is not what you did, its’ who you are.”
Bastard. This is what he’s like. Normally I can give as much as I get but not this trip. Not when it truly is my fault.
“Because of who you are, Christian, which is why you took the easy way out and trusted Jonny,” he continues, and I just stare back at him. “That’s why this shit is happening to us. If you weren’t my son, I would have ended you before you got the chance to explain yourself.”
“My apologies for that pesky little biological fact,” I sneer.
He grabs the paperweight from the stack of documents and lunges it into the wall.
It smashes and by the time I look back to him the man has his guns pulled on me.
Georgiou jumps in front of me to shield me, an act that’s thrown me for a loop. I push to my feet, standing behind him.
“Pa what the fuck! Fucking drop your guns,” he orders. I try to move from behind him to stand my ground, but he clamps a hand on me, holding me back like he did when we were kids and anyone dared picked on me. “Stand down Christian,” he says glowering at me.
“Both of you stand down,” Pa snarls. “Or the two of you are out.”
On that threat, of course Georgiou drops his hands.
Pa lowers his guns and fixes his stare on me again.
“You… you fucker, you better get those guns back. I don’t care what you do, or whether you come back to me in a box with a fucking tag on your foot, get them back.” He shouts. “You are the fucking black sheep of this family. Everybody else pulls their weight but you drag us down. I’m not going to allow you to destroy an empire we worked so hard to build. You fix the problem, or you’ll have me to deal with and believe me you don’t want that to happen. I will make sure you lose every fucking thing.”
He’s never threatened me like this before. I actually believe he would really kill me, or he’s hoping I’ll die so he won’t have to do it.
“Do you hear me Christian!” He roars,
“I got it,” I answer and walk out.
I walk right out of the house feeling my whole body burn with rage. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel after my own father telling me I should get this shit back even if it kills me.
I rush to my bike, my head a mess. Before I can get on it, Georgiou runs out calling me. I have half a mind to ride away and leave him, but I stop. If I did that, he’d come after me and I don’t want that.
“Christian—”
“Don’t,” I cut him off. I don’t want to hear it. Whatever it is, I don’t want to hear it.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” he states, fisting his hands at his side.
“Isn’t that all I seem to do,” I throw back.
“You fucking listen to me. Don’t do anything stupid just to prove a point.”
“Georgiou just leave me alone. Go back to licking Pa’s ass. wouldn’t want you to end up in the shit like me.”
He grabs my t-shirt ready to fight and I sneer. He’s good with a gun, but he can’t fight me. I’ve clocked as much field time as he has in the office.
“You motherfucker, I’m fucking serious.”
“Me too. Georgiou, Pa is serious. He controls everything. That’s what matters isn’t it. Money and power.”
“Christian, this is your fault. I can’t save your ass when you’ve done shit that should have been tended to months ago.”
“Not once did I try to evade blame. It is my fucking fault, but fuck, brother, we both know that if the situation was reversed and it was you who fucked up, this wouldn’t be happening. No one would treat you like this. Leaving a man in charge who knows a job so you can find a replacement is not a bad move. But I accept blame for his actions.”
He releases his hold on me. “Christian, please, don’t go out there guns blazing and get yourself killed.”
“You heard the orders. Get the guns back, how do you think I’m going to do that? Pa was serious. He’d prefer I died and get the guns back, than for us to lose business.”
He doesn’t answer. What can he say?
It’s the truth and to me he’s the same.
I just shake my head, jump on my bike and ride away.
Pa can threaten me all