Business

Business

Fallon

AS A WAY to get back at me because I'm not doing as my father wants me to do, he's forcing me to go watch him conduct business in the poor section of High Point tonight. He knows I hate going with him because I can't stand the way he does business. Instead of taking care of the innocent lives in that section of town, he makes sure to keep them down and hold every single thing against them. It doesn't matter that there are people who want to get out of that part of town. Or that most of the people there are honest and innocent but have no options to get out of that part of town because of the circumstances they face in life on a daily basis. When I take over from him, the first thing I'm doing is making sure that those who are truly innocent and just trying to get through each day the best they can are given help and know they aren't going to be shoved into a pit or something and forgotten about like they have been for years. There will be a mandate that all first responders are sent there instead of being held back and not allowed to go there for any reason. That's a rule my father put in place because he's a greedy, selfish fuck who truly doesn't give a fuck about anyone but himself

So, I've gone to practice and gotten back to the house I share with the guys to shower and get ready for the next few hours filled with pain and rage like I always feel when it comes to dealing with my father for any reason. I'll have to spend time in the gym when I get back because that's the only way I'll ever be able to get rid of the rage instead of taking it out on everyone else around me. The guys know what I need when it comes to dealing with my father and I have no doubt Dante will be in the gym with me so I can spar in the ring with him. Yes, there's a ring in the gym that not many know about because it's not advertised. The only reason it"s even there is because Dante paid to have it installed and only a select few people are allowed to use it. They have to go through Dante and not many people want to fuck with him for any reason. He's an asshole on a good day and he doesn't have many of those because of everything that's happened since that fateful day we had to stop being friends with Bella.

After showering and going through my routine in the bathroom, I head straight for my room. My hair is carefully styled because I know my father hates my long hair. It's one of the ways I've rebelled because he can't control how I wear my hair any longer. Today there's waves in my hair because of the product I use in it. I've got my hair tie on my wrist so I can put it up the second I leave my father's presence. For now, it won't look as if I've been running my hands through my hair like I typically do when I don't have to see my father. The only time he doesn't bitch is when I'm at a game. My father doesn't do a damn thing to me there so far because he's got to put the perfect appearance on so he plays the role he's created for himself and doesn't say a word about my hair no matter how I wear it. Which is usually down and covered in sweat from being in my helmet for so long.

Anyway, I pull out my black suit and one of the black fitted shirts I wear with it. Black hides a lot of shit and it's why I have so many suits and shirts in the color. There's rarely a time when I wear white or any other light color because it shows too much that I don't want others seeing depending on what's going on in my life. Getting dressed, I go to my dresser in the walk-in closet to grab a pair of black socks. I feel like I'm going to a funeral or something. I guess in a way it's the same thing because any time I deal with my father slowly kills me. He's going to put on a show tonight in front of me to show me exactly how much power he feels he has. I can't wait to fucking bring him down for good and take over the poor section of town to improve things.

We all know that's where Arabella's been living and it's the last place we want her to be. There's drugs, prostitution, gang wars, and people breaking into one another's houses for anything of value. None of us know if she's been hurt or attacked while there because she refuses to open up to anyone. I don't even think Brock knows that much about her life because she shut down the day of her birthday when we turned our backs on her and started hanging out with Karmen and the rest of her slutty friends. They might have been in elementary school, but they were already starting to show how they were going to turn out by the way they would dress on a daily basis. I couldn't stand spending any amount of time with Karmen but didn't know any better at the time. It's when all this shit started because my father got it in his head she'd make a good wife for me. That's a fucking joke if I ever heard one.

Anyway, we don't even know which house Arabella lives in there. The ones I've driven by on a regular basis while looking for her are so fucking rundown and I hate to think of her being in a place that looks as if it's falling down and a strong wind will knock it over. I want to get her out of that section and into the mansion sooner rather than later. The major holdup is Collette and getting her the fuck out of there. Then there will have to be some repairs made because she's made a fucking mess of the place. Yes, we've snuck in there and looked around when we know she's been gone. Collette's living in the mansion alone and it looks as if a tornado has gone through the place with how much trash, debris, and clothes are all over the place. Kash is going to do everything in his power to make sure Arabella never sees her grandparent's place the way it is now.

After getting my socks on while thinking about Arabella and everything we plan on doing to earn back her trust, I put on my shoes while sitting on the edge of my bed. I'm taking my time and it's going to make me late. The only thing my father realizes is that I'm not about to ride to the meeting with him. I'll drive myself and that way I can leave when I want to because there's no way in hell I'm going to spend any more time with my father than what I absolutely have to. It's the one thing he hasn't fought me on because he knows I'll refuse to show up if I have to ride with him. I've done it before. Ever since the day he fucking set me up and my sweet Bella pulled me from the abandoned gas station after it exploded with me still inside. He doesn't know that I realize he set me up that day and I'm not about to advertise it to the world until we have everything in place to take every single one of them down.

The second I'm dressed, I stand up and sigh. I'd rather be in the living room studying for my classes like my father wants me to do on a daily basis. Until it comes to something he wants to do because his words are law according to him and I've got the scars to prove it. There's nothing my father can do to me that he hasn't done before. The man is abusive and it rolls over to every single aspect of his life. He's the one who has made me the complete fucking dick I am on a regular basis. At the end of the day, I know my actions are my own and my reason is that it's been beaten into me, literally, to not have any emotions or feelings about any situation I find myself in. So that's how I've lived my life. The colder I am and the less emotional I act toward everyone around me, the easier it is to keep the mask in place.

"Headin' out to the dreaded fuckin' meetin' tonight?" Dante asks me, sitting in the recliner he's claimed as his since we moved in.

"Yeah. You gonna be up for a session when I get back? I have a feelin' I'm gonna need it tonight. He was way too excited about havin' me there to witness whatever is goin' on. That usually only happens when he's about to torture someone for some slight he sees that they've committed against him. Not The Faction, against him," I ask Dante, as Kash and Braxtyn come in the house from wherever they've been since their classes ended.

"I'm always up for a session, Fallon. You know this shit. At the end of the day, I'm never gonna not want to be in the ring. Let me know when you're almost back and I'll start to get ready to head to the gym. We'll warm up together. If the rest of you fuckers wanna come with us, make sure you're here and can get ready when Fallon and I are," Dante says, his voice showing how annoyed he is that I have to go to this fucking place tonight.

Dash and Dante are the only ones who don't mind going to meetings and shit with their dad. He's a great man and rules over the loans and debts section of The Faction. Even when people owe The Faction money, Mr. Peterson doesn't beat the shit out of them and make them out to be an example so others don't get into a debt they can't pay back when the time comes. Dante won't go to anymore of those meetings now though.

Dante has started working on his underground fighting shit. He has almost everything in place to open up to those who get his invites. It will not be open to the public because that will bring too much attention to this business venture. He's got their cousin, Brendan, working with him on things. Brendan will run things when Dante can't personally be there. Dante won't trust anyone but us with most everything he does in life. Brendan is one of the very few he lets in completely. He's the only one he'd trust with the fighting because Brendan knows all of his secrets and he won't fuck Dante over for any reason. My father has tried to get him to fuck them over in the past and it never worked. The only thing Brendan did was tell the guys what my father said and then went on about living his life.

"I'll see you fuckers later," I say before leaving the house and heading toward the garage toward my brand-new Stingray.

My father won't be happy with the newest addition to my car collection. He feels it's a waste of money and there's no reason for me to continue buying new cars. He's actually threatened to sell them without my knowledge. There's no way he can because every car is in my name and if he sells any of them without my permission, I'll have him arrested quicker than hell. The man won't touch a thing of mine that I've bought with the money I earn through The Faction or from the trust fund my grandparents left me. It's a massive trust fund that I'll never be able to spend in my lifetime. So, for now, I buy cars to piss my father off.

Racing through town after leaving campus, I don't hesitate to speed because no one's gonna pull me over. The cops in town are all in our pockets and don't want to lose their payday because I'm speeding. I'm not going that much over the speed limit and I'm being safe. Well, as safe as I can be. This is the first time I've really gotten to take out my new car and I'm testing the boundaries of what it can do. So, I head to the poor section and make my way to the warehouse where all business is conducted.

When I pull up, my father's car is already parked there and his driver, some new guy, is standing outside waiting for my father to come back out. I park my car next to his and get out after revving the engine for a few seconds. No, it's not needed but I know it's just one more way to piss my father off. He'll be able to hear me from inside the warehouse. It's not soundproofed because he wants to ensure everyone here knows what will happen to them if they cross my father in any way.

Sliding my keys in my pocket, I make my way in the warehouse to find my father holding court with Don, Tyson, and Chester. Chester is over all the drug dealers in the poor section of town. He gets the shipments in, divides the drugs up to the various dealers under him, and then gets the money to my father when they have their weekly meeting. Yes, he wants his money on a weekly basis. I'm surprised he doesn't make Chester meet him on a daily basis because he doesn't trust anyone with the money that goes into his hands.

Tyson is the pimp in the poor section. He's the guy who rules over all prostitution that happens in the area. The girls barely get to keep any money they make and they're fed the drugs that Chester brings into High Point. That's about the only time my father gives up the money for drugs that he could be making. So, the girls are kept doped up and with their legs spread. I'd say on their backs but that's never the case. The guys who use these girls have some sick fucking fetishes that they live out through the girls they pay for. For the most part, Tyson is a good guy and he doesn't beat the hell out of the girls he keeps in his brothel. If my father didn't demand he give the girls drugs, I don't believe Tyson would do it. However, my father is a jackass and he wants these girls kept down to remain prostitutes until they die from one reason or another.

Don is the leader of the local gang. He didn't grow up the best after his dad was killed in the same accident that took out Arabella's dad. We didn't know he even worked for the same company at the time. It was only discovered by Kash a few years later. I actually pulled Don aside to make sure he wouldn't do anything to Arabella when we realized she was moved to the poor section of town. Don is a very angry guy and we didn't want that to be taken out on an innocent little girl. If anything, he fucking goes out of his way to make sure the dealers, Tyson, and everyone else leave her the hell alone. He can't stop everything as he's said before because he"s so damn busy. And he won't divulge anything he knows about her because he wants to protect her at all costs even if it's from the five of us.

"Good of you to finally join us, Fallon. It took you long enough to fucking get here," my father says after I greet the men we're meeting with tonight. "Chester, you got the guys I've requested here for the night?"

Chester doesn't respond with words. A simple nod of his head and a door at the back of the warehouse opens to reveal two guys being dragged in. They're gagged and tied up as they're tossed to the floor at my father's feet. I stand behind my father and watch as he fucking starts yelling and shit. His voice echoes in the warehouse making him seem even more villainous. I tune him out and fucking don't listen to his words because they mean absolutely nothing to me.

"Fallon, want to get your hands dirty? Or are you gonna pussy out like a little bitch?" my father questions me, not leaving any room for me to back out of getting my hands dirty with these two men.

Stepping up, I remove my jacket and hand it over to Tyson who takes it and drapes it over his arm while watching me work. He's about the only one who's ever seen me get my hands dirty because I found one of his girls being raped by a guy who didn't feel the need to pay for her services. Tyson had already been informed of what was going on, but I was taking care of it for him.

"So, what slight did they commit against you, Father?" I question, letting him know I wasn't paying attention to him as usual.

"They've stolen money from the drugs they've been tasked with selling. I'm not going to let them get away with it because if I do, then everyone else will think it's okay to fuck The Faction over and take what doesn't belong to them. So, are you gonna get your hands dirty or not?" he questions me, his voice low and deadly as if he's warning me not to make the wrong decision.

There is never a right decision when it comes to my father. Especially considering he hasn't ever gotten his fucking hands dirty a day in his life. My father is a coward, the only one who ever shows what a pussy he is because of his lack of ability to get his hands dirty regardless of the situation. I take out all the rage I feel at knowing my father is standing there watching over me and that he'd never take this step himself. I'm the one who has to take it because I'm better than he is. I'll always be better than my father because it's the man he's molded me into being. It still does nothing to quench the rage filling me because of the beady fucking eyes watching my every move.

When I'm done, I step back and look at the men on the ground before me. They're both still alive but I doubt they'll make it through the night. Turning my attention toward my father, for the first time I see fear filling his eyes. This is truly the first experience he's had with me letting out my dark side. The only reason I've never done it at home is because I refuse to traumatize my mom and little sister. I have more respect for my sister than that. Yes, only my sister. My mom lost my respect a long time ago.

The second I let loose on the first guy, a red haze took over my vision and I lost all sense of what I was doing and the area around me. It's not the first time it's happened, but it is the one I'm the most aware of. It honestly feels as if I'm standing back next to my father and watching someone else doing this shit. The reality of the situation is that I'm a fucking monster and for the first time in my life I've lost control. I've never once let myself have anything other than absolute control over every aspect of my life. As much as my father will let me have because at the end of the day I am my own man. I don't have anything left to prove to him because I can beat the fuck out of him and if it comes down to it, I won't have a problem taking him the fuck out for all the crimes he's committed in his lifetime.

Without saying a word to anyone, I accept the jacket Tyson holds out for me. I don't clean off the blood or anything else as I leave the warehouse. The only thing I do is grab the towels I have in the truck and cover my seats with them. I'm not about to ruin my car with another man's blood. The second I get back to the house, I'll shower and make sure the clothes I'm wearing are disposed of properly. This is one of my favorite suits and I have to fucking burn it now. Fucking stupid douche canoe. All because my father wanted to prove a point and it backfired on him. I pause long enough to let Dante know I'm on my way back so I can shower and get ready to head to the gym. It's a good thing darkness has fallen and I can hide in the shadows to get back to the house without anyone seeing me.