Page 53 of Caught Up

Aly finally snapped. “Fuck the garden!” Josh put a hand on her shoulder, and she took a calming breath. “Sorry, Moira.”

Mom waved her off and reached for the bottle of wine, upending it over her glass.

This was going well.

“We’re not having the wedding here,” Aly said, her gaze back on my father. “We can barely get through five minutes of dinner without you pissing everyone off.”

Dad shrugged, unbothered. “Lot of time for news to get out about your boyfriend’s father, too.”

Suddenly, everyone’s focus swiveled to Josh, questioning. Mom and my brothers didn’t know about Josh’s dark past, only me and Dad.

And Aly, who looked ready to spit nails. “I warned you not to bring that up again.”

A memory flashed through my mind of Aly, Josh, Dad, and me all locked in Dad’s study, Aly just as angry as she was now, vowing to never speak to my father again if he outed Josh’s secrets.

Dad’s eyes glittered with dark light. “Have the wedding here, and I won’t.”

“I’m not doing this with you,” Aly said. “We’re leaving. Sorry, Moira.”

“Don’t be,” Mom said.

Josh and Aly said their brief goodbyes to the rest of us, and the only thing that kept my old man quiet throughout their departure was Mom glaring daggers at him.

“I’m done, too,” she said when they were gone, grabbing her wineglass. She paused at the door and shot Dad one last hostile look. “And don’t bother coming to bed later.”

“Ooh,” Alec said after she stormed out. “Someone’s sleeping on the couch.”

Dad turned to him, silent, his eyes begging Alec to sayone more wordso he had someone to vent his anger on. Alec wisely shut up and stared down at his plate.

And then it was my turn to bear the brunt of Dad’s focus. “What are you waiting on Vinny for?”

I cocked an eyebrow. “I thought there wasn’t any shoptalk at dinner?”

Dad planted his elbows on the table and leaned forward, dark eyes sparking with menace. “Why are you avoiding the question, Junior?”

Thank fuck I had an actual excuse to have my phone out and didn’t need to lie. Lies never lasted long with my father, because he was paranoid enough todouble-checkevery word said to him, even from his own sons. The last thing I needed was for him to catch me in one right now. I wouldn’t put it past him to have someone tail me, and I couldn’t risk him finding out about Lauren before I was ready.

“Vinny’s down at the docks making sure that customs agent’s palms are greased,” I said.

Dad frowned. “He trying to demand more money?”

I nodded.

Greg blew out a breath. “Why? The boat’s full of olive oil, not coke.”

“Fake-assolive oil,” I reminded him.

Greg frowned. “So? Get rid of him and find an easier agent to work with.”

I shook my head. “There’s too much heat in this city right now. We don’t need to add another dead body to the pile. Especially because it would lead to an investigation, and if the Feds start digging, the trail might lead back to us. Plus, there’s no time. The next shipment comes in later tonight.”

Dad tipped his chin in my direction. “What Junior said.” He wiped his face with his dinner napkin and set it aside. “Actually, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something. We’ve been thinking about expanding imports. I’ve spoken to Lorenzo, and we’d like to see you take the lead on this.”

Alec nearly choked on his pasta. Beside him, Stefan went still.

Greg let out a low whistle and patted me on the back. “Looks like you’re getting promoted.”

I shut my expression down, my mind working on overdrive. This wasn’t Dad being some gracious benefactor. This was his response to me pulling away. It was hislast-ditcheffort to tie me closer to him in a setting where I couldn’t refuse. Because there was no logical reason for me to decline the offer.

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