Page 3 of Deny Thy Name


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Beating the crap out of me to keep me in line.

He hadn’t tried it recently because he knew I would fire back and he was too damn old to keep up with me now.

But I was respectful. That’s how my mama had trained me to be.

One day, his entire empire would be mine. Hell, this whole damn city would be once I took over Caldwell's side as well.

“I have a meeting with Amir this evening,” he said, finally turning to face me. Those same fierce blue eyes I had looked into my soul. I doubt he’d like what he saw. “I suppose it’s about the boys.”

“The sheriff is a fair man, I’m sure Gunnar will do the talking for you.”

“That boy can’t save you from everything,” he warned. “Go and see your mother, for fuck’s sake. She misses you.”

I downed my drink quickly and nodded, leaving the office before I was tempted to throw him through the damn window.

I always loved our father son chats so much.

JOLIE

The house looked just like it had when I left, only it had more people milling about the foyer. My bags were set off to the side of the stairs from my car ride from the airport as I waited for my dramatic mother to skip down the stairs in such a way that everyone would pay her attention. You’d think she would be the star of the family and not the only child like I was. The last four years had been hell for me, but it made me stronger.

Stronger than they would ever know me to be. I’d play the nice, sweet little angel they all thought I was. I would bide my time, and then I’d take my family’s empire for everything it was worth and burn it to the ground. I was my father’s heir, the only child my mother had ever bothered to give him. It had burned him deep that I was a girl and not a boy like Marshall Moreno had. I could laugh if it weren’t so sad that he didn’t think I was capable of taking over his empire and everything he and my grandfather had built for this city.

“Jolie,” I heard my cousin Rose say from beside the stairs. She had come from the kitchens, a wrap hanging from her hand. “My god, I didn’t know you were coming back today.”

“I guess no one did,” I said, wondering why my mother hadn’t made my appearance all about her.

“Oh shush, you’ve come during an important week,” she said. “Come on, I’ll get you settled.”

“It’s almost like I’ve put everyone out by graduating,” I said, anger stewing inside.

“Oh come on, cuz, you know you’re loved. They probably just forgot because of the drama earlier today.”

“Ah yeah, I heard about the gun battle on the radio.”

Rose chuckled. “Yeah, it’ll cause them to get locked up for the weekend but there’s more time for us, then yeah?”

Rose opened the door to my old bedroom. I was amazed it still looked the same as it did when I was fourteen. I remembered standing at the end of my bed, after being busted by my mother creeping out to go partying, and being told I would be going to St Augustine’s until I turned 18. It was like walking back into a time capsule.

“What have you been up to?” I asked my cousin. It had been some time since I last wrote to her.

“Not a lot, little cuz,” she said with a smile, finishing her wrap. I couldn’t help but notice how much older she looked now. She’d been eighteen when I left, so she’d be twenty-two now, but she looked older with the way she dressed and the way she wore her makeup and hair. I used to idolize her, and wanted to be like her. Now, I felt sorry for her. The child my uncle didn’t want and so she acted out to get attention.

“You want to come to the club tonight?” she asked me.

“My father allows nightclubs now?”

“Oh hell no,” she chuckled. “But the Moreno’s have a few on their side of the city. I know how to get in.”

I was surprised she was even mentioning the Moreno’s, she’d always been too scared to venture to that side of the city when we were younger. It seems a lot had changed, not just me.

I didn’t have time to answer. My other cousin, Tyler, came to my door, the look of utter surprise on his face had been refreshing. It wasn’t easy to get one over on him. He was my favorite cousin, and had visited me regularly at school.

“Muppet,” he said, delightfully, coming into the room and pulling me into a tight hug. I could feel the guns he carried daily on the holster under his arm. His cologne was strong but it felt familiar. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were coming home.”

“You know I like to surprise you.”

“No doubt,” he said, a smile on his face. “Did Diane do her usual flourish of 1920s silent movie star down the stairs?”

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