22. Tate
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
TATE
I ’m so frustrated. This standing in one place while bullshit happens around me is driving me crazy. I up the security at the club before opening because I need to be seen to be doing something. I'm not built for sitting on my hands while my enemies move against me. I can't be seen as weak, or people will think my empire is theirs for the taking. Hence why I’ve chosen to keep what happened between me and Sian to myself, at least for now.
I leave Rick at the club and come back to the mansion. As I pull up and get out of my car, I can’t help myself. I glance up at Sian's window, wondering what she’s been up to. I haven’t seen much of her since the birthday bash, as I’ve been balls deep with the business.
It’s late in the evening, so I head towards the kitchen to get the plate of food Mary undoubtedly kept for me, when I bump into her.
"Your father wants to see you immediately," Mary says seriously. "He said as soon as you're back."
I nod, curious, and stroll back the way I came and up the stairs to his library. Normally, I would find him sitting on a comfy sofa with a book, but he's sitting behind his desk with a folder in front of him.
"Father," I say, walking in.
"Tate. What do you know about Sian?"
"Not much. Just what Clint gathered and what you know. Why?" I ask, feeling apprehensive.Is he going to question what happened at the party? Not that it’s any of business who I fuck, and he practically pushed us together himself.
My father places his hands on the thick folder in front of him. "There are things I haven't told you. Things I probably should have."
I frown and sit down opposite him. "What are you talking about?"
"What do you know of the Gallaghers?"
I shake my head. It's not a family I've heard of, which has me on edge, as I’m always aware of potential threats and need to know everything about my enemies.
"They were almost as big as we were at one point." He sighs, but he still doesn't open the folder. "Drugs were their main thing, much like us. We were rivals, and it culminated in a fierce war between us until we realized we were both losing men. Then we both became fathers and realized we needed to be better for our sons, so we signed this." He finally opens the folder and brings out a thick document. "It's a contract not to cross each other. A deal so we could both keep our families safe."
He takes out some photos and starts laying them out. "I'm sure he knew all our dealings as well, but I spent years getting this information as a backup just in case he went back on his word. Where he worked, what he did, where his biggest dealings were. I had to lock it all away. I couldn't strike at the heart of him because we wanted to keep our families safe."
I look through the photos. They’re mostly of a man in a suit, and he looks familiar, but I can't place him. "Everything was going fine until his son turned twenty-two. I don't know what he did when he raised that boy, but he raised a demon child. Someone who doesn’t have scruples or adhere to contracts. Someone whose desire knows no limits. I thought he wouldn't last long, and for a while, he fell off the map and I was happy with that. He was known to be vile and vindictive. He went against everything his father had put in place.” He pauses, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Then he over-stepped the boundaries and kidnapped and tortured you."
I look up sharply. "He did? You knew who it was all along?"
"He dropped off the radar after that. No one's heard from or about him. Where were no leads for me to follow. At least until I heard his name mentioned today."
He slides an older photo across to me and I pick it up. It's my captor. He loved torturing me himself. Although he always wore a balaclava, I could never forget the features I could see, the ones I studied for the day I’d get my revenge, especially his eyes. I frown and squint at the picture. There's something else about him, but I can't quite put my finger on it.
"Who mentioned his name?" I ask.
My father sighs and slides a more recent photo across the table. "Sian," he says simply.
I pick up the photo. It's the same guy but older, and I realize where I've seen him recently.
Exiting Sian's house just before I found her.
I remember how he did up his pants so casually, so in control. After he had raped Sian so brutally in her own home.
I can feel my father watching me, but I can't get out of my head. I'm instantly drawn back into my past, to Jodi, who I believed above everything because I thought I was in love with her. No, I was in love with her. I was blinded by that love. It was she who pretended to be in love with me. All for this guy.
"Daniel Gallagher," my father finally says. "He's dangerous, and he's manipulative."
"Do you believe he harmed Sian?" I ask quietly.
My father sighs and sits back. "She seems genuine, but then..."
"So did Jodi," I say quietly.
My father sighs. "It might not be the same. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Sian. She doesn’t seem the type. I think she was just an unfortunate woman who fell for the wrong guy."
I agree with my father. “There is no way Sian knew the real person she was in a relationship with. “Do I tell her who Daniel really is?” I’m not ready to tell her my story, and my father sees my hesitation.
"That is entirely up to you, but be careful. Daniel is a raw subject for her. I also think Daniel may be the one messing with the clubs. He’s getting greedy. It’s possible he wants the business, the contacts, and whatever else is yours. He might interpret that as Sian. Especially if he knows she’s involved with the Matthews family. Envy is a dangerous sin, son. It might tip him over the edge."
"You’re telling me he’s making all this trouble because he's envious?" I scoff.
"Don't doubt a man ruled by his emotions, especially dark emotions." My father gestures to the photo. "They'll destroy whatever they can to have their way."
I throw the photo onto his desk. "I’m not that naive man I was when he captured me. If he wants a fight, he’s going to fucking get one. I will deal with this quickly."
"Tate..."
"I said I'll deal with it."
I stomp out of his office and straight towards Sian's room with one intention in mind.
To get the truth. Sian might know more than she realizes.
I need to keep my temper in check, but the thought, even the sight doubt that Sian knows something is playing havoc with my mind. The fact that the man who tortured me and left me with scars as a daily reminder may be behind everything that’s happening now boils my blood, and Sian is going to feel the wrath if she has anything to do with this.