18: ZENON

I've been pounding on this nail for so long now that I no longer see the nail, at least not until the wood finally splinters.

I've been building a shelving unit in my spare time outside in the backyard. Within seconds, I've demolished it. Throwing the hammer down onto the ground, I pace back and forth as fury pours through me.

I don't know if the girls are in the house yet or not, but I don't want them to see me this way, especially not Zee Zee.

I could have beaten that dude to a pulp until he was unrecognizable. Had it not been for Larisa calling out my name, I probably wouldn't have stopped. There have been only two other times when I felt out of control this way, and they both involved Dani, directly and indirectly.

The first time was at that game where I lost my temper, the game, and my career all because she showed up with another man. The second time was when I was out shopping with my daughter and younger sister.

The paparazzi instantly recognized me and began taking pictures and asking a barrage of questions about my relationship with supermodel Nica. My daughter was snatched away from my sister and me, and it scared the hell out of me.

After I'd gotten Zee Zee back and safely with my sister and placed them in the car, I'd gone after that guy and kicked his ass. That was only seven months after the game.

He pressed charges, and I spent one night in jail before being released. The guy only wanted an apology, which I refused to give. But he didn't pursue it beyond that. He did, however, use the incident and pictures for fodder in his story.

Fortunately for me, when it was published, another story was taking place at the same time and became a major story causing mine to fall into the shadows. It didn't give him the credibility and the clicks he was hoping for.

I don't like feeling out of control like that, but I'm quickly realizing that I'll feel that way every time it comes to those two.

I drag my hands down my face. Fuck! As if I didn't have my hands full with Larisa already. When she pulled me away to question me, it was because she had just realized who Dani was.

When I told her about Dani, on the phone, I only mentioned her as Dani and I didn't give her full name. I was wrong for doing that, but I also didn't want her to start asking a million questions. She wasn't comfortable with Zee Zee being around Dani and informed me that she had seen all the stories on social media and the celebrity talk shows.

My only response to her was that you can't believe everything that you see in the media, and that I would never do anything to harm our daughter, and she should know better than that.

It didn't help matters when no sooner that those words came from my mouth than I saw my daughter and Dani being chased by a member of the paparazzi. Luckily for me, Larisa is all talk.

Although she claims she doesn't want Zee Zee around Dani, she's not actually going to keep her away because that would mean she would have had to take Zee Zee with her again. She values her freedom to live the life that she wants too much to give it up when the time arises.

However, that won't stop her from giving me hell as soon as we speak again.

"Papai?" I hear from over my shoulder.

"Hey," I say, smiling as I turn to look at my daughter.

"Are you okay?" Zílda asks softly.

I pull her into my arms and rest my chin on her head. Closing my eyes, I answer her honestly.

"I will be. I'm not right now, but I will be. I'm just glad that you are safe."

"It's one of the downfalls of stardom, Papai. You've experienced it."

"Yes, but not at the risk of your safety. We should have known better. We should have been more vigilant. Neither of us were wearing sunglasses or anything else," I say.

I guess that Dani and I have been in a cocoon of our own making here on this island and in this cottage that we forgot what existed beyond us in the real world.

"It's not fair, Papai. You shouldn't have to live like that, and neither should Dani. You both deserve better than that."

"You mean so much to me, estrelinha," I say, kissing the top of her head and releasing her.

We both walk to the steps leading to the deck and sit down on the bottom one.

"Well, Papai, your little star, as you call me, is growing up, and you can't shelter me forever."

"For as long as I can, I will."

"You can shelter me from anyone knowing who I am, but you can't hide from me the things that are happening all around me."

"I think all that just got washed away today. I saw that guy snapping your pictures. It won't take long before he figures out who I am. When he does, he'll piece it all together. I have no idea what stories he'll create from that," I sigh wearily.

"Well, maybe you should get with Dani, and the two of you can figure out a plan of action. Avó always says that two heads are better than one," she says wisely of my mother.

"They are, but I think maybe we should take some time and breathe before we come back together."

"I think she's blaming herself for this, Papai."

Nodding, I say, "I know." Quietly, I've been blaming her, too, and I know that it isn't her fault.

"I love my room," she says softly.

I smile and say nothing in return.

"Well, Velhote, I'm going back inside to change and head down to the beach if that's okay with you," she says, patting me on the shoulder.

Laughing, I reply, "Oh, I'm an old man now?"

Shrugging, she says, "Time happens to us all."

"It's fine for you to go to the beach, but you don't have anything to change into."

"I'm wearing my swimsuit underneath my clothes, Papai, because I knew that's the first place I wanted to go when I learned that the cottage was on the beach."

"You need some clothes. I didn't get a chance to get your things from your mother. I'll text her to see if she's still in town and if we can meet up," I say, texting Larisa.

I shake my head and watch my daughter bound up the three stairs onto the deck and disappear behind closed doors.

I sit on the deck for several minutes still calming my anger over what happened. My phone buzzes, and I see that it's Larisa.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yes, no thanks to your new girlfriend. Zenon, what was that? Is that what my daughter will have to deal with for the next few weeks?"

"First, I told you that Dani is just my friend. If she would change her mind about me and her misgivings about our past, she would be so much more than that," I grind out. "Second, you know what that was. He is an asshole looking to make a few bucks off what he thinks might be a hot story. Third, no, our daughter won't be dealing with that for the rest of the summer.

"We couldn't have predicted that it would happen. If I had been thinking about it, I probably would have chosen a more private location than downtown Charleston on a Saturday in the summer. I'm not that familiar with the place, but from everything that I've read, the market is a very popular place, as is the fountain. That was a one-off. You know that happened to her before when she was with me," I say, not wanting to admit that it had everything to do with Dani then, too.

"I want daily check-ins, Zenon. And I'd better not see my daughter's face on any social media sites. We've done a wonderful job of keeping her protected. I don't want that to stop. My father would not be happy about that," she says.

"I don't owe you or your father shit, Larisa. My only concern is my daughter. The fact that your father is the head of the Bratva has nothing to do with me. If any one of his enemies comes after my daughter because of who he is, then I will deal with him directly. That has nothing to do with Dani!"

"It has everything to do with her. She's the one who brought the paparazzi out and caused him to take pictures of my child!"

"Whatever," I seethe. "Listen, I didn't ask you to call to argue with you. I asked you to call because Zee Zee needs her things."

"I've already dropped the car off at the rental agency at the airport, Zenon. I've checked her luggage in along with mine. You'll have to figure something out!"

Larisa ends the call before I can respond.

I blow out several breaths, and then I drop my head into my hands and think about my daughter's words. Yeah, I fucked this up royally. I know that Dani's struggling with her sobriety and with her past. The last thing that she needs is to feel weighed down by the burden of guilt for something that was beyond her control.

Pushing up from the stairs, I head back into the house.

Zee Zee isn't in her room. I spot her discarded clothes on the floor. Leaving her room, I head to the other side of the house to Danica's room and knock on the door. When I don't get a response, I hesitantly open the door.

I head into her bathroom and then leave back out.

Not finding her inside the house, I head outside to the car, and I don't see her in there either. Her Jeep is still parked here.

I head down to the water and see Zee Zee already talking to a small group of teens. A couple of the boys in the group are paying her more attention than I would like. The moment she spots me heading her way, her eyes widen in panic, and I know that she thinks I'm about to embarrass her.

As much as she would prefer for me to keep walking, I can't.

"Have you seen Dani?" I ask when I approach the group of four guys, two girls, and my daughter.

"No, Papai. I haven't," she says softly.

I nod and walk away.

"Papai!" she calls, causing me to turn around.

She jogs towards me.

"If I see her, I'll tell her that you're looking for her, okay?"

"Thanks. Be careful," I say, nodding at the group that she's with.

"I will, Papai," she says, smiling as she jogs back to the group.

I walk further down the beach, scanning the growing crowds for any sight of Dani, and I don't see her at all. My heart races in my chest, and I pull out my phone to call her only to find that I left it back at the cottage.

After walking for another half of a mile because I doubt she could have gotten that far, I head back in the opposite direction. By the time I see Zee Zee and her group again, they're playing ball in the water.

The sun is high in the sky, and it's hot as Hades this afternoon. I head back to the house to get my phone so that I can call her. Hopefully, she's not so pissed at me that she won't answer.

By the time that I arrive at the house, I'm worried and scared as hell, praying that she hasn't done anything crazy.

I head into the house and relief pours through me as I see Dani sitting on the couch. Her arms are propped on her knees, and her face looks so forlorn.

"Dani," I say, dropping on the ottoman in front of her. "I was so worried about you. Where were you?"

Lifting her head, she gazes into my eyes, and I can tell that she's been crying. Teardrops frame her dark lashes, and her hazel eyes are threaded with strands of red.

My hands cup her face, and I wipe away the remnants of her tears with my thumbs.

"Why are you crying, Dani?"

"I am so sorry, Z," she murmurs.

"It's not your fault, baby. I know that I appeared to blame you, and at first, I did, but it wasn't your fault."

"No," she says, shaking her head. "It seems that all I bring to your life is pain. I never meant for Zee Zee to get photographed or be caught up in that."

"Again, not your fault."

"She told me about what happened a few years back with the paparazzi, your sister, and her."

Nodding, I say, "Well, she probably didn't tell you everything because she didn't witness it all."

I tell Dani about how I sent Zee Zee and Uxia back to the car, and only then did I find the man and beat his ass.

"I had no idea, Z. Now here I come reintroducing all this back into your life."

"Hey," I say, grabbing her hands. "This is the life that we chose. You chose it when you went into the modeling world, and I chose it when I became a professional athlete. Our families and loved ones didn't choose it. It's our responsibility to protect them. Sometimes, we fail at that, but not for lack of trying. I saw how you covered my daughter's body when the guy came at you two when you were in the car. I couldn't ask for more."

"I felt so horrible. She didn't deserve that. Zee Zee's such a sweet kid."

"And a strong one," I say. "She's fine. But are you?"