Instead of waiting, he let go of Gigi’s hand to reach into the bag he carried and pull out a photo. Then he walked forward and slammed it onto the keyboard.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” his old man roared.
He looked at the screen and saw he was playing online poker. He rolled his eyes. Some things never changed. His father’s gaze didn’t move to the photo, instead he looked up and over Macca’s shoulder to Gigi.
“What the fuck is that slut doing here?” He stood without looking at the photo. “Get out of here. Unless you’ve come to sign over the house. Because I’m not letting you steal my fucking inheritance.”
“I’m not giving the house to you,” Gigi told him calmly.
“You know, you should have taken my offer the other day because now, I’m going to make your life fucking hell.”
“What offer?” Macca asked. He looked back at Gigi, but she was too busy staring at his father in horror to explain. She looked slightly green and he hoped she wasn’t about to be sick.
His father smiled. A slimy, ugly smile that made Macca’s gut clench. “Didn’t the little slut tell you? I told her that she’d had a free ride long enough and that she could come work out her debt here. In my bed. But the bitch ran off soon as she saw my cock. Guess she couldn’t handle something that big.”
Macca saw red. Was the asshole that dumb? Or did he simply think he was untouchable? Macca didn’t fucking care. He lost it.
Hurt him. Stop him. Protect Gigi.
“Macca! Macca stop!”
The words came to him through a tunnel. He could hear her fear. Her worry. But something had snapped inside him.
“Daddy, please, you’re killing him!”
He finally broke through the haze to find he had his father on the floor, his hands wrapped around his throat. His old man’s face was bright red and he was trying desperately to pry Macca’s hands from his throat.
It would be so easy to kill him now.
But that’s not who you are.
And that’s not who you want to be for her.
Gigi had her hands on his arm, trying to tug him back. “Daddy, please. Please don’t kill him.”
He let go of the bastard and stood up, holding Gigi close as she pressed against him with a sob, her body shaking. He kissed her on the top of her head, but didn’t dare take his gaze from the monster lying on the floor.
“You disgust me. I don’t know how we are even related.”
His father sat up, rubbing at his throat as he glared up at them. “I’ve asked myself that same question since you were born. I’m going to have you arrested for this, you little asshole. Then where will she be? Without a protector.” He grinned. “She has no chance against me.”
Macca leaned down. “Even if you did have me arrested, which you’re not going to do, she has the whole of JSI at her disposal. You know who I work for and their resources. They would come to her aid at one word from her. She will never be unprotected and at the mercy of assholes like you again.”
His father scowled, but watched him warily. “And why won’t I have you arrested? Because you’re my son?”
Macca gave a humorless laugh. “Believe me, I’ve considered myself fatherless for a long, long time. No, the reason you won’t call the cops is because I’ll give them this.” He picked out a photo, letting it flutter down onto his dad’s lap.
His father looked at the photo. It was one of him paying a bribe to a building inspector. Another photo. Then another.
“What the hell is this?” his father’s voice was husky, strained. But Macca couldn’t force himself to feel guilty.
“This, old man, is the reason you’re not saying a word to anyone about what happened here. It’s also why you’ll leave Nan’s will alone. The house belongs to Gigi.”
“What the fuck!” His father stood, wobbled then braced himself. “I’m not leaving my mother’s house to this fucking whore!”
“She is not a whore,” Macca roared. “And you will leave the will alone. Because if you don’t, the mayor is going to receive a photo of you fucking his wife doggy-style. Not hard to make out ei
ther of your faces. That’s the photo I put on your desk, by the way. Then I’ll send a few of you paying bribes to local building inspectors and contractors. Then let’s see what happens once some real inspections are done on those hotels and resorts you’ve built.”