I’d prefer not to take another ride in the back of a police car if I can avoid it.
I don’t know how many times my mom is going to bail me out…
Chapter Two
Lawson
I don’t know if I should consider it fortunate or unfortunate that I woke up this morning. I certainly put some extra miles on my body last night, but not enough to break it.
That means I have to get up and drag my ass to work. Another day in paradise. Then I get to pray I don’t wake up tomorrow. Maybe the man upstairs will listen this time, but I doubt it. I think he abandoned me just like everyone else in my life.
Five years ago, I had everything going for me. I was married with a wife who loved me, two kids that I thought the world of, and the investment company I started with my best friend, Bram, was finally starting to give us the returns we dreamed of the day we put our first dollar in.
Then everything went to shit.
My son, Hudson, started gambling and got in over his head with a loan shark. I paid his debt, then he got in trouble again, and I made another payment; that kept happening until I had to sell my shares in the company just to keep his head on his shoulders.
Except that wasn’t what was actually going on. Hudson teamed up with the loan shark to extort money from me.
If that wasn’t enough to drive me over the edge, I found out that my best friend—the man I considered to be a brother—was secretly involved with my daughter, Kiana.
I did what any father would do. I lost my fucking mind, and I beat the shit out of him. But there was so much more going on that I didn’t know about. The relationship between Bram and Kiana started because Kiana tried to handle Hudson’s debt when I wasn’t able to—a debt that never even existed to begin with.
Bram stepped in when Kiana got in over her head, and the loan shark Hudson was working with got greedy.
The fallout shattered what was left of my life. I had to put aside my differences with Bram to save my daughter, and when it was all said and done, I was on the ground with a knife sticking out of my side, and Bram was right beside me. He took a bullet to save my daughter’s life.
How could I stand between the two of them after that? She wouldn’t even be alive if it weren’t for him. They’re married now, happy as can be, and have a kid on the way.
Meanwhile, I don’t even remember what it’s like to be happy.
Everything that happened brought a lot of emotions to the surface, and while I knew I would never win father-of-the-year, I didn’t realize just how much my kids despised me.
Things had never been great in my marriage, but the stuff I hid from my wife after I ran out of money to pay Hudson’s debts proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. All I could do was give her the divorce she asked for.
Now I’m simply exist. Waiting for it all to end.
But it’s not over yet, so it’s time to fix myself a cup of coffee and go to work.
“Good morning, Mr. Brooks!” A friendly smile greets me. It belongs to Bram’s secretary, Joanna.
Did I mention that I’m now just an employee at the company I used to run? My best friend turned son-in-law is also my boss. It’s enough to drive a man to drink, but it’s a little too early in the day for that.
“
Morning, Joanna.” I nod to her and walk to my office.
My job isn’t hard. I’ve always been good with people, great with analyzing data, and as long as I can keep convincing people to invest money in our company, it’s the one thing in my life I don’t have to worry about losing.
Unless I kick my boss’ ass again.
“Hey, Mr. Brooks?” Joanna pops her head into my office. “Don’t forget about the Halloween party tonight!”
“Right…” I nod and put a smile on my face. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
That’s a lie. I’d skip it if I could. What’s the point of putting on a mask when I wear one every damn day? I pretend to be happy—that I’ve shrugged off everything that happened—from nine to five at least. I get all of my self-hatred in after company hours. Not today. Today I have to just keep on pretending to be happy until the party is over.
Fuck it. At least there will be an open bar.