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I had never had the best relationship with my father. I didn't really know him that well, and I never knew how he would react to anything. I was scared for Anthony, but at the same time, I was proud of him. It must have taken a lot of courage to talk to my father, especially about James. I didn't even know if my father knew about his other activities.
As I paced back and forth in my apartment, I grew tired. My legs couldn't keep up with the constant motion, so I collapsed on the couch. I stared at the door, waiting for Anthony to arrive. I didn't know what to expect, and the uncertainty was killing me. I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down, but nothing seemed to work. My mind was racing, and my heart was beating so hard that I wondered if I was having a medical crisis. I just hoped that everything would turn out okay.
Then I heard the beeping of the keypad outside my apartment door, and I sat up as the door flew open. I ran towards Anthony to hug him, wrapping my leg around him. He brought me to the couch, and we both crashed onto it simultaneously.
"You want anything?” I turned to him, “Food? Wine?"
"We should order food," he said as he picked up his phone. I stood up to open a bottle of wine I had gotten a few days before. I grabbed the bottle and two glasses and returned to the couch. Anthony took the wine bottle from me and poured us each a glass.
"The food should be here soon, about fifteen minutes," he said. I nodded as I took a sip of my wine. Anthony clinked his glass against mine, took an initial sip, and began to talk.
"So, my dad didn't say anything or have any type of a reaction?" I asked after Anthony had finished. Anthony shifted to a more comfortable position, pulling me to his chest. I felt warm.
"Was he not paying attention?" I asked him.
"No, he was sitting right in front of me, listening to everything I said, and he had no reaction whatsoever," he replied. I lifted my head from his chest to look him in the eyes. "And when I tried repeating myself, he said he had heard me. I had no idea that he would react like that, Laura, and I didn’t know what else to say. So I went ahead and told him about James."
I stood up completely now. I needed to see his face while he talked. He tried to mirror my action, but I pushed him back down. "It's okay, you be comfortable."
"So, I told him about James, and he said James had been with him for a long time and that he didn’t act irrationally. Then he asked if I had any evidence. I thought about it for a minute, but I just couldn't give up Christine, so I told him ‘No’. Then he told me to go home and he would see me at work tomorrow. Laura, I think he wants to just pretend like I didn't say anything or our meeting never happened.”
I sighed. Since I had had no idea what my father would say or do, so I couldn’t say I felt surprised. I went back to cuddling Anthony, and we sat there in silence.
***
Anthony left for work, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I decided that the best thing to do was to speak with my father myself about all of this, mainly because of the situation with James. He had been reticent since his plan to have Anthony killed had flopped, and I was sure he was up to something that we didn't know about, not that he had ever been loud about it.
I scanned my closet for the right clothes for the occasion, my hands shaking with nervous energy. My eyes landed on a simple outfit—a pair of dark jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. I quickly dressed and left the house, making my way to my father's workplace.
As I walked into the compound, I was greeted by the sound of engines revving and the smell of gasoline. I fist-bumped Tank. He was on his way out of the compound, He squinted his eyes, and I nodded at him. That facial expression was literally a whole conversation. I knew he had just asked if I was okay with Anthony going to my dad, and I nodded to be positive. I greeted a few other guys on the other side, most of them working on vehicles in the garage. The repair shop was just camouflage. Being a mob member was their full-time job. Their eyes followed me as I made my way to my father's office, their expressions unreadable.
Finally, I reached my father's office. My father was sitting behind his desk, his eyes fixed on the computer screen in front of him. He looked up when I entered, his expression guarded.
"Hey, Dad," I said, trying to sound casual.
"Hey," he replied, his voice gruff.
He looked up at me as I took a seat right in front of him. I took a deep breath and tried to read his expression, but, as always, he was unreadable.
"How are you doing?" I asked tentatively.
He shrugged. "Fine. Just busy with work." I was tempted to scoff at him.
"I wanted to talk to you about James," I said.
My father's expression changed slightly. He looked up from the computer screen and leaned back in his chair. I knew I had hit a nerve. "What about him?"
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for his reaction.
"I want to know how you feel about everything Anthony told you yesterday. James has been threatening us, Dad. He has been coming on to me, calling me his, and saying that he owns me. I wasn't alarmed by this until he started making threats to Anthony and going as far as trying to get Anthony killed.”
"Look, Dad," I continued sternly, “the person that was going to kill Anthony is also someone who reports to us. I haven't been feeling good at all about James lately. I was scared he would harm me, and I'm not even sure he is fully onboard with your organization anymore. I know he has been meeting another boss from the South recently. I simply don't trust him.
I went ahead to nail James. I continued to create scenarios about how James could possibly betray him.
"Laura, are you bluffing right now?" my father asked me sternly, his brow furrowed in concern.
"I swear I'm not, Dad," I replied, feeling a knot of anxiety forming in my stomach. "James really did threaten me, and Anthony has been there for me through all of it. He's been amazing."
