out and grip him by the side of his neck, digging my fingers into his trapezius muscles. He winces in pain.
“Get up and I’ll fucking drop you.”
He swipes my hand away. “Such a temper. Never could keep your cool.”
“Don’t act like you know me. You’re the only person in the world who can piss me off to the point of violence.”
He glances around the room. It looks casual, but I know exactly what he’s doing. It’s the same thing I automatically do any time I walk into a building. Looking for exits, scanning surroundings, knowing the environment.
Once he’s satisfied nobody is interested in our little family spat, he gestures back toward my barstool. “Sit down. Nobody is being violent.”
I glare right at him and have a seat. The worst part is, I should walk away. I should get as far away from this man as possible, but there’s something pulling at me too. It’s because he’s my dad. It’s because even though he showed me what a shitty person he was, basically abandoning me, he always showed me just enough love to keep me chasing after him, looking up to him, yearning for approval and a healthy relationship. I spent my whole childhood wanting that, and he still knows how to use it against me.
“How the hell did you get out anyway? Last I heard you had a life sentence.”
“Oh, is that what you heard, Rick?”
I wince when he says my name.
He takes a sip of whiskey. “Paroled.”
“When?”
“Six months ago.”
“Just now coming to see your only son you care so much about?” I sigh.
He grins. “You’re hard to find. I was slightly impressed.”
That might be the nicest compliment he’s ever given me in my life, but I know what he’s doing. There’s nothing about this man’s psychology I don’t understand now, after fifteen years of playing everything over and over in my mind, trying to make sense of him.
Finally, I try to look at him as sincerely as I can. “What do you want? No bullshit.”
“Let’s not pretend we both don’t know the answer to that question. You’re a smart kid. Figure it out.”
I shake my head. “You’ll never fucking learn, will you? Six months on parole. Can’t even go a year with your nose clean.”
“I am what I am, son. At least I can admit it to myself.”
“Well, fuck off. There’s no way in hell I’ll ever do whatever it is you think I’m going to do.”
He leans back with a satisfied smile. “On the contrary. Let’s pretend you don’t think I’m a dumbass for two minutes. Because you know I’m not, even if that’s what you want to tell yourself to help you hate me.”
“I’m serious. I don’t want to fucking know about it.”
“Wells Covington is a client at your firm.”
My eyes widen a little, even when I try not to let them.
“Yeah, I know all about it. I got caught up on your little biography.”
“Following me around like a stalker? Typical.”
“Please, where do you think you learned it? I know about Mary too, you two sure love your walks in the park.” He laughs.
Without thinking, I reach over and grab him by the collar of his shirt and choke him so hard saliva bubbles at the corner of his mouth. “Don’t say her name again, ever. I don’t give a fuck what you have going on, or what you think you know about my firm, but you so much as mutter her name again, and I will bury you behind this goddamn building. Look in my eyes and see if I’m lying, bitch.”
He paws at my hand, and his face starts to pale. He manages to nod and choke out the word, “Okay.”
I let go and he gasps for air. “Fucking lunatic, Jesus Christ.”
“Finish your story so I can get the fuck out of here.”
He takes another sip of whiskey, probably to help with the burning throat pain. “Wells Covington’s data is on a computer. An antiquated one that’s not networked. It’s where he does all his equity analysis, so it can’t be hacked remotely.”
I shake my head, but he keeps talking.
“All I want to do is get in there and make a copy of it. Won’t hurt anyone.”
“Graduating to financial crimes now? Always going after shit you know nothing about without doing your homework. It’s how you got caught last time, fucking reckless.”
“I’m not as spry as I used to be. Intellectual theft is what the future holds. I have a few people lined up to