Page 60 of All Your Lies
A heavy silence hangs in the air. When I was a child, I used to fear entering this room. His lessons were brutal, and while the scars are still visible on the outside, the ones on the inside have festered into an unforgiving beast.
“Is there a reason for your unexpected visit?”
“There is,” I say as I grab a glass from his drink cart. Just as I’d been instructed countless times as a child, I pour three fingers of scotch.
I hand him his favorite drink that is now playing a part in his demise. The jaundice of his eyes and skin hints at the severity of his stage-four liver failure. His days are limited in more ways than one.
He examines the warm amber liquid in the glass, spinning it and inhaling the scent before raising it to his lips and shooting it back.
“You see, I started looking into old ledgers from decades ago and discovered things you should have destroyed if you had any fucking sense. Thankfully for me, you don’t.”
I unbutton my suit jacket and take a seat across from him.
“You employed the Demented Devils MC to run guns and blow for years, until you ratted them out to the feds. Landing Vic in jail, the same Vic who just married your only daughter,” I say as I hear footsteps.
Vic comes in the door and closes it silently.
“Then, your precious older son kills someone while drinking and driving, and you pin the crime on me, sending me into the same cell as Vic. Only for me to get out and take over the business you were trying so hard to keep me away from.” I glance over at my father, but he remains silent, his expression unreadable. Figures.
“Way too many coincidences, if you ask me,” Vic says as he makes his way over to us while my father remains silent.
“I thought you’d say nothing. In fact, I expected it from someone as shitty as you are. Shitty father, shitty husband, shitty boss,” I count on my fingers.
“Shitty father-in-law,” Vic says from my side. “Your daughter sends her love, by the way.”
My father narrows his gaze at Vic. “You were never supposed to end up with her. A total waste of a transaction, if you ask me.”
“All I’m interested in is a name from the ledger,” I say, rubbing the back of my head. Scars litter my body as a reminder of the day I almost lost my life. The sensation of the makeshift blades piercing my skin ruthlessly and repeatedly still lingers. If it wasn’t for Vic, I’d be six feet under. “They received a wire transfer the day I was almost stabbed to death in prison. Not to mention a fuck ton of other times someone either got hurt or died.”
“I can answer that,” Marco says as he walks in the door.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I ask over my shoulder.
“What, you thought you could have a party and not invite me? I followed our brother in.” Marco points at Vic.
“I’m not your fucking brother.”
“We can work on that,” Marco smiles before looking over at our father. “Sorry, Pop, someone new is in charge now, and I must keep in step. Plus, you’ve always been a fucking dick,” he says, before directing his attention back to me. “I’m assuming you’re talking about Nohl?”
“Yeah, how’d you know?” I say, looking over at my brother.
“Secrets are my specialty, worth more than money, as you know,” he says with a sigh. “After Pop sent you in, I started following him and going through his shit. I wasn’t sure when we talked on Halloween night, but now I know for sure. He calls favors in to Nohl, which means zero in Russian by the way, when he wants someone taken care of in and out of the Mafia.”
The mention of Russia tightens a knot of unease in my stomach. If Alexander Petrov was part of this I would hope he would mention it with our newfound partnership. This is something I’ll have to figure out later.
Then, the rest of what Marco says filters in, and my head whips in my father’s direction. “You’re killing off people within the families? Are you fucking insane?” I gaze back at my brother. “How long has this been going on?”
“Since before we were born.”
“Does anyone else know?”
My head is spinning right now at the information. I harbored suspicions, but the evidence never quite solidified into undeniable proof… until now.
“Nah, he kept his deplorable deeds under wraps.”
“Anything else we need to know?” I ask, not taking my eyes off my piece-of-shit father. I knew he was dirty, but I didn’t know he had it in him to kill off members of the organization that we consider family.
“Well, he attempted to kidnap Rosie.” Vic jumps up from his seat.
