The meeting continued once Dani left, but I couldn’t pay attention to anything but how the mention of the ball made her nervous. The stupid fucking ball that changed her life three years ago. The one where I unknowingly left her to be hurt. Fuck.
I hadn’t achieved the gonad requirement to confront her about it either. It was a touchy subject, one she didn’t share with anyone else. How was I to approach it when I wasn’t supposed to be on the receiving end of it in the first place?
“Kane, stay. We need to chat,” Dad grunted as the rest of the guys, aside from Dante, left his office.
“My daughter must have a pussy made of gold to make you act the way you’ve been acting,” Dante laughed before turning serious. “But if you fuck up this gun deal with Dominguez, you’re gonna regret it.”
“That’s what this is about? You’re both worried about your kids’ sex lives again?”
“My daughter’s sex life affects all of us,” Dante growled.
Gross.
“You are one sick motherfucker. How would you live without Dani around to soften all your deals? Jesus.”
“Kane–” Dad tried to interrupt.
“Do you want to tell my dad what happened at the masquerade ball three years ago?” I asked Dante before turning to Dad. “Or do you already know?”
My gut seized at the thought of Dad being aware of what happened to Dani that night and not doing anything to stop it. If he was involved, there would be no coming back from that. I would never forgive him.
“Know what?” Dad asked, narrowing his eyes on Dante’s slimy head.
Dante grinned before huffing out a breath. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about what happened to Dani after I left her on the patio. After you came and fetched me, distracting me from whatever the fuck you did with her. Where did she go once I left?”
“If I remember correctly, she told me you made her uncomfortable and she wanted to go home. I called her a car and she left,” Dante answered casually.
“Is that the truth?” I asked Dad.
“It was three years ago, Kane. I’ve been to countless events. You can’t expect me to keep track of everyone’s whereabouts at every party.”
“Hmm,” I said, contemplating who was telling the truth.
Dante was a known liar. Schemer. His daughter wasn’t–except when she had a target to take out. I didn’t have any proof other than the video clip I’d saved to my phone. I watched it another ten or twenty times, and each time I was more convinced that everything she said was the truth.
But there was no way I could convince Dad of it without showing him the recording. And I sure as fuck wasn’t about to do that when I didn’t know if I could trust him.
“What’d she say happened?” Dante asked with a grim expression.
“She didn’t say shit. I was thinking about it the other day. How you were the one who came out and got me, pulled me away from her, and then she disappeared for a few days.” Dante wasn’t the only one who could come up with bullshit on the fly.
“A few days? She’s never been away for longer than a night. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I suggest you watch yourself. I don’t know what you’re accusing me of, but I don’t like it. My kid, my business. You’d best remember that,” Dante said with eyes narrowed on me. Like some tough as nails gangster, when really he was a pussy who needed his kids to fight his battles.
“Enough of the history lesson,” Dad said. “We wanted to remind you that you will stay away from Danica when she’s working and you will focus your time on Lauren. I know we talked the other night, but I wanted to reiterate it now that you’re sober.”
“I don’t need to hear this shit again. I got it, okay? I had my fun and now I’m done with her,” I lied. I looked at Dante. “She’s free to be passed around to whoever you need favors from.”
“I see right through you, son,” Dante grinned as he popped a toothpick in his mouth. “You keep your eyes, your hands, and your dick off my daughter. She’s got work to do. She don’t need you distracting her.”
“Enough!” Dad yelled, slamming his hands on the table (see, I told you he liked to do that). “Let’s agree that weallhave work to do. We all have things we need to focus on. We’ll get a hell of a lot further if we work together.”
Oh yeah, everything was kumbaya. What fucking planet was Dad residing on? The glint in Dante’s eyes told more than his mouth did. He was biding his time, plotting a way to make a move against my family. To take everything Dad had built and crush us all on his way to the top.
Well guess what fucker, it’d be a cold day in hell before I let that happen.
I would protect my family. Bobby was almost killed, there were strange men threatening Gemma, and Dad was a ball of nerves most days.