The drive was without incident, the traffic light for this time of day. As I pulled into the parking lot, my resolve strengthened. Nothing was going to stop me from what I was about to do.
Taking long strides, I headed into the building and toward the elevator, grateful no one else was in the cold steel box beside me. When I reached the top floor, I plastered a smile on my face before exiting, wasting no time before heading through the double glass doors.
The receptionist eyed me warily before she recognized who I was. “Ms. Fields,” she said as she rose to her feet.
“No, Ms. Lark. Is my father in?”
“He is, but he has an appointment in ten minutes.”
“Oh, this won’t take long.” I didn’t wait for her response before heading toward my father’s massive wooden door. He had the poshest office in the suite, the corner view one of the best in the city. I’d driven all the way from our little hometown to Chicago, wanting to do this in person.
I didn’t bother knocking, nor did I care if he didn’t approve of my entrance. I simply walked inside.
He jerked up from his desk, only a few seconds of anger crossing his face before he smiled. His expression was even more plastic than mine.
“Hello, Father.”
“Cassie. What are you doing here?”
I walked ever so slowly toward his desk, planting my hands on the surface and leaning over. “I’m only going to ask you this once. Why did you hate your own son?”
I could tell I’d surprised him. Then his smug look was all I needed to continue.
“I didn’t hate Garrison, but he failed me.”
“Uh-huh. And you blamed the Wild Boys. Didn’t you?”
Another moment of surprise crossed his face. “How do you know about them?”
I laughed, gazing out the window for a few seconds. “Because Garrison told me about them. He and I had a relationship. We cared about each other.” I snapped my head in his direction, exhaling as he tried to mask his emotions just like I was used to. “I know all about the Wild Boys. I’ve met them. I’ve spent time with them. And even better, I’m in love with all three of them. How does that make you feel, father of mine?”
His look of shock was just what I was going for.
“Stay away from them!” he snapped, pointing his finger at me.
“Perhaps I will, but you don’t get a say in my life. You prevented them from attending Garrison’s funeral, even though you knew they were friends. Didn’t you?”
He said nothing.
“Of course. Plausible deniability, right? I thought you had your own son killed in order to keep your secrets. Then I realized I was wrong.” My throat tightened from just issuing the statement.
“You are out of your mind, and I have business to attend to, Cassie.”
I slammed my hand on his desk, hissing loud enough he jerked backward. “Don’t bullshit me. I’m finished with lies. I’m curious. Why did you send threatening texts to Alexander, Daniel, and Brogan? Were you worried since Brogan had just been released from prison that they would come after you?” I was fishing, holding back information on purpose. I wanted him on edge, angry enough he would admit to the truth.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
I lifted a single eyebrow, waiting.
“Those bastards turned my son into a killer. They deserved to pay for what they did, especially Alexander Durante. He is a bad seed, just like his father. And yes, one day I will bury them. I guess that means his death was just a lie.”
I ignored his last sentence.
“Fascinating. What happened to the very tight relationship you had with Bartholomew Durante?” My stomach was doing flip-flops, my heart racing, but nothing would stop me from digging out the truth, no matter how much bloodletting I had to do.
“I don’t need to hear this bullshit! The Durantes are monsters.”
“You will hear me. Period. You sent Garrison to the university. I found that interesting until I realized you’re just as corrupt as you accused the families of his friends to be in public, especially Alexander’s father. You acted like you wanted to clean up organized crime, especially since Chicago was overrun by activity, but in fact, you found a way to have all the pretty toys you could handle, including women. All you had to do was sell your soul to the Durantes.”
