AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And just like that, his dad slipped away, moving like he couldn't wait to get away from Joey.
Joey was left at the bar. Alone.
But not for long.
Marco approached him slowly, as if afraid that any sudden movement might send him running. "Hey," Marco murmured softly, stepping out from the shadows and into Joey's line of sight.
Joey visibly tensed at the sight of Marco, but he was too tired. Whatever had been fuelling him, all that fear and challenge—he was now running on empty. "Christ, you saw all of that?"
"Yeah."
"Did you get him to come here?"
"Hell no." Marco's lip lifted in a naked sneer. "If it were up to me, he'd be in the ER."
"Don't bother. He couldn't pay the bill." Joey laughed at his own jab, and then heard his laughter hitch. He sunk his teeth into his lower lip, and blinked away tears.
"Your old man doesn't deserve you, kid," Marco said. His voice, low and rumbling, was as soothing as his touch had been. "You've got more courage and strength in your little finger than he has in his entire body."
"Well… thanks for the pep talk," Joey said wryly, his voice barely a whisper. His shoulders slumped. "I just... I don't know what to do anymore, y'know?"
"Believe me, I get it," Marco assured him, placing a gentle hand on Joey's shoulder. The heat of his touch seared through the thin material of Joey's shirt, sending shivers down his spine. "When the people in your life are trash, you've gotta cut 'em off. Find yourself some people who actually care about you."
"Like you?" Joey asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.
The question hung in the air between them, charged with unspoken tension.
Marco didn't answer it.
Ouch. Joey hesitated for a moment, wavering, and then the dam broke. "I want to be free," he confessed, his voice filled with longing. "Even before all of this, I was just working to survive, worrying over every dollar…" He glared. "Screw it all. I'm sick of being trapped by other people's mistakes. I want to make my own path."
"Then you're already on the way there, kid," Marco said.
Joey looked down at the safe, picturing the ledger inside. "I've only got the better part of sixty thousand dollars in my way, huh?"
"Only that," Marco repeated, a wolfish grin spreading across his face. "Knock it dead, kid."
Chapter eleven
Joey
Astripclubwasthe last place Joey expected to find a holiday rush.
He had been spending all of his time indoors: waking up in his tiny room, going to work at the bar, and then collapsing back into his tiny bed. Rinse and repeat.
He hadn't had the urge to think about the world outside. As far as he was concerned, it was just going to depress him.
But when that night's shift started, a steady stream of men entered the club, more than he had ever seen before. The usual hustle and bustle of the establishment was amplified, creating an electric atmosphere charged with anticipation.
Curiosity mingled with apprehension as he wondered what had drawn such a crowd tonight. Was there a big horse race? A boxing match? The patrons usually liked that sort of thing. They'd win big, and then blow it all on private dances and big tips.
As the dim lights bathed the stage in a seductive glow, Gina took the stage. "Gentlemen," she purred. "Happy Father's Day!"
Joey's heart sank, and a groan escaped his lips before he could catch himself.
It had been a week since he'd had the confrontation with his dad, and Frank hadn't shown up again.
"Damn it, Dad," he muttered under his breath as he slammed down a tray of drinks onto the bar. The raucous laughter and catcalls of the patrons barely registered in Joey's ears; all he could think about was the hurtful conversation he'd had with his father.
