Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
CHANCE
Watching Tank break down threw everyone into a state of disbelief. It was like we were finally seeing the man we thought immovable, the man we clearly put on a pedestal above all else, tear through the facade.
My heart ached to comfort him. He was hurting. I needed to be there for him, just as he would have been for me.
But I didn’t have a clue how to help.
This thing we were dealing with was more than I’d ever experienced. The pieces in this puzzle outnumbered my expertise.
It was only after Tank tired himself out and drifted to sleep post-screaming fit that the rest of the group decided to create a plan of attack. While I wanted to stay by his side, I knew I needed to be more involved in everything going on.
For so long, Tank had hidden me away. He’d let my career aspirations take the lead in how our relationship would go. My job was more important than anything else.
The minute I realized he’d been taken, it was like a lightbulb illuminated above my head. I became the idiot in the cartoon who realized how foolish and blind I’d been.
Ronan took charge of the conversation as I approached. “We’re going to go into lockdown mode from here on out. As soon as they release him to our care, we’ll get him moved to the room at HQ. Chance, are you going to be sticking around or is this done now that you know he’s ok?”
I bristled at the comment. Then I thought of it from their perspective.
They didn’t know about our relationship. Not until I came bursting through the door telling them Tank had been taken from my bed.
It made sense they were questioning my motives now.
“I’m in this. I’m going to be here for Tank however you’ll allow me to be. I can’t leave him.”
He gave me a sharp nod as the rest of the men watched me with a mix of weary and cautious looks. I knew it would take time for them to realize I wanted to be part of the team. Especially since they all likely knew it was my conservative political standing that made things difficult. These men were smart. Surely they had put the pieces together by now.
Sure enough, Memphis was next to speak up, proving that I’d been right in my thoughts. “What about your campaign? People are going to be talking. Someone probably already saw you on the way in here. I wouldn’t be surprised if this makes the news.”
Because life wasn’t already a disaster, the door opened behind us, drawing our attention and putting the men on alert. I ignored the way they pulled weapons out of thin air as I faced the two people in the door.
“Dad? Emmett? What are you doing here?”
The pair stepped through, with Emmett shutting us all in the space together. He folded his hands in front of him, waiting like the obedient footman he was for my father.
“Son, we need to talk. Tell your goons to put down their weapons. It won’t be necessary.”
“If you don’t mind, Mr. Sheppard, we’ll wait it out to see why you’re here,” Cohen said, his voice devoid of the humor I’d been hearing since we first met.
Dad scoffed, his attention turning to me. “I’d rather have this discussion in private.”
“There’s nothing to discuss in private. Say whatever it is you need to say.”
His eyes turned hard. I was familiar with the look, though it didn’t have the same effect on me as it used to.
Nearly losing Tank had hardened me in a way. It made me take a look at the big picture, rather than focusing on the things I had before.
“If you want to have this talk in front of them, then fine.” He took a moment to give me a chance to argue. I didn’t, of course. “You cannot be seen here with this man or be associated with his business. It won’t be a good look for the campaign. We’re trying to win the vote of the people, to gain their confidence. It’s time to come home. There’s work to be done.”
Shaking my head, I stood my ground. “This is home.”
“This hospital is not your home,” he replied.
“Not the hospital, Dad. Here, with him.” I pointed to Tank. “He’s my home. There’s nothing you can do or say that will get me to leave him right now. He needs me, and I need him.”
I watched in real time as his demeanor shifted. Gone was the put together former Senator Sheppard. In his place was the hard man I sometimes saw when his temper turned short.
“You cannot possibly say such things. He’s not important. This… this thing you two have will wither. Don’t let something so inconsequential ruin your future.”
His words tore away the last of my hesitation. I couldn’t let him speak so far out of turn. Not when he was completely clueless.
“This man is not inconsequential to my life, Father,” I said, my spine straightening as I slowly approached him and a fearful Emmett.
My father, to his part, held his stance even as I closed in on them. He wouldn’t back down first. That wasn’t his style.
Which meant I had to shatter the illusion he had of me. The dream he thought he’d found in having an heir to live out his legacy would disappear the moment I told him the truth.
“What we have will never wither. Do you know why, Father?” I paused to give him a moment. He was going to need it. “It won’t wither because it hasn’t in nearly two decades. I love him. And he loves me. If it weren’t for this damn political rat race I jumped into, we’d have already been married long ago. It’s my fault he’s…”
“Chance,” Tank called out.
All eyes turned his way. He reached an arm out. I went to him. Of course I did.
There was no way I’d leave him hanging after telling my father off like that. I’d effectively thrown a bundle of C-4 on the life I’d had. There would be no recovery from the rubble left behind.
“Hey, baby. How are you feeling? I’m sorry if all this talking woke you up.”
His eyes shined with amusement. I wondered how much he’d actually heard.
“Seems we have some unexpected company.”
I moved to the side to reveal my father and Emmett, who was still cowering like he had no backbone. It was a wonder he would be anything in a political office with this type of reaction. We weren’t even yelling at one another. It was merely a disagreement.
“Mr. Sheppard,” Tank said by way of greeting. “Interesting to see you again.”
“You as well. It’s been a while. I thought we’d come to an understanding before.”
My eyes shifted between the two of them rapidly. There was history here. One I didn’t know about.
I could tell from how quiet everyone else was that they were curious to know too. How did my father and Tank know each another? Did it have to do with me?
They didn’t make me wait long for the answer. I’ll never know if the drugs made my boyfriend’s tongue loose or if my standing up for myself was the thing to finally break his restraint, but he let my father have it.
“I know you’re getting up there in age, sir, but we didn’t have any kind of understanding. You made bold threats to me, all of which could have caused quite a stir had I taken them public. Then when you told me I had to stop spending time with your son, I kept quiet as you left. The only reason I did so was out of respect for the man I love. Since he’s now decided to not give a fuck about your opinion, which I’m truly grateful for as it was long overdue, then I have to say in the nicest way possible — go fuck yourself. I never agreed to stop seeing Chance, nor will I ever. If he’ll have me, I intend to make an honest man out of him just as soon as I can stand up again without wanting to hurl.”
“That’s the worst marriage proposal ever, baby,” I said with a watery smile.
To hear him say those things made me irrationally happy. While it sucked to know my father had tried to get between us at some point, it warmed my heart to understand Tank never did as he asked. If anything, we found even more ways to sneak around with one another.
Emmett finally took the silence in the room as his opportunity to speak up. “If I may, sir, I’d like to suggest the polling numbers we recently took.”
“Oh would you shut up, Emmett. There is no amount of polling that will help this. I allowed you to entertain a few liberal ideas for the campaign. The research proved it might be beneficial. But this — this is a joke. They’ll filet you for being with a man. This isn’t the ideal family values we want to portray. Your mother is going to be devastated.”
“My mother barely speaks to me. She’ll be fine. This has nothing to do with either of you anymore.”
Before the tension in the room could grow anymore, Ronan stepped forward. “Sir, I think it’s time you leave. It’s clear your presence is upsetting the patient.”
“Who are you to tell me that? You’re not his doctor.”
“No, I’m not,” Ronan smirked. “But I am one of his closest friends. And trust me, if we were in any other situation, you’d be as pitiful as your sidekick there. Now leave before we have to get building security involved. I could just imagine the headline.”
At that possibility, he finally turned on his heel. He was gone in a blink, leaving behind Emmett to stare at us all.
“I’m… I’m sorry. It’s not right of him to tell you who to love. I can look into how this might affect the polls if you want, Mr. Chance, sir.”
Taking pity on the young man, I nodded. “Sure, Emmett. You can email them to me. I’m not sure when I’ll be back in the office since I’m out on leave.”
He nodded once, then left after my father. It was strange to see him in a different light. In the short time I’d worked with Emmett, I found him to be damn near a clone of my father’s ideals. For him to have somewhat of a conscience was nice.
“What a grade A piece of shit. No offense, Chance,” Memphis said with a touch of remorse.
I waved his words away. “It’s the truth. No need to sugarcoat it. I have no idea why it wasn’t clear to me before now.”
“Probably because you have some daddy issues tied to praise and approval. It didn’t manifest into a kink, but damn if you didn’t stick to his prescribed life for you for far too long.”
Everyone turned to Orion with wide eyes. He didn’t seem to care that everyone was looking at him like he’d grown a second head.
He shrugged. “What? I’ve been reading a bunch of psychology books to help with Sol. Most of it is parenting related, so I’ve got insight.”
That broke through the others, and soon they were all laughing. It was as if the interruption from my father hadn’t come. Like we weren’t facing down the unknown or dealing with an injured Tank with no clue of exactly what happened to him.
I wasn’t used to this world. I had no clue how to navigate what came next.
Tank squeezed my hand. “They’re going to find him. And they’ll make him pay, ok? You don’t need to worry anymore. We’re going to be ok.”
For just a moment, I let myself believe it. Worrying wasn’t going to help.
Besides, I had Tank with me. That was what mattered most. The rest could fucking wait.