Pointless. That’s an understatement.
“Your father tends to store his weapons disassembled, to hide what they are. But I recognize it. I’ve seen it before in his own warehouses over the years. Ali and your father are definitely working together, from this territory.”
I shake my head. There seems to be no limits to the depths of my father’s betrayal of his own family.
“I guess I should go and see the old man, then,” I sigh.
Even though I said earlier that I was going to try to meet with him tonight, I was hoping to avoid it until we had more to go on. But now, it seems I don’t have much of a choice. Perhaps with this new information, I can force a confession out of him.
It’s late, and I find him at his home.
The guards let me in, and I park outside the front entrance and walk towards the door with a knot in my stomach.
I hate this.
I hate that this is what I have for a father figure. That this man is the one who was supposed to teach me about life and how to be a decent person despite the world we live in. I wish I had someone else. But those kinds of thoughts are also pointless. Perhaps him being my father was karma left over from another life. Some form of punishment for things I’ve done.
I don’t bother knocking. I’m sure the guards have already alerted him of my arrival. In the foyer, it’s quiet and dark; in fact, most of the house looks dark.
I walk through to the living room and find my father sitting next to the fireplace, the entire room filled with an orange, flickering glow.
He hears me coming but doesn’t turn to greet me.
“Hardly cold enough for a fire,” I remark, standing near the window with my hands shoved into my pockets, my face devoid of emotion as I watch him. He’s the one who taught me to be so stoic, so cold in negotiations. He taught me the importance of trusting no one.
“It’s not about the heat. It’s about the ambiance,” he replies without looking at me, his eyes glowing with the flames he’s staring into.
It’s to warm his cold heart,I think to myself.
“Why don’t you sit?” he gestures vaguely toward the sofa.
“No, thank you, I’m here on business.”
“Is that so? And what business might it be that you’re here for?”
“The business of the land I was forced to trade to Ali Koskos after you kidnapped Georgie and put her in danger.”
He snorts. Finally, he looks at me, amusement tinting his expression.
“Forced?” he muses.
“Yes. The very same territory where you and Koskos are now storing the weapons you’re using to attack my allies, making it look like I’m responsible.”
I keep my voice even, but the anger is edged in my words, and the accusation is clear.
“That’s a very bold thing to suggest,” he says, finally tearing his eyes from the fire and glancing at me. He looks amused.
“I have proof,” I say with confidence.
“Mm. Interesting. It sounds to me like what you’re really saying is that you fought for years to take full control of mycompanies, but now you can’t handle the stress of it, and you’re folding in a time of crisis.”
I sneer, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of aggravating me, butfuck me, he’s smiling.Gloating.
He chuckles, a low, bitter sound as he stands, rolling his shoulders and moving towards the bar in a slow, lazy walk. “Do you want a drink?” he asks.
“I don’t want a fucking drink,” I snap.
He laughs again. “You really need to find a way to unwind. Being this worked up won’t get you anywhere, son.”
