“My thigh, but I shoved it away.”
“That’s assault.” He states. “Are you willing to give a statement?”
“I am.” I look at Sofie, then back at him. “You have a card?”
“You can go, I’m?—”
I cut her off, “I’m not going anywhere right now.”
Deacon and Claudia are sitting across from him. Deacon is also getting the inquisition.
“Dad,” Sofie sighs as we walk over and sit next to her father. He takes her hand as he turns to face her. The way he looks at her, it’s evident that he treasures her.
“You were angry with me.”
She shakes her head, and I see her tap her leg twice. I’ve seen this on several occasions now and?—
“She’s done that since she was little.” He says and taps her nose twice, gently with his finger. “Two taps and the problem goes away.”
“I do not,” she smiles sadly.
“You do,” I confirm. “The tapping part. I have yet to see it make anything disappear, but I will take your father’s word for it.”
He smiles as his gaze shifts to Claudia, “I’m afraid that you should brace for the worst too, my dear.”
“I’m sorry?” she asks.
“You look like her, you know.”
Claudia and Sofie’s bodies both visibly tense.
“Your eye shape comes from me, you share that with your sister. But you are that classic beauty that your mother was when I first met her while she was bartending at a place in midtown.” He taps his head. “I can’t remember the name, but it will come back, I’m sure.” He leans forward slightly. “That’s not important right now, but what is? She was bartending; I assumed she was at least twenty-one. I took her out to dinner a few times, and well,” he motions to her. “I’d say I’m a bit late to give you the birds and the bees talk. Nevertheless, I took her to a party once, and I found her with another man, doing drugs in the bathroom, and that was it. When I saw her again, she told me she was pregnant. I’m,” he scratches his head. “I think I told her if you were mine, I’d raise you because no doper was going to raise my child.”
“Sounds like her,” Claudia says, eyes misting.
“When Paul Bronski confronted me months later, he threatened to tear me apart, told me she was a child herself. I went and asked her employer her age and whereabouts. He said she was legal, didn’t have a file on her, and begged me not to have him shut down. He was shut down a week later. Bronski didn’t let up. I hired a man to look for her, Tomas.”
“Why do you call him Matteo?” Sofie asks.
He looks back, “The officer…”
“He’s gone,” I assure him.
“He preferred an alias, and I’d had an employee who looked a lot like him once, who I fired because he ended up being a rat.” He shrugs. “Would you believe no one, not even the vile man who bought information from him noticed?” He waves his hand. “That’s not what I want to talk about when moments like this are precious.” He shakes his head, “I am so sorry that we couldn’t find your mother. That life was hard. If you give Matteo names of anyone who made it more difficult, he could easily ruin their lives.”
The way he says it is serious as shit.
Claudia just shakes her head. “As bad as times got, there really are good people in the world. They make up for all the others.”
He looks at Sofie, “Maggie asked me to put living heirs in my will, she knew it ate at me and said that it wouldn’t fix everything, but it was something.”
“I don’t want anything. I have a good life, I?—”
“I’m not gone yet, beauty,” he smiles at her. “And I only have good days now and again. I can’t make up for the past, but I’d sure like to get to know you.”
He looks at Sofie, “And she could really use a sister that wasn’t so jealous of her that they have become vile. What a horrible thing for a father to say about his children.” He sighs loudly. “Nothing I can do about the other two, but they don’t care about what we’ve built. Maggie and I, and Sofie just keeps growing it.” He pushes to stand. “If I don’t go to bed, I won’t know if I’m confused or tired tomorrow. But,” He smiles at Sofie. “You and I need to address the board. It’s time you’re named CEO officially.”
“Dad, I?—”
