Page 63 of Fragile

“Yes. I thought it best to break the ice before next weekend,” the mafia Don replied. “We don’t want things to be awkward in front of the ladies, do we?” I imagined he wouldn’t usually give a shit about what he did in front of the female of the species, but word had it that he had married again last year. No doubt he would still be trying to make a good impression on his latest whore.

Gerard raised to his feet, but Garrett remained sitting, cradling his glass against his chest. He was suited and booted, his signature look. You never saw my dad in anything other than business dress. Gerard was wearing a cream jumper and what appeared to be dark jeans.

The Don leaned over the table with a raised hand, and I reluctantly shook it. He then took his seat.

The man must have viewed his entire life behind narrowed eyes, the creases at the sides of them were permanent and had probably been there for centuries.

He looked older than his sixty-odd years, with grey hair and his infamous flat nose, if you could call it that. He looked like a little old man, as he wasn’t very tall, giving you the impression that he was no trouble at all, no threat. And that was the problem right there, people underestimated him. Something that was bound to put you six feet under.

A rattle of ice hitting glass dragged my eyes over to the bar area and my annoyance doubled. Kai Kilan was in the middle of pouring himself a glass of my father’s best scotch. He looked his usual imposing self, all in black. He raised his head, the smirk on his face adding to my fury as he tilted his glass towards me in a mock salute.

I yanked my focus away, my eyes drilling into the big boss.

There was a popping sound to my left which distracted me, you had to have your wits about you when meeting these types of people. I frowned as my eyes found a young girl slumped in what would have been my father’s chair at the top of the board table. She was pretty, with dark brown hair and piercing grey eyes, almost silver. They looked across at me with a bored expression, she clearly had issues. I watched as the noise repeated itself as she popped the gum she was chewing again. I noted she wore a school uniform of sorts with no tie. The sign of a rebel.

“Ava, go and wait out in the hall,” Gerard instructed, only to receive a loud huff at his orders. Interesting; she didn’t jump through hoops for the old man. My opinion of her shot up a notch. The girl's stance screamed angsty teenager and I remained silent, waiting for her to do as she was told. She remained seated and started to pretend to check her nails.

“Ava,” Gerard said again, his tone much firmer this time and yet she still didn’t budge. I wondered about their relationship as I cast my eyes over my own poor excuse for a parent. Garrett was staring down at a file of papers and was putting them in some type of order.

A nerve in my cheek danced as Kai slammed his glass onto the bar and manoeuvred his large frame out from behind the counter. He then started across the room; his walk resembling a prowl. He was all threatening strength. Kai had removed his jacket, and his gun was clearly visible where it sat in its shoulder holster. The dude was huge, with massive shoulders and was tattooed to fuck, even on his neck and knuckles, making him look even meaner than Max.

As he advanced towards her, the girl pushed to her feet, her expression switching to a look of wariness. She still managed to stick her chin out as if to say do your worst. Fuck me, she had more balls than some of the guys I knew. I would say she was of average height for a woman but was fairly scrawny looking.

“You can call your dog off, I’m going,” she snapped. I bit my lip to stop myself from grinning. Calling Kai ‘The Bull’ Kinlan a dog was probably not the smartest of moves.

The feisty teen stood, straightened the ‘too short’ tartan skirt and blazer and then flounced from the room, slamming the door behind her.

Kai then lowered his large body into her seat, and lit up a cigarette, blowing a puff of air in my direction. He didn’t give a shit that my father’s building had a strict no-smoking policy.

“Kids,” he said with a smirk. And then the business got underway.

Gerard chuckled and shuffled in his seat now looking quite jovial. “Gabriel, please sit. Your father and I have been discussing your future. So, whose face did you graze your knuckles on? Do you want some ice?”

“No, it’s fine,” I deadpanned. I didn’t want to bring Leonie or her deadbeat landlord into the mix.

“Well done in your exams,” Gerard began in that deceivingly soft tone of his. Sean pulled out one of the high-backed leather chairs and put pressure on my shoulder so that I was forced to sit.

I did as I was told and lowered my body.

“So, Garrett told me you have reservations about joining the firm?”

Deciding to change the subject, I asked about the girl. Gerard was cagey about family for obvious reasons and anything to sidetrack him would be a plus.

“I didn’t know you had a daughter,” I said, ignoring Kai’s snort from the side of me.

Gerard’s eyes shot over towards the closed door she had left through. “Ava is the daughter of my latest wife. Suki.” Suki? Wasn’t that a cat's name?

So, he’d inherited a stepdaughter. One that had ‘handful’ written all over her. “Ava is going through a difficult time, trying to readjust to her new boarding school.”

Now that made sense, who gave a shit if your latest bit of pussy had a daughter when you could just send her away to school. Out of sight out of mind.

“I see. I didn’t realise there was such a thing as boarding schools for mafia princesses,” I snarked, immediately wishing I could tug those ballsy words right back.

“They don’t unfortunately. Ava is at Brighton, but she keeps running away,” Gerard informed me with a troubled look. Yeah, like he gave a shit about his latest trophy wife's kid. Although, kid was a stretch. I would have placed her around the seventeen mark. “She tried to turn Suki against me by telling lies and so I had to send her away to school. A good education is key, and I don’t turn my back on a child. Neither does Kai.”

Kai grunted and muttered something under his breath that I didn’t catch. No love lost there then. I decided to wave the red flag at The Bull.

Smiling, I shot Kai a pitying expression. “So, that means you have a new little sister to play with. I hope you take good care of her,” I smirked, using a tone to deliberately provoke. I knew from the look on his face that he was anything but pleased.

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