The Last Boss' Daughter

It’s like he tries to respond to my lightness, but isn’t quite making it. “Weird, I realize. Why do you hate Pietro?”

I don’t want to talk about Pietro and I don’t want to get heavy. I want smoldering eye contact and kinky tree sex.

“Because I’m an excellent judge of character,” I deadpan, hoping he’ll drop it.

Liam appears completely unmoved by my wit, and he’s also waiting for a better answer.

I sigh heavily, but figure I might as well get it out of the way. “He’s… he’s pure evil. He was friends with my dad back then. He was a Judas, but my dad trusted him. He has an appetite for power above all else and no loyalty. He’s a snake.”

“He betrayed your father?”

I nod. “Helped the guys who set him up. Led him right to them, knowing what they were going to do. If Pietro wouldn’t have helped them, my father would still be alive.”

“Your mom, she knew?”

“She denies it, but she knew. She had already locked onto him since he was rising to power, so she couldn’t very well admit it without seeming like the faithless sellout she is.”

“You obviously did not.”

“Obviously. Look how well that turned out for me.” I smile derisively. “But I’m alive. I do enough heinous shit to get by.”

“We do what we have to,” he reasons.

I glance up at him, wondering what his story is. “You do what you have to?”

He nods without a word, watching me. The moment stretches on longer than I expect it to, then his gaze drops to the untouched sandwich in front of him and I feel him withdraw, like it’s a physical act. Even though I feel the shift, I’m still surprised when he suddenly says, “I have to go.”

I rear back in surprise, my jaw dropping open a couple inches. “What? Now?”

The chair scrapes against the floor and he stands, nodding.

I’m so confused, I don’t even move. I don’t stand. I don’t know what I did, what I said. My mouth opens to ask, but nothing comes out.

In the center of the table is a black wire basket with suggestion cards and pencils. He grabs one of each and jots something down. “If he comes back, if he tries anything and I’m not there to see it, call this number.”

“It’s yours?” I look at the card when he hands it to me, but I’m still reeling.

He nods. “Don’t come back to the junkyard. I can’t be seen with you there, you’ll get us both in deep shit.”

I want to ask what happened, or at least whether or not I’ll see him again. Right now it doesn’t feel like I will, and I’m so confused, because I’m sure he was planning on leaving with me just minutes ago.

I finally start to stand, but he just gives me one last, almost remorseful parting look, and makes his way to the door.

Liam

I’m grumpy as hell as I head into Raj’s office, but I doubt I look any surlier than I usually do as I stop and stand at attention in front of his desk.

“You wanted to see me,” I state.

“Yes.” He’s distracted, fingering papers in a stack as he quickly scans the tops. Finally he stops and looks up at me. “You can sit.”

I prefer to stand, so I don’t.

After a couple seconds, he looks up at me, then shrugs. One of the things I like about Raj is that he isn’t a tiny man with a power struggle ‘cause he thinks he’s got something to prove. I can’t stomach working for that type.

“Lance says you had a visitor.”

Goddamn motherfucking Lance.