Page 149 of In Love and Revenge

Aurora shifts uncomfortably in her seat beside me. We’re not even done with the main course and the temperature in the room is already approaching arctic conditions.

Sliding my hand on to her thigh, I give it a squeeze, massaging my thumb over her skin reassuringly.

‘This is delicious,’ she says to my mother, taking another bite of the roast chicken.

‘Thank you.’ My mother smiles proudly. ‘It’s Stan’s favourite.’

My father nods his agreement as Mum looks at Gabe across the table. ‘I’ve made a plate up for Benedict. He can have it when we’re finished.’

‘He’s a bloody flea-ridden cat,’ my father interjects. ‘Don’t waste perfectly good chicken on him.’

‘I assure you Benedict does not have any kind of parasite.’ Gabe’s expression remains impassive, but his eyes flick down to something in his lap.

My father’s phone blares at full volume in his pocket, making him jump.

‘Jesus Christ. Blasted thing’s doing it again,’ he grumbles, pulling the device from his pocket.

The chorus of the song ‘Baby Got Back’ plays at full volume.

I narrow my eyes at my brother, but Gabe takes a sip of his wine, looking back at me blankly.

Our father jabs at the phone and the song stops abruptly.

‘Bloody technology,’ he hisses.

‘What happened to your hand?’ my mother asks, spotting the fading bruises on Angelo’s knuckles.

‘I knocked Vance Falcon out,’ he announces proudly, slurring a little and sloshing wine out of his glass.

Dove drops her cutlery, and it clatters against her plate.

I stiffen, wanting to fly out of my seat and clamp my hand over my youngest brother’s mouth.

‘Vance Falcon. I thought he was in Singapore?’ My mother’s face pales, and she glances at Dove, who’s pretending to be enthralled with blotting splattered sauce off the white linen tablecloth with her napkin.

‘Maybe he’ll go back there, now he knows how hard my right hook is.’ Angelo grins, chuckling to himself.

‘That man was far too old for you,’ my father booms in Dove’s direction. ‘Silly crush you had on him. I don’t know what you thought would happen. He must be fifty now, for God’s sake.’

Dove pales, blinking rapidly. My sister’s a force, but one mention of Vance’s name and she looks like she’s on the verge of a breakdown.

‘Leave it, Stan,’ my mother pleads, her worried eyes on Dove.

My father ignores her and waggles his finger in Dove’s direction. ‘Now, I think you should—’

‘Enough!’ I clip.

My father’s eyes round on me, thinning into slits. ‘Pardon?’

‘I saidthat’s enough. Now’s not the time for fatherly advice.’

My father’s a bully. I can take him throwing his weight with me. But not with my brothers. And especially not with Dove.

He balks, staring at me with amusement and a flicker of pride that I’m standing up to him. But I know him. It’ll only make whatever comeback he’s about to deliver all the more brutal.

‘No.’ He tilts his head, drawing the word out slowly. ‘The time for fatherly advice would have been before you screwed up signing the Wyndham account.’

‘Stan!’ Mum gasps, even though she’s used to this type of behaviour from our father by now.