just cruel, he’s evil.”
Victor snarls in agreement. “What’s he got over you on Dee?”
“He’s threatening to expose personal details about her. Nothing she has any reason to be ashamed of. But he threatened to put a spin on it. To tell that tabloid reporter, O’Malley, lies about Dee going after me for my money; things to bring out the press in droves and try to hurt Dee’s reputation and career. He threatened to ruin her if I didn’t pay him $10 million dollars by Friday and break off our relationship.”
“Jesus.” Victor chokes on his Coke.
“I’m not giving in to him,” Mick confirms as Isabelle pats her husband’s back. “I’m done. He’s not keeping us apart or using this family anymore.”
“Bueno.” Mama T puts a hand on Mick’s shoulder. “I don’t agree with what you did. But I understand why. Because you loved us all too much to do otherwise. And Malcolm took advantage of that. He is the only one to blame. You hear me?”
Mick nods.
“I mean it, Micah,” she stresses sternly, giving him that familiar don’t-mess-with-me look that can still make her adult children squirm.
“I hear you, Mama T.”
Her face goes soft again, but her voice invites no debate. “Now Malcolm must face the consequences of his actions.”
