“You just want an excuse to kill him.”
Not necessarily. Even if Diesel deserved a gruesome death, killing him would devastate Rebel and Axel, and traumatize the rest of them. Christopher would never give his blessing for Rebel and Diesel to be in a relationship. Unlike that motherfucker, if he offered a little leeway to Rebel, she’d see it as a greenlight whereas some of the thrill of danger and discovery was gone for Diesel.
“Only way I’ll fuck him up is if he touch you in any way that ain’t brotherly,” he added hastily. A total ban would be a challenge to both Rebel and Diesel. “He can kiss the top of your head, your cheek or forehead. He can hug you but it can’t go longer the three seconds. He can pat your head or your cheek. The back of your hand. Your shoulder. Shit like that.”
“I’m neither a toddler or a puppy, Daddy.”
“He’s a grown motherfucker, baby.”
“Exactly. So why should I believe you won’t hurt him if I tell you what happened?”
Alarm raced through Christopher. “I thought it had to do with Jana. It was cuz…he fuckin’ touchedyou?”
“No. Do you really think I’d hate him if he had?”
Christopher frowned, but bit back his retort. If he flew off the handle, she’d clam up again.
“I’m still a virgin,” she announced as if that was something he wanted to know.
He threw her a sour look and tamped out his cigarette.
“My sexual experience has probably been speculated upon after they saw those stupid videos.” She swallowed and her nostrils flared before she gave a dismissive wave. “It doesn’t matter, right? Fuck them.”
There were so many fucking responses that went through Christopher’s mind. If he said one thing, though, Rebel would take it the wrong way. She’d think he was angry at her, when what he really wanted to do was fuck up Ryan, Rory, Devon, and the Bart brothers. He’d get his hands on those motherfuckers. Maybe not soon, but one fucking day…
“I did ask Diesel if he thought I was gross. He hasn’t seen the videos, though.”
Christopher bit the inside of his cheek, willed his temper under control.
“He said I wasn’t, but who knows if he really feels that way.”
Was this where he explaineds-e-xto hisdaughter? Obviously, she wanted something from him if she brought that shit up. Except he couldn’t. Unlike with fathers and sons, he was almost certain talking abouts-e-xwas off limits between a girl and her daddy.
He cleared his throat. “I know I ain’t give you a lot of reason to trust me recently, but I swear I ain’t doin’ nothin’ to Diesel. Your ma said shewanted to stab that motherfucker. I already know he set you up. He told me. I just need to know how badyouthink it is that your ma think she need to take you away. That she need to leave.”
“I’ll ignore your noted subject change,” Rebel said morosely. “I guess I am gross wanting to know if you’d think a girl was weird if she touched herself and it was filmed. Or if she walked around her room without clothes instead of dressing in the bathroom.”
Christopher blushed to the bottom of his fucking feet and he covered his face. Embarrassment threatened to incinerate him. This was fucking karma in the worst motherfucking way. All the girls he’d ogled as they walked around without clothes or encouraged to touch their…their…private partstaunted him and he almost burst into tears.
“I thought Diesel was jealous of Kaia but maybe he lured me into the natatorium because he just thinks I’m worthless after he found out about the videos.”
Christopher blinked. Allowed the words to sink in. Dropped his hands and stiffened.
Rebel started to sob. Unable to do anything else, Christopher pushed the ashtray behind him, wrapped an arm around her shoulder and hugged her. She leaned her head against his chest and cried.
“Why’d he do that to me, Daddy? I trusted him.”
Although the ‘he’ could’ve been Ryan, Christopher suspected she meant Diesel. He couldn’t hold onto his anger when she was so devastated, and he just wanted to comfort his daughter.
If one of his boys had been recorded doing whatever, he’d tell them not to think twice about it. They were in private,doing whatever. He’d say their bodies weren’t shameful.
Rebel needed to hear the same from him. Somehow. Between Rule targeting her for the very same reason Christopher had been so annoyed with her—growing up—and Ryan using her private moments for his own benefit, she was spiraling. Suddenly, he was so fucking grateful to Megan. He was proud of her and loved her so much for being such a good ma.
“How Diesel lured you in the natatorium?” Christopher asked, to get his bearings and figure out what he needed to say to Rebel.
“He told me I needed to get over my fear and get back in the pool,” she said, still so brokenhearted as she gave a play-by-play of what that motherfucker did. “He doesn’t even understand why I hate him so much now.”
“Sometimes, forgivin’ a motherfucker more helpful than holdin’ onto fuckin’ hate,” Christopher said.
