91. Chapter 91
Chapter ninety-one
Reid
I enter my father’s apartment to find him sitting in one of two chairs that faces a window overlooking the city. I sit down next to him. I don’t speak. Seconds stretch to minutes before he says, “There’s a small town in Italy I’m quite fond of. I’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
I feel those words in an explosion of emotions. He’s my father. He’s a bastard. He’s leaving. I’ll probably never see him again because we both know he’s not going where he says he’s going. We both know he can’t afford to have Jean Claude find him.
“I’ll give you a ride to the airport right after you pay off that woman trying to extort us on your behalf.”
“You pay her the fuck off and I’ll give myself a ride to the airport.” He looks over at me. “I’ll be back when the baby is born.” His expression is defiant. There’s no love for Cat and his future grandbaby. It’s his way of telling me that I can’t get rid of him, not until he’s in his grave.
My father underestimates Jean Claude.
Or perhaps Gabe and I underestimate our father, and he’ll be back here causing trouble, proving Gabe’s superhero-villain- that-won’t-die theory. Whatever the case, I walk to the front desk, open the drawer, pull out the checkbook I knew would be there, and point. “Write a check to the woman. Or should I ask Jean Claude to pay your debt?”
He smirks, amused, like he’s proud of me for outsmarting him. I really fucking hate when he makes me feel like a chip off the old block but he writes the check and hands it to me. I happily take it. “Happy now?”
“Like a pig rolling in your shit,” I say and I am because at least for now, maybe forever, he’s leaving, and we’ll have peace. I don’t say another word. I walk to the door with one intention: going home to my wife and holding her closely, because my father has a way of making me appreciate how damn lucky I am to have her. At least for now, this is over and my brother has finally found his way, outside any path my father influenced. If we’re lucky, we’ll have Cat’s baby and another Maxwell wedding in the near future.