11
Burke
Not much surprised me anymore, including my father bursting through the front door the following morning at an indecent hour. Of course, the security man at the gate alerted me that my father had arrived, as it was likely he wanted to keep his job and his head. Luckily for us both, I was an early riser and already sat in the dining room with a cup of coffee and the morning paper. Though Caden and Logan poked fun at me for not reading the news online, I enjoyed holding the newspaper in my hand. Going over the day's schedule, reading the paper, and having a full breakfast became a ritual I stuck with.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Carson shouted as he pushed his way past Noah, the security guard standing by the doorway, to stalk toward my chair.
With a coffee mug in my hand and my face buried in the paper, I said, "Good morning, Carson. How are you? I'm fine, thanks for asking."
"You insolent asshole, why the fuck haven't you answered my calls?"
I set the paper aside, not betraying the acid churning in my gut by the slightest flicker or tremble. "Let me remind you—again—that I don't answer to you, old man."
I picked up my fork and stabbed an egg, watching the yolk run and briefly wishing it was my father's blood oozing from his failing heart.
"Goddammit, acknowledge the fact that I'm standing here—"
"Ah, yes, of course," I interrupted in a calm voice. Those around me knew the more calm I portrayed myself on the outside, the more volatile I felt on the inside. My father, however, either didn't care or hadn't noticed. "Acknowledge you. Pay attention to you. Need you." I looked up, loathing and venom gathering in the fire lighting my eyes. "It might come as a surprise to you, but I don't need you. You need me. Perhaps you should remember your place and shut the fuck up for a change."
"How dare you!" Carson advanced, but Noah stretched his arm out to stop him.
"Mr. Gallagher, why don't you take a seat." Though it was phrased as a suggestion, it was clearly a directive. Noah was loyal to me and me alone.
Carson sneered at the man half a foot taller than him, and certainly more muscular. "Don't order me around, you little shit."
"Carson," I said warningly. "You are already on thin ice with me."
Instead of sitting, Carson leaned heavily on the back of the chair closest to him to face his only son. "You will regret this disrespectful display of attitude."
Before I could reel it in, a chuckle escaped my mouth. "My attitude?" I rose, finally tired of playing nice. "You put me in charge. Voluntarily stepped down. I am recognized, officially, as the head of the fucking Gallagher Family! So don't tell me I have an attitude problem, or have the gall to act like you're going to do anything about it if I do!"
Abandoning my breakfast, I left the dining room and headed for my bedroom, absolutely confident that Noah would see my father out of the house.
Confrontation was inevitable between us, but it left me seething. I threw the first things I could reach; a picture frame, a pair of cufflinks, a paperweight. Pacing around the spacious bedroom gave me a sense of calm, as did breathing slowly for several minutes.
Muzzling the man might be necessary, though I didn't relish the thought. He might be a dick, but he was my father and the former head of the organization. That alone meant he deserved a modicum of respect, a consideration which was fading by the day.
Returning downstairs, I entered the kitchen to find the cook. "Parker, could you get me . . ." I trailed off as I saw that Parker had already started making me another plate. "Thank you."
"No problem, sir."
Eggs sizzled in the pan, and I decided to pour another cup of coffee and sit in the kitchen. Nothing like getting off to a bad start to make for a shitty day.
Carson was oddly silent for weeks after that. My men and I continuously went over the plans for the meeting of the Five Families until we felt certain it would go off without a hitch. When the responses came back, we ticked another item off our list and closed the post office box rental. Tony planted the bomb, unaware that it was the last task he would ever complete for the Gallaghers. The man who went by the moniker Rat built the devices for the cars we all knew would be parked outside the favorite joint of the other Families' capos while their bosses got together to make the big decisions. Everything fell into place, but I ran contingency scenarios just in case.
When the day of the meeting arrived, Logan and Caden dressed at my house. With the intent of blending in with the façade we'd created, we donned tuxedos. Anna remained home in complete understanding, but Caden had to convince his new girl that he was working, not partying without her.
"She was sore with me, let me tell you. We did an awful lot of yelling today." Caden stood in front of the full-length mirror in one of the many guest rooms and adjusted his tie. “And not the kind that ends in make-up sex.”
"I thought I told you to find a woman who would obey you?" I said.
Snorting, Caden replied, "Yeah, well, I can't help who I'm in love with."
That made me pause. "In love with? I thought you just found her hot."
"At first, yeah." Caden shrugged. "It evolved pretty fast."
I couldn't help drawing comparisons. No one would bat an eyelash if Caden brought around a brash woman who argued with him and forgot to mind her manners. On the other hand, anyone I brought around would be thrown under a microscope, and if her last name wasn't White, I'd be in hot water.
