ATTICUS
The guard following Loren and Jude checked in that they’d made it to the restaurant and were sitting down with her father’s lover. Knowing they were safe for a while, I climbed out of the car and headed into the prison side door with Sax on my heels. The guard standing there nodded before opening it for us and allowing us entry.
I’d leveraged a lot of secrets to make this happen, but it was worth it. Darren had already managed an escape, which meant it was only a matter of time before Dayton found a way.
Our shoes echoed off the walls as we walked down the dark corridor, following the painted lines on the floor that directed us to the interrogation room. When we made it there, another guard was standing outside.
“He’s inside. You have ten minutes before I have to take him back.”
Nodding, I glanced at Sax, who understood my message. “Keep everyone out.”
Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the room and came face to face with my father. The sneer he wore on his face wasn’t surprising, but what was, was how small he looked in his prison jumpsuit. I’d always seen my father in suits, his broad shoulders spanning the width of the whole room, it seemed.
But here, in this muted room devoid of color, he looked like an ordinary man. His hair was longer around the edges, his face scruffy with an unshaven beard, and his skin color was similar to the walls around him—gray. There was nothing distinguishable about him here.
“I’m surprised it took you this long, Son.”
“Oh?” I asked, leaning against the wall. I didn’t want to be any closer to the vile man than necessary. I was here to assess and say my piece. Plus, I had no doubt he would try to take advantage of the situation if I overstepped. I wouldn’t give him any access that wasn’t necessary.
He sneered again, clearly not amused I wasn’t giving in to his baiting. “So, what do you want? You’re clearly here to learn something.”
Smirking, I dropped my arms and relaxed back on them. “I’m not sure I have anything else to learn from you, Father. I was more curious if you’d come to your senses and was willing to apologize.”
“Me?” he rolled his eyes, the idea never crossing his mind.
Why would it? He was Dayton Mascro, the king of everything. He didn’t apologize to anyone.
“Your dream isn’t going to come to fruition. I’ll be out of here soon, and then I’ll be free to take back my reign from you and that worthless cunt you married. I know what buttons to push with her. You should’ve seen how much she squirmed in sessions when I talked about certain things. I know what makes her tick and how to destroy her, and I will. I will take you down, along with that worthless daughter of mine and the bastard. None of you will be able to stand against me. Better enjoy your time because it’s all about to be mine.”
Sighing, I dropped my head to gather my composure. While I knew he wouldn’t do those things because I planned to end him before he had the opportunity, I didn’t relish having to listen to him talking about the people I loved. It was a tactic he was using. I just had to keep remembering that.
With one last breath, I raised my head and stared him in the eyes. “Out of curiosity, what was your end game? Takeover all the families? Turn Chicago into your own little kingdom?”
“You think so small, Son. Chicago was only the start.”
The arrogance and greed this man possessed were astounding. “Ethan told me that when you were younger, the four founding families were all friends and that you had all fallen in love with Shayna. The plan was to share her and unite the city once and for all. But in the end, your selfishness wouldn’t allow it, and you stole her away from them, breaking the peace among the families. Was it worth it?”
He snorted, laughing at me. “Oh, Son. It wasn’t about having some pussy; it was about taking what others wanted. By stealing Shayna, I made myself the best, the envy of all. I was able to accomplish what they couldn’t. I was top dog.”
“That must’ve really stung then when you found out about Benny,” I chided, unable to keep the smirk from gracing my face.
Dayton’s eyes narrowed as his face began to turn red. “Benny was a waste of space, and he got what he deserved in the end. He was always jealous of what I had. Raping his girlfriend and telling him that he was a father was the best payback. He died thinking he had a son. Ah, the look on his face.” He leaned back, bracing his chin in his hand. “That’s top three in deaths for me.”
It was odd, but that statement helped separate my father from me. I didn’t enjoy killing and only did it out of necessity to protect the people I loved. But Dayton liked it. It was obvious by the look on his face. Plus, anyone who had a top five murder list was clearly unhinged. Sadly, if I hadn’t met Sax or Loren, I probably would’ve ended up the same way. They both saved me from my worst self.
A knock on the door reminded me I only had a few minutes to spare, and I needed to use them wisely. If this was the last time I spoke with him, I needed to learn everything I could.
“Before I go, Father, there’s one thing I wanted to ask you.” I paused, waiting it out. He rolled his eyes, huffing as he sat up.
“Go on. You’d be surprised how busy my social calendar is in this place.”
Smiling, I stepped forward a little, bracing my hands on the table. I needed to see his eyes when I asked. “Do you have any regrets, Dayton? Any, at all? The things you did to Imogen? To Loren? To me?”
He took a long moment, looking between my eyes as he gathered himself. “The only thing I regret is not killing you that day in the warehouse.”
It was all I needed to hear. For some reason, the small boy who’d idolized his father had held onto hope that it had been real, that there was a part of him that would reconcile the things he’d done. It was foolish, but I couldn’t carry on with my plan without knowing. Perhaps, I just wanted to feel the pain of his rejection, justifying my behaviors from this point forward.
Because I could be merciful if I wanted. But I no longer wanted to.
There was no doubt, no shred of hesitancy now as I walked toward the door that the world would be better without him.
Turning the handle, I stopped, glancing over my shoulder, finding him smirking at my retreating figure. “Oh, one thing, Phoebe Costa asked me to give you her regards.”
If I hadn’t been watching and didn’t know my father as well as I did, I might’ve missed it. But at the mention of my aunt’s name, his pupils dilated, his breath hitching for just a second.
Seemed like Dayton Mascro had some common sense, after all, and I was suddenly glad Aunt Phea was on my side. She was one scary lady; his reaction proved it.
Walking out, I left all the baggage of a boy who wanted to please his father behind, all the fear of never measuring up to the expectations he had for me, and the self-loathing that I was weak for caring about others.
I left it all, striding forward as a freer man with plans to eradicate the virus once and for all.