Chapter 4 Sutton
SUTTON
I stood there panting as I watched Cage take off toward the wooded line of the edge of my father’s property.
I couldn't believe the fucking turn of events. Just like that. Just that easily, my plan to go with him so I wouldn’t lose him had turned into a damn nightmare.
I mean, sure. Cage and I didn’t know one another very well.
We’d only been interacting in secret for a few months.
But there had always been an intense bond between us.
From the time I first caught his eye in that casino until now.
Even as he ran away from me. From my father’s house.
From any future we might have had together had he just not been a dick about things.
“Shit,” I hissed.
I slammed my hands onto the balcony before making my way back inside.
Deep down, I knew I’d have to eventually deal with the fact that my father was a monster.
I knew he was. I knew what he did. And I knew how he got what he wanted, more or less.
He didn’t give details and I didn’t seek them out.
But I wasn't an idiot. Cage wasn’t, either.
But that man was my father. And for all the terrible he brought to this world, not once had he ever betrayed family.
Not once had he ever hit me or abused me or not given me the world on a silver platter because he thought I needed it for even a second.
He paid outright for his brother’s surgery when he was diagnosed with cancer.
He gave his sister-in-law his own damn kidney when she needed both replaced.
There was a side to my father many would never know, and it was a side that always convinced me he wasn’t an absolutely terrible human being.
But eventually, I knew I’d have to pick a side.
And I wasn’t sure what side I’d stand on.
I heard the downstairs front door swing open, and the sound pulled me from my thoughts.
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Cage. In fact, I was almost certain he told me the truth.
It didn’t shock me one bit that my father probably went after the entire crew he was a prospect for.
I mean, I knew what they were doing. I knew the money they were siphoning away from my father’s reach.
I kept telling Cage not to do it. That my father was ruthless.
That they would get into trouble for it.
And for some reason, they didn’t listen to me.
Not Cage. Not his father, Patch. No one in that crew did.
And now, they were gone.
I figured Cage and myself could deal with it once we got away.
Once we rode away on his bike and got to a safer place.
Once we were away from my father and his reach within this city.
Within this state, if that was what it took.
But as I watched Cage’s form disappear into the woods, my heart fell to my toes.
Maybe there was no chance of reconciliation after what had just happened.
I mean, he said so himself. He might not ever be back.
“Sutton!”
The sternness in my father’s voice ripped me from my trance. I tossed my packed bags into my closet, then shut the door tight. I raced downstairs, finding my father standing in the kitchen. And my eyes slowly raked over him.
“Daddy, are you all right?” I asked.
“Just a rough night at work,” he said, sighing.
My father had always been a put-together man.
His suits were impeccable. His stark black hair was always in place.
Not a strand was ever loose for any reason.
He kept his nails perfectly manicured and his beard tailored to perfection.
He got Botox for his wrinkles and had frequent flier miles when it came to facelifts in order to keep himself looking young.
Which was why it was so startling to see my father so disheveled.
He slipped the food onto the kitchen island before turning himself toward me.
Sweat beaded against this smooth brow. Threatening to run down his face.
There were traces of blood droplets on the collar of his white shirt.
Just large enough for me to catch the discoloration.
My father brought a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at his skin.
Wiping at his hands. Running the fabric down his neck.
“Ready to eat?” I asked.
“What would you like to drink with our pizza and dessert?” my father asked.
“I mean, you know I’m always partial to blackberry tea.”
“Which is why I always have it in stock.”
As my father moved around the kitchen to pour us some drinks, I noticed his bodyguards didn’t move.
One took up his station at the back patio door, and the other went to the front door.
It wasn’t until I heard the man open the door that I remembered ordering the second pizza.
The smell of fresh, hot pizza came barreling down the hallway behind me as I stood there.
Watching my father pour me some blackberry tea.
And himself a tall glass of scotch.
Oh, shit. He brought out the scotch.
There were only a few times in my life where my father openly drank in front of me.
And it was when things were going roughly with work.
Not the kind of rough most people considered rough, either.
Not the kind where co-workers were getting annoying and bosses were running out of control.
Not even the kind where someone gets laid off and has no idea what to do with their life.
No, when things went wrong at my father’s place of work, it meant someone who was supposed to be dead wasn’t dead yet.
And I worried that person was Cage.
“Sutton? Are you all right?” my father asked.
His voice ripped me from my trance, and I sighed.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve already had two slices of pizza. It’s settling hard into my stomach,” I said.
“I take it you packed up the rest of the pizza in your car already?”
I furrowed my brow. “What?”
“There’s only one pizza box down here. I take it you packed the rest of the other one you ordered in your car already?”
“Oh. Yes. I did. You know how I am about this pizza place, Daddy,” I said, grinning.
He eyed me carefully as he sipped his scotch. He placed the glass down onto the kitchen counter, then slowly walked toward me. Stalking me. Analyzing me. And I feared he could see right through my words. Right through the strong facade I always kept up.
“Are you feeling all right, Sutton?” he asked.
I sighed. “Honestly? No.”
He paused. “What’s wrong? What do you need?”
“I’m just tired, Daddy. That’s all.”
“Are you not getting enough sleep in that new apartment of yours? I can find you another one. A better one.”
“Daddy, that isn’t—”
“Is it your neighbors? I could pay them a visit and talk,” he said.
“That’s really not necessary, Daddy.”
“You’re my only child, Sutton. I love you. And if you’re not getting sleep in this new place you’ve moved into, it’s a quick fix. It won’t take me but about an hour, max, to arrange a solution.”
“And I love you for it, Daddy. I’ll figure it out. Sometimes, you just have to let me figure it out.”
“Will you at least tell me why you aren’t sleeping well?”
I sighed. “I think it might just be the idea of being in a new place, in general. You know, settling in. Navigating things. I’ve rearranged my bedroom three times to try and find the right positions for all my furniture.”
“You’ve always been into that feng shui stuff. You get that from your mother, you know,” he said, grinning.
He cupped my cheeks and I internally sighed with relief. He seemed to buy my answer, for now, and that was enough.
For now.
“I can send over one of my guards to help you the next time you want to move around furniture. You shouldn't be doing that alone, Sutton. If you get hurt and no one’s there to help you—”
I wrapped my hands around my father’s wrists and brought his palms to my lips. I kissed them softly, like my mother always did. Trying to reassure him things were okay.
“I promise you, I’m fine. If anything, I came over this weekend to make sure you were okay. Because I think you’re struggling with me moving out more than I’m struggling with getting settled in,” I said.
He sighed. “You’re my princess. I’m always going to worry about you.”
“One of the many reasons why I love you,” I said, smiling.
He kissed my forehead, and for a split second my father was simply that. My father. He wasn’t a monster, a murderer, or a mobster. Or any other title the world gave him. He was just Daddy. The man who wanted to give me the world while worrying about everything bad that could possibly happen to me.
I cherished those moments. I hung onto them as long as I could before the moments flitted away.
And the second my father’s lips left my forehead, he sighed.
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about what happened at work?” I asked.
He stepped away from me. “I’m sure. Let’s eat some pizza, yes? Maybe on the couches tonight? We could put on a movie like we always did when you were still living here.”
“Oh, yeah. All of two months ago,” I said, giggling.
“Hey, two months is an eternity for a rundown, single father whose always had his daughter under his roof.”
“Daddy—”
“No, princess,” he said curtly.
I clenched my jaw as he sighed, pressing his hands into the kitchen island.
“The situation at work is just that. A little situation I can’t resolve tonight.
Which is fine, because it will eventually get resolved.
I’ll take care of it, and then I can move on with my business.
It’s just bugging me that I can’t get it all wrapped up tonight.
You know how I hate a day’s worth of work lagging over like that,” he said.
“I think giving me even a vague rundown might help just a little bit. I mean, if we’re going to watch a movie, I’d like you to at least be able to relax with it,” I said.
I slowly walked over to him, placing my hand on his back. I rubbed it up and down, the way my mother used to. And slowly, my father released the tension in his shoulders. The relaxation triggered a cascade reaction that changed the tone of the sighs falling from his lips.
“There we go. Deep breaths,” I said softly.
“You’re so much like your mother, Sutton. You know that?” he asked.
“Talk to me, Daddy. Just a bit. Okay?”
He paused. “It’s really nothing. There’s someone I was supposed to meet up with tonight, but they didn’t show. They knew they had to meet me, and it didn’t happen.”
“That’s never good. Any reason why?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but I’ll find out soon. I know where they’re headed. So, if they don’t want to come to me, I’ll go to them. I need answers only he can provide.”
He.
“You said you know where this person is going. Are you sure you know?” I asked.
My father rose up as my hand slid from his back.
“I know every secret in this town. I know every nook, every cranny, and every person that tries to wrong someone in my ranks. Wrong someone under my protection. I’ll find him. And when I do, I’ll get the answers I’m seeking. I just don’t like the fact that none of this will be happening tonight.”
My father picked up his drink and walked into the living room.
He told me to grab the pizza and dessert he brought, but it was like my feet were made of lead.
I knew he was talking about Cage. I knew he was talking about his crew.
And I had to find a way to warn him. I had to find a way to get to him before my father did.
I slid my hand into my pocket to find my phone, but it wasn’t there.
“Princess!?” my father called out.
“Coming! Sorry. All this stuff is a balancing act,” I said.
I felt someone’s eyes on me, and I looked over toward the patio door. One of my father’s guards stood there, eyeing me with a crooked stare. His eyebrow was crooked, and his hands were cupped in front of him. I didn’t like the way he looked at me, and I started to wonder if he knew.
If any of them could hear my thoughts.
“Here, let me help,” my father said.
The closeness of his voice made me jump, and my father looked at me with a curious stare.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine. All this talk of getting answers has reminded me of a phone call I need to make,” I said.
“Do you need help with anything?”
“No, no. It’s simple. I’ve been meaning to get a copy of my cosmetology certificate. I lost it in the move, and I was hoping to frame it and put it on my wall. I’m so proud of that thing.”
My father smiled. “I’m proud of it, too. Your mother was one of the best hairdressers in this area. She would’ve been very proud of you for achieving the same education she did.”
“Do you mind if I go leave a voicemail? It’s gonna bother me all night if I don’t.”
He kissed the top of my head. “Go do what you need to do. I’ll get the movie up and going.”
“Thanks, Daddy. I’ll be right back.”
Then, I ran up the stairs and bolted for my room. I closed the door behind me before I started rummaging around for my phone. It didn’t take me long to get Cage’s number dialed once I had it in my hands. But, even three phone calls didn’t force him to pick it up.
Unless he doesn’t have it on him.
“Shit,” I hissed.
I drew in a deep breath, trying to steady myself as my mind swirled.
I couldn't get away from my father tonight. I wasn't sure if I had a proper excuse for it. But I had to find a way to get myself to Cage’s place. It was the only other place he’d probably go before leaving town, and if I didn’t catch him before that, it was likely I’d never see him again.
If he was smart, he’d already abandoned his cell phone. Gotten himself a new one.
Cage was nothing if not resourceful.
“What the hell am I going to do?” I murmured to myself.
Then, an idea dawned on me.
An idea that just might work.