Page 50 of Could Be Worse
“He wasn’t mean to you.” She stared into my eyes. Hers were the color of whiskey, and mine were hazel green. “He gave you gifts for your birthday and Christmas.”
“He also forced your mom to go back to Vegas,” Dad hissed. “That fucker threatened to take you away from her if she didn’t go back.”
“Oh my God.” I felt sick to my stomach hearing all this for the first time.
“And he got your dad arrested,” Mom said.
I covered my mouth in shock. “He sounds horrible.”
“He is, and that’s why I told him to stay away from you.” Dad paced in my room. “That prick crossed the line, peanut. He came after my girls again, and I can’t let that shit go!”
I wished the floor could swallow me up, so I didn’t have to hear any of this. “Why would he do that?” Duh. He must’ve hated me for being born.
“Because he’s a son of a bitch and a fucking scumbag.” Dad’s face turned beet red.
“Zander, we said we wouldn’t badmouth him.” Mom scowled at him, then turned toward me. “He’s mixed up with a loan shark. If he doesn’t pay up, they’ll kill him and take his strip club.”
“Well, it’s true, Jay. He broke into Sadie’s apartment and left those pictures of you. He scared the crap out of her, and she quit the show!” Dad looked as if he could strangle Richard. I’d never seen him so furious.
My dad was right here, protecting me as he always had.
“So let them go after him.” I raised my hands like I was done with all this. “He ruined my chance at fulfilling my biggest life dream.” There was no love lost for my sperm donor. He wasn’t my father. He had wanted nothing to do with me until he needed money… to the tune of five million dollars.
“Exactly. Fuck him, right, peanut?”
“Right.” I didn’t want to know anything more. I just wanted to get on with my life.
“Are you sure, honey?” Mom asked.
“Yes.” I reclined on my bed and got comfortable. Honestly, to hear I’d known my bio dad when I was little, made everything that had happened more messed up. Richard knew me. He’d been in my life, yet he had no problem using me to pay off his debt. Asshole!
Dad clapped his hands. “Fantastic. Now let’s go celebrate.”
“Zander, isn’t there something else you wanted to tell Sadie?” Mom glared at him.
“Tell me what, Dad?”
“So you know, here in the club we vet everyone. It’s just what we do to protect our loved ones.”
“Yes.” Where was he going with this?
“So I had Grizz look into Bryce.”
“Noooo. Please tell me you didn’t.”
“He did.” Mom rolled her eyes. “But they found out some urgent news.”
“Urgent? Is he sick?” Oh, God. If he was dying of cancer, I would die right along with him. Wait. No, I wouldn’t. Someone would have to be around for Cat and Tori, so they wouldn’t go back to their mom, the mom who didn’t want them.
It just hit me all at once. Cat and Tori had grown up with a single parent as I had. Their mom hadn’t wanted them, like my dad hadn’t wanted me. The similarities we shared were heartbreaking. I’d been blessed with a wonderful mommy like they had a fabulous dad.
When my mom and my dad, Lynx, had gotten together, they had created a loving home for me. I’d gotten a brother and sister. I couldn’t help but wonder about Cat’s and Tori’s future or ignore the intense feeling I was meant to be part of their lives.
“As far as I know, Bryce is as healthy as a horse. But he’s maxed out on his credit cards. The loan manager at the bank said if he doesn’t pay his past due, he’ll lose his house.” Dad’s face fell. “It’s no wonder he really wanted the renovation job. I should have given him a deposit for the whole job, not just one project at a time.”
“But it might be too late.” Mom squeezed my hand as if genuinely concerned about Bryce’s situation. It made my heart hurt.
“Too late?” I asked, my throat constricting.