Page 19 of Fool Me Once

She let the silence fillthe kitchen as she finished restocking the fridge with all the goodies. Once itwas full, she stepped back and looked toward Frank.

“Do you know why Cain hadto leave today?” she asked.

“He didn’t say, but seeingas he didn’t take you with him, there is only one person he would have to dealwith.”

Leah didn’t need him tofill in the blanks.

Danny boy had been naughtyagain.

She couldn’t help butwonder what the little shit had been up to.

****

“House arrest? What kindof bullshit is this?” Danny asked.

Cain looked down at hisson, and this time he truly looked at him. What he saw disappointed him. Thiswas his son, and yet there was no way he would allow any son of his to behavein this manner.

Danny was currently cuffedto a bed. It could be called house arrest, but the truth was, he was bound to aroom that had a toilet in the corner, a bed, and a single window. The windowalso had bars around it. At best, he was in a prison, just one with a littlemore luxury.

He dragged the chair overto the bed and looked at his son, seeing all the signs of an addict desperatefor his next fix. This is why he went to the Bratva. Someone had startedselling his son drugs, and he was doing everything he could to get his nextfix.

Staring at him, a hatredbegan to fester.

“What are you staring at?”Danny asked.

Cain stayed silent.

“Are you wondering whereyou went wrong? Thinking about the boy you once knew? You were a shitty father,and a fuckup,” Danny said, and laughed. “I guess that makes me exactly likeyou.”

“You’re right. I was ashitty father, but you as a son were just as big a fuckup and adisappointment.”

Danny glared at him, hisnostrils flaring, but something must have triggered in his mind to keep himquiet.

“Did you know the world isfull of kids that are unwanted, unloved?”

Danny rolled his eyes. “Isthis where you tell me I had it better because I was loved and wanted?”

Cain chuckled. “You werenot fucking wanted, not by a long shot, and if I did have any love for you,you’ve destroyed that by raping women. There are a few kinds of people in thisworld that I can’t stand. Child molesters, abusers, and rapists. They’re piecesof shit and don’t deserve to breathe air.”

His son went pale.

“You’re a child I didn’twant, but rather than toss you in the trash, I took care of you. I paid manypeople to give you the love and comfort you needed. You had a great education.Whatever you wanted, you got. There are children starving who haven’t done athing wrong to deserve the life they’ve been given. So, you had everything youwanted—money, power, food, anything, and it’s not made you better. You’re apiece of shit who simply doesn’t like the wordno. The other problem Ihave with you is, you’re starting to make a ton of enemies.”

Danny snorted. “You thinkI’m the one making enemies?”

“I don’t just think it,son, I know it. I know there are a lot of men and women who would love to haveten minutes alone with you, and what’s more, I’d let them.”

He stared at his son andknew there was no love between them. He didn’t love his son and probably neverhad. Sure, there were odd moments where he had no choice but to be a father.He’d not wanted to, and those moments were few and far between. Danny hadalways been spoiled. He’d always wanted more, and over the years, even as achild, there had been so many complaints about his personality.

“That figures, you’d letthem hurt your own son,” Danny said.

“You mistake me, Danny. Iwouldn’t just let them hurt you. I’d let them kill you.”

His son looked at him, andit seemed for the first time in all of Danny’s twenty years, he’d finallygotten his attention.

Danny was just a littleyounger than Leah, and yet, this piece of shit had done so much damage to a lotof people. If Leah hadn’t been able to protect herself, he just knew she wouldbe like a lot of other women.

“Keep on this path, Danny,and I promise it will end very badly for you.”

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