Page 38 of King of Kings

Every interaction with my father makes my blood boil. I’m not sure how much longer it will be before I snap at him.

I reluctantly make my way towards his office, pulling into the parking garage.

I’m trying to simmer down my anger before I get to his office. He already puts me on edge, and I hate to think about what I might do or say if I let him push me completely over.

The building is quiet. It’s late in the evening, so naturally, most people are gone for the day. Aside from a few rooms with lights shining under the door, the place is dark.

I approach my dad’s door and can hear voices on the other side. When he asked me to stop by, I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be here. He’s usually the last one left in the office.

After he leaves here, he goes and stays in a penthouse down the street, instead of coming home and staying with his kids. It’s a weird arrangement, but we all like it better this way.

I don’t bother knocking. When I walk inside, I find my dad sitting at his desk with a cigar, his partner, Kyle, is on the other side, and a guy I’ve never seen before is sitting in the chair next to him.

“Knox, so nice of you to join us.” My dad grins.

“What do you need?” I ask, frustration kicking in.

“Is that anyway to talk to your old man?”

He’s putting on a show for the men in the room. We like to keep it a family secret that we can’t stand one another.

“I wanted to introduce you to our newest partner in the firm,” he says, waving his hand towards the guy I’ve never seen before.

“Why do you need another partner?”

“You can never have too many, Knox. I know you have no interest in taking over my part in the firm. I’m simply bringing in someone who has that interest.”

There has to be a catch. Why would my father willingly be letting me have an out with the law firm? He’s never done anything with mine or my siblings' best interest. There is always an ulterior motive that ends with him getting what he wants.

“This is Bradley Scott. His father owns his own firm and Bradley has been trying to get out to California.”

The dude is slimy. He immediately rubs me the wrong way, and I have no idea why. He has this smug look on his face that I’d love nothing more than to smack off him. I don’t know where my dad finds these guys.

I nod in his direction.

He stands up, straightening his suit jacket, putting his hand out to shake.

“Nice to meet you, Knox,” he says.

He looks me up and down, like he’s trying to size me up. I don’t think he realizes I’m not his competition.

“You too.”

“See, this is perfect. I’d love for the two of you to get to know each other better,” my dad says, clapping his hands together.

I’m still trying to figure out what his angle is here.

“Sure. Look, I’ve got to go. It was nice to meet you.” I turn to leave, but before I do, my dad has to get a last word in.

“I trust you can show Bradley around California. Help him get situated, show him places to go and things to do,” he says sternly, telling me it’s not up for discussion.

“Sure thing.”

I leave the room before he can get another word in. My head is still reeling, trying to figure out what is happening. There’s no way my dad would let me just drop the law firm. I’ve been trying for years to get him to understand I have no desire to become a lawyer.

He’s definitely up to something, and it would be in my benefit to figure out what it is before he springs it on me.

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