He ate in silence. I watched curiously, desperate for anything to distract me from the lingering thoughts of Mal and my long-gone virginity.
“Daddy, what were you doing last night?”
He grunted. “None of your business.”
“I’m just curious.”
“You’ve never been curious before.”
“I know, and now that I’m going to marry Maxim, I’m wondering if I should be more involved.”
“You should be more worried about the Russian business than ours.”
“Isn’t it the same?”
He bobbed his head side to side. “Somewhat. We both deal in—” He glanced up, frowning.
“I know you sell drugs, Dad.”
“Illicit substances,” he finished. “That’s a larger part of our business than it is the Russians. They’re deep into other territories.”
“Like what?”
“Forging. Blackmail. Protection. They have a mature network of distribution centers all over Texas for moving stolen products.” He was warming up to the lecture, and I sat back and let him finish. “They’re into the financial side of things. Loans, debt, laundering. I hear they’re even into crypto.”
“You don’t do loans and all that?”
“We do, but not as much. I’m old-school, Capri. I know the simple things.”
I smiled at him and leaned forward. “So you sell drugs and hurt people. Is that about it?”
He laughed and waved a fork in the air. “I’ll never admit it. At least not in those words. I like to imagine we provide much-needed services to those that can afford them.”
“What about all your men? When you took over the Falsones, you must’ve lost some.”
“Mostly his loyalists. Some left the state and went elsewhere. I didn’t bother with those. Figured they were too far away to matter. But anyone else still in Texas that used to work for Falsone is either dead or working for me.”
I shivered, trying to imagine how many men he’d hunted down and killed over the last few months. He must’ve left a wide swath of destruction in his wake. Murdering, bloodying his hands, tearing families apart. The men he killed weren’t exactly innocent—but neither was Mal.
It always came back to Mal.
“What about guys like Rod?” I asked, shuffling my eggs from side to side. My skin buzzed with anxiety but I was proud of how normal I sounded. Even if internally, I was screaming with fear. I’d never pushed back against my father like this or tried to fool him before, and I have no clue if I was capable of it. But Rod was one of the last names on the list, and this conversation was a perfect cover for getting information.
Dad looked at me for a few beats. He frowned, pausing with a sausage up to his mouth. He studied me, and I gazed back at him like I was confused as to why he was hesitating.
He took a bite. Chewed. Swallowed. “How do you know him?”
“He used to hang around the apartment all the time. Was he one of your guys? What happened to guys like him?”
“The men that were loyal to me before we took control of the city remain loyal to me now.” He spoke slowly and forcefully, like he was explaining something complicated to a small child.
“How come he’s not around the house anymore?”
“He works somewhere else. An old gas station on the west side of town. It’s abandoned, but we use it for certain activities. Rod runs that operation.”
I nodded as if that made sense. It didn’t, but it didn’t matter. I had a location and Mal would do the rest.
“It all seems very complicated,” I said, beaming at him. “I’m glad I’m not taking it over.”
He sighed and reached out to pat the back of my hand. I flinched like he was about to slap me, but I didn’t pull back. If he noticed my fear, he didn’t comment on it.
“There was a time when I had hope for you, sweetie. But that time is past. Now, the best thing you can do is marry Maxim and wed our family to his. Together, we’ll be stronger.”
“Yes, Daddy. I plan on following through.”
“Very good. I’ve been pleased with how helpful you’ve been lately. I really hope you keep that up, Capri. For your sake and for mine.”
“I will, Daddy. Do you mind if I’m excused? I drank too much coffee.”
He laughed and waved a hand. “Get some sleep, sweetie.” He patted my knuckles gently one more time. It was almost like he was a normal father, and not an abusive, soul-sucking monster that beat me into submission and kept me cowed and terrified my whole life.
I carried my plate into the kitchen and gave it to Maddie. She refilled my mug, which I carried upstairs. I made it to my room, closed the door, locked it, and curled up on a small sofa near the far window with my burner phone in my lap.
Cap: Mal? You awake? I have something for you.
Mal: Been awake for hours. What’s going on? Are you safe?