Page 108 of Caught Up

“We’re done.” He waved at the table. “You can clear the plates.”

Silence descended as she gathered our dishes. Beside me, I could feel Lauren tensing up, and I reached out beneath the tablecloth and put my hand on her thigh. Her skin was smooth and warm beneath my touch, and I couldn’t help but stroke my thumb over it, squeezing once to let her know that everything would be okay. Because it would. One way or another.

Calm descended upon me as we waited. My entire family was here, blood and found, and I knew that I wasn’t about to face my dad alone.

“So,” he said when the last plate was cleared, and Maria shut the kitchen door behind herself. His gaze rose to mine, and I could already see the anger building in his eyes. “What is it you wanted to talk to me about? Lauren?” His focus shifted from her to me and back again. “Is she who I would have chosen for you? No.”

I waited a beat, giving him a chance to say more, maybe add aBut I won’t stand in your way,or even aBut I realize my mistake now that I see you two together. The words didn’t come, and I decided that this was the last family dinner I would attend until he came to terms with my relationship and apologized to Lauren. No way in hell was I subjecting her to his censure again, and I wouldn’t go anywhere she wasn’t welcome with open arms.

Lauren’s hand landed on top of mine, squeezing, reassuring, like she was more worried about how I felt than anything else, reminding me what a lucky bastard I was that she’d chosen to be with me.

“Nico,” Mom said, low and warning.

Dad ignored her, eyes still locked on me, and from the way Mom stared daggers into the side of his head, he was going to regret it. “What is this all about?” he demanded.

Lauren squeezed my hand again, and I braced myself for whatever was about to happen.

“I bought a building,” I said.

Surprise rippled through my brothers, but I kept my gaze on my father.

“From who?” Dad said, expression inscrutable.

“Patrick McKinney.”

He frowned. “I don’t know the name.”

“He’s no one important.”

“Is that so?” Dad asked, eyeing me, and I knew that the second I left this house, he’d have every single one of his cronies looking into McKinney. He tipped his head sideways. “A whole building.”

It wasn’t a question, but I answered anyway. “Yes.”

“Where is it?”

“Downtown. West Side.”

“Where’d you get the money?” he asked, tone deadly calm.

My hackles rose, but I kept my anger out of my voice. “I didn’t steal it from you, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“Then where, Junior?”

“From my savings and investments.”

“Bullshit,” he spat. “You don’t have downtown money.”

“I don’t need to because I bought out his debt from a bookie and then blackmailed him with it.”

Mom’s eyes flashed wide, straying toward Aly and Josh. “No shoptalk at the din—”

Dad shushed her.

Mom turned back to him, slowly, à laThe Exorcist.He was going to need to hide in their panic room at this point.

“What kind of building is it?” Dad asked.

Here we fucking go.

---