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I take every turn hard and press the car to its limits on the straightaways, and within minutes, I'm home. There’s Ricky's bright red, overly flashy car, with the driver himself leaning on the hood as he waits. I skid my own vehicle to a stop, jumping out and slamming the door as I stalk over to him.
"Leave," I say, deadpan, motioning to the guard to leave us in privacy. "I'll give you this one chance to listen, Ricky."
Ricky shrugs one shoulder. "No. I don't think I will."
I'm on him in an instant, the collar of his shirt in my hand, but I exert no force. Despite everything, I still don't want to hurt my son. "You're playing a game you're not going to win, son. Get the fuck out of here."
Instead of looking afraid, he just smirks. "I told her everything, Dad. I even gave her the code to the storage room in your closet."
If I thought I was mad before, it's nothing compared to what I feel right now. That was my secret to reveal to Teagan, my past that had to be reckoned with. And now my pathetic excuse for a son is using it to get back at me for claiming the girl who wanted nothing to do with him. Rage and violence are coursing red hot through my veins.
If he wasn’t my flesh and blood, I would kill him right here and now.
I release Ricky, and for a second, I can tell he thinks I'm going to walk away. But then, I pivot, punching my own son in the nose hard enough to break it, the force of the hit reverberating through my arm. Ricky staggers back, blood already flowing, but a broken nose is the extent of his injuries.
"You fucking hit me!" he squeals, incredulous.
I shrug, rubbing my knuckles. "No one else is going to put you in your place, so it's my job to."
He swipes at the blood on his face. "Why? For some waitress? Why are you doing this?"
I sigh. "You've been an entitled asshole all your life, Ricky, and I let you have your fun. I figured that when the time came, you’d realize that ‘no’ is a word you have to learn to understand. But Teagan isn't playing games with you and neither am I. She never wanted you, and now she’s mine. I’m marrying her, you fucking idiot, and you’ll still be hanging on the sidelines, lazy and worthless."
"You don't know that!" Ricky sputters.
"Yes, I do. And I take no joy in it.”
"She's been with you all of what? Two months? You’re old as hell. What makes you think she’s going to stay?" He’s grasping at straws now, frantic to get at least one win while he holds his bleeding nose.
"Because, son, no matter how much of a badass you think you are, I am ten times worse. You may not have gotten your hands dirty yet, but you've been raised by a killer. That's a hard image to compete with, isn't it?"
Ricky glares at me. "Fuck you, Dad."
He gets back into his car, and the tires squeal as he speeds off.
"Is everything alright, sir?"
I look at the guard, who has appeared silently, and nod. "Yes, it is. If he shows up again, don’t let him in. I'm done playing around with him."
The guard looks stunned but nods and walks away.
Fuck. My pulse is pounding in my ears as I finish the drive to the house, feeling both a vague sense of sadness that my son has amounted to so little, and relief that, even if it wasn’t the way I intended, Teagan now knows all of my secrets.
I enter the house, heading straight for my bedroom, already knowing what I will find. Teagan is sitting on the bed, still in her bikini, looking pale and frightened. I turn, see the weapon storage room wide open, and close my eyes with a frustrated sigh.
"It's all in my past, Teagan," I start. "I would have told you, but it doesn't matter. I'm not that man anymore."
Her lip quivers. "You killed people, Tobias."
I nod, not ashamed of my actions. "I did. I'm not going to try and justify it. My father was a horrible person, and when he died, I was left with a lot of responsibility at a young age. I didn't know any other way, and the money was so good. Good enough that I was able to make this life. But I’m retired, doll.”
"And you're never going to kill again?"
"No. I'm out. The guns are locked away, and they won't ever see the light of day. I'm not going back."
She studies my face, and the look on hers softens. "I believe you."
I let out a breath. "I'll answer any question you have. Just...don't leave. Stay."
