Execution (Off Balance 2)

Her mother? Goose bumps trailed down my arms. Mom was so inebriated she was speaking in third person and not making sense.

Dad's silverware crashed to the plate. I flinched. He used the corner of his cloth napkin to wipe his mouth, then tossed it onto his plate with disgust. His chair slid back and an aura of anger surrounded him. I sat watching in shock.

"This is not the time or the place." He leveled his gaze on her and his look shook me to the core. Dad was done playing whatever game Mom had in mind. And quite frankly, I was too. "The issue you have with me has nothing to do with her. Leave Adrianna out of it."

But she wasn't looking at Dad. She was glaring at me.

Chapter Fifty-Four

Mom's hard eyes were fixated on me as she took another long sip of vodka. I don't think she heard one word Dad said.

"Put the glass down, Joy. I th

ink you've had enough for one day." Dad sneered. He was still on his first tumbler of whiskey and much more coherent than her. "We talked about this."

Xavier was in his own world, texting feverishly on his cell.

"Actually, she's identical to her slutty mother."

"That's enough," Dad hissed. He was livid and had his eyes exclusively on Mom. "Joy, you are going to regret this if you don't stop right now. This is your last chance." He pounded his fist onto the table. The plates, glasses, and silverware all wobbled from the sheer force of his hand.

He didn't faze her. She gave him a scathing glare that would make anyone tremble in fear. "I think it's time we put the truth on the table. Wouldn't you agree, Frank?" she said his name like it was coated in venom.

Xavier finally looked up. One of his eyes was swollen, but not discolored or bruised. He placed his phone facedown on the table as his brown eyes jumped back and forth between me and Mom. "What's going on?" he asked.

"If she's such an adult like you claim your princess is," Mom said, looking at Dad from the other side of the table, "I think it's time she knows the truth."

"What truth?" Xavier asked. He sounded just like Dad. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing that concerns you, son. You have enough going on as it is, what with that little predicament you were in a few weeks ago," she said.

"Mom," Xavier growled in a warning tone. "Stop."

"Joy," Dad spoke at the same time as Xavier.

"What?" Mom said as if it wasn't a big deal.

Dad was up and out of his chair in seconds, hands balled into fists as he marched toward her. She was up and walking away from him, surprisingly fast for someone who was sloshed.

"Can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on," Xavier exclaimed. His eyes were so wide all I could see were his pupils. I was just in the dark as he was.

Mom continued. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out."

Dad’s eyes narrowed to dark little slits. "Joy," he warned. "That is enough!"

"Did it ever occur to you where your red hair and freckles come from?" she asked me, ignoring my dad. She took a long pull of her clear liquid.

"What?" I said, my voice shaky. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Dad shoved one of the heavy dinner table chairs to the side. It fell hard with a clank. "Stop it, right now!" He glanced at Xavier and said, "Grab your mother." The table was so long that he couldn't catch her. He’d take one step, and she’d take one in the other direction.

"Where, Adrianna!" Mom yelled.

I started to shake and a crease formed between my eyes. I had wondered where it came from, but figured it came from another family member. It happened all the time.

"I assumed it came from Dad’s side of the family, just like Xavier's hair and eyes came from yours."

She snickered. "Your father is a womanizing whore, just like your mother was. A slut. Just. Like. You."