To Die For - Davidson King Page 0,47

that, you know.”

I sat in the chair at the table, my mug cradled in my hands. “Oh?”

“My father died ten years ago, and it was such a strange feeling of sadness and relief. Sure, I was afraid for my family because he worked and provided for my ma. She wasn’t allowed to work. He forbade it.”

Those words, “he forbade it,” said more than anything. His dad wasn’t the best man, and I had a feeling he wasn’t a role model for Max.

“He was a hard-core believer that the woman stayed home with the kids, took care of the home, and the man provided. Me, being the oldest, it was expected that I have a good job and basically live my life how he did. But I never intended to, and I think toward the end of his life he knew that.”

“Did…did he ever hurt you or your ma?” I asked, hoping the answer was no.

“He hit my ma two times in their marriage, and both times I wasn’t there to see it. Once I was sixteen and out with my friends. I came home to find my ma crying in the kitchen, sporting a shiner. She swore up and down she was clumsy and slipped. But the way the two of them were around each other for the next few days after, I knew he’d hit her.” Max sipped his coffee.

“The last time, I was twenty-one. It was a year before he died—almost to the day, now that I think about it. I was working. Nothing huge, but it was work. Ma had locked herself in the bathroom, and my dad said she was in a mood. When she came out, I saw her lip was split, and I snapped. I grabbed my dad by the shirt, ripped him out of his chair, and slammed him against the wall. The man that instilled fear in all of us cowered. I told him if he ever laid a finger on Ma again, I’d cut his fucking hands off.”

The anger in Max’s voice made it known that while his father had been dead for ten years, the memory was fresh, and the emotion was alive and well inside him.

“Oh, Max.” I reached over, carefully removed the grip he had on his mug, and held his hand.

“After my father died, it was like we could all breathe. But Ma loved him. So, we never spoke about his life in the negative. It took us years to get her not to flinch when we moved too fast. And even longer to convince her to make the house into a place she’d want to live in, not a place he forced her to dwell in. So, that house you love so much, Sparkles, is made from love. We all have a past, Sparkles. My ma made that house into a home and washed away the bad. If someone came into her life and tried to destroy all she created, I’d bury them.”

I understood what Max was saying. “That’s why when you look at me, you don’t see all the bad I’ve done.”

“When I look at you, I see a survivor. Sadly, I see a victim too, but you didn’t let it define you. I won’t let Dorian take your home away. I promise.”

I lifted Max’s hand to my lips and kissed his fingers. “I believe you.”

“Good.”

When Max left, he made me promise to come to the club that night, and I said I would. I knew I could get either Alexandra or Nolan to keep an eye on Tank for me. Anyone who looked into his precious eyes became a puddle of goo.

I’d just gotten out of the shower when my cell phone vibrated across my dresser. I rushed to stop it from falling and didn’t look at the number.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Birch wants to see you at his place in one hour. The address will be texted to you.” Then the person hung up, leaving me no room to argue. The text came through, and the address indicated he was staying at one of the most expensive penthouses in the whole town. No shock there.

I knew I had no choice in the matter. So, I told Nolan I’d be dropping Tank off at the studio and had a meeting to go to. He said he’d get Alexandra to take my class, and I was grateful I wouldn’t have to cancel on anyone.

By the time I arrived at Dorian’s building, my hands were sweating and the urge