Page 25 of Shield and Savior
ChapterTwelve
Izzy
His knees are bad, and his shoulder hurts whenever it rains. He knows every word ofThe Loraxand can break a man’s jaw with one punch. At a PTA meeting, he would radiate power, the sort of person who sucks up all the air in a normal room. But in a room with other influential people, he adopts the same aura and blends in perfectly, one of many.
It’s been two years since I’ve seen him face to face. Gray hairs peek out of his beard, making him appear dignified instead of old. His laughter spreads so fast the CDC issued a bulletin about it.
He’s my dad.
I don’t know why I’m nervous about seeing him. We talk and text all the time. Nothing about this should be intimidating. Plus, I’m around my family.
The family, I could implode because I was a stupid teenager.
Right. That’s why I’m here.
“Isabella, come here.” He waves me over, and Uncle Andrey scoots off the couch to give me space. “How is the move going? Are you settling in?”
“Yeah, everything is working fine.”
“Duncan saw you for a few days at Joey’s office. He said you looked confident. Is that right?”
Appearing confident is eighty percent of the success around here. If you act like you own it already, it’ll be yours by the end of the day. That was a skill I had back in my early elementary days. “Yeah, it’s going great.”
All of this is temporary. Once everything with my ex is taken care of, I’ll return home and go back to my life away from the family business.
“Joey said you can only have the job while Becky is on maternity leave. Do you know what you want to do after that?” My dad’s eyes bore into me.
“I have an associate’s degree and experience in other fields. I’m sure I’ll find something.”
He reaches out and squeezes my hand. “You belong with family.”
Uncle Duncan adds, “We’re all here to help you.” Duncan is the quietest of the Fathers. If he says something, it’s purposeful. He never speaks to fill awkward conversations. Never feeling uncomfortable is his superpower.
Uncle Andrey aims his sweet and cozy smile at me. Joey said it’s the same one he uses right before he slices off some snitch’s fingers. “We take care of each other.”
Dad squeezes my hand harder, and the room feels smaller. Also, claustrophobic. The men barely shift their bodies, and the mood changes. “Your problems are ours.” He loosens his grip. “No one will ever hurt you again.”
Uncle Carlos has a scar across his forehead. Rumors of how he got it are everything from head butting a guy, a fight with seven other guys, getting roughed up in prison, and getting beaten up for sleeping with some guy’s wife. But Abuela told me he fell in the bathroom and smacked his head on the toilet.
And injuries that came from when you were a victim, where you were on the receiving end of abuse, are different. I don’t know why I called Waverly a few weeks ago, but I knew she would call in the warriors, and I would have to report to The Uncles.
They passed out punishments and commands. This wasn’t a ‘we’ve got your back message.’ There was an order about to come down. “We let that shitstain live because he’s Andrew’s father, but that ends if he comes back into your life.”
Uncle Carlos cracks his knuckles. “Maybe we’ll keep some organs on ice if Drew ever needs an extra kidney or something.”
My Russian Uncle Andrey shakes his head, “No good. Organs only have a little lifespan outside the body. We can’t stick freezer burnt kidneys in Giovani’s grandkids.”
Uncle Carlos leans in the chair and chuckles, “Always so fucking literal with him.”
Duncan nods, “You’re both right.”
My dad shoots me a ‘can you believe the shit I put up with’ glance and continues. “Too much is at stake here. Ten years I kept my distance and let you make your own mistakes, and that’s life. But now your shit is slinging up my door, and I won’t let it.”
I nod. “Why doesn’t he have a bullet in his skull? We both know the organs aren’t true.”
The four uncles exchange silent conversations with side glances and taps on their knees. “We’ve got someone on the inside of a business operation, and we don’t want to blow their cover. But the situation is constantly evolving, and people might ask questions if he vanished.”
“You don’t need to keep him alive out of loyalty to me.” I frown and cross my arms around my waist, the pain dulled over the weeks.