Page 89 of Karma
“What if it would do something for me?”
Standing, Zane walks down the steps and turns to face his father. “You should feel guilty.”
“Come again?”
“Phillip was your son, and you just threw him away.”
“He was crazy!”
“No shit,” he shouts. “You gotta stop taking the easy way out of everything and making everything about you.”
VP leans back and stares.Who the hell do you think you are? I always thought we were cut from the same cloth, son.
“I did everything I could for you, Zane. Do you realize how ungrateful you sound?”
“And what about Lex?”
“What about her?”
“You are impossible!” Zane says and tosses his hands up in the air. “Absolutely impossible.”
He laughs and shakes his head. “You’re just pissed at getting kicked out of the club. And I get it. I fought, but I fucking lost.”
“I am not… Why the fuck would I be pissed about that? I’m glad it happened.”
No one in the club would be happy they got tossed to the fucking curb, son. You’re confused. You’re grieving and navigating a new life and a new woman. I have to be patient with you.
“Zane, you don’t have to put on a front with me.”
“I don’t know where I’d be right now if those men hadn’t stepped up and did what you should’ve done years ago. Nothing I did was okay, and at some point, you have to be a father and fucking say that,” he says. “Not just for me, but for Lex, too. She paid the consequences of all your actions, and I don’t think you’ve ever thought to apologize to her.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” VP says, standing to leave.
He doesn’t have to stay here and listen to this. No one understands the sacrifices he made for his family, and he’s not going to explain them to an ungrateful son.
“I know I never should have been given an out to do half the shit I did. Especially to her. I know that if Maggie ever did that toa sibling of hers, I’d tell her how wrong she was. Why didn’t you ever do that?”
He shakes his head, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m not doing this.”
“Doing what?”
“I’m not going to stand here and listen to you tell me how shitty a father I was to everyone because I did the best I could with you!”
Zane scoffs. “Again, what about Lex?”
“Why do you keep… This is about you and me.”
“No, it’s not. That’s the root cause of this problem. You need to start thinking about her because if you ever had, you’d see that neither of us treated her fairly. But I’m her brother, not her father.”
Walking up the sidewalk, Emma stands frozen and stares at them. “Sorry, I thought you told me to stop by now, Zane.”
It’s been so long since VP has seen Emma, and he aches. He misses her, but she walked away from him. Twice. But damn if she doesn’t look good. She’s lost some weight, and she looks… happier.
“I did,” Zane says. “VP just kind of showed up. I have a box of stuff I’d like you to have.”
She walks past VP and doesn’t even glance up at him as she takes the box from Zane. “What is it?”
“Things I have of my mom’s. I’m sorry I ruined your mom’s crystal. I don’t exactly remember doing it, but I’m really sorry.”
