Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

Parrish

Igroaned when I saw my dad’s name flash on my cell screen. It wasn’t often that he called me. We didn’t have much to do with each other, since he thought I considered myself too good for him and Rex. When he did call, I always knew no good would come of it. For a split second I considered ignoring it, but my dad wasn’t the kind of man who was easily ignored. He would make my life hell until I answered him and he got whatever it was he wanted out of me.

“What?” I gritted out, leaning against the back of my couch. It was early Saturday afternoon, and all I wanted was to enjoy my day off, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen.

“Come over. I need to talk to you.”

“I’m busy,” I lied.

“Get your ass here, Parrish. I said, I need to talk to you.”

I closed my eyes, shaking my head. Jesus, would this shit ever end?

“I’ll be there in an hour. I have shit to do.” It made me feel better to push him off for a little while at least, which was ridiculous, but I’d take my wins where I could get them.

“Fine. See you then.” Before the call ended, I was pretty sure I heard Riven’s name in the background, which set all my senses on alert. They likely knew I worked with him and were upset I hadn’t said anything to them. I couldn’t quite figure out what was going on there. Riven had been the second son my dad wished I were. No matter how hard I’d tried back then, I hadn’t ever fit in with them.

But I never understood why Rex got with Becca so easily, and why he never went and saw Riven when he was locked up. In some ways, it could be excused because my family steered clear of law enforcement, but then, why hadn’t they had any contact since Riven got out? And why had Riven made it so clear he wanted nothing to do with them?

Shoving to my feet, I grabbed my keys and headed out early. Forget my little one-hour lie.

I drove to my dad’s place, which wasn’t far from Rex’s. The parking was set off a bit from the house. There were six cars there, one my brother’s and the rest my dad’s, but not all of them ran. It was the same house I grew up in, an older ranch-style home he hadn’t taken care of. The property and house could be beautiful if he gave a shit, but he didn’t, so the paint was old and there was wood over one of the broken windows.

I headed toward the house, heart thumping like crazy. Why in the fuck this mattered so much to me, I had no idea. Riven McKenna shouldn’t be my concern.

Just as I was about to head up the front-porch stairs, I heard Dad’s and Rex’s voices coming from the back of the house. They were too far for me to make out the words, but their voices carried.

For a reason I couldn’t understand, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I was quiet, trying not to make a sound as I sneaked along the side of the house, heading toward the back. When I hit the corner, I stayed tucked behind it and listened.

“You think he’s going to keep his mouth shut?” Rex asked.

“Riven is smart enough to know better than to say something. He cares too much about that grandma of his to risk anything. We keep up the fear of something happening to her, and he’ll stay in line. That’ll also make it easier to use him later on if we need to.”

My gut twisted into knots. I didn’t know what they were talking about, but whatever it was, they were threatening Betsy McKenna.

“Even if he said shit, there’s nothing anyone could do about it. He already did the time, so what’s the point? It would be our word against his, and with you and Uncle Bill having my back, plus Riven being the dumbass who took the fall for killing Jerry, he can’t touch me.”

The world spun, my eyes blurring as anger scorched through me. Rex had been the one to do it? Rex had killed Jerry, and Riven had done the time for it? Why would he do that? But then I remembered what they’d said about Betsy, and I had my answers.

There was a smacking sound, my dad likely swatting the back of Rex’s head the way he did.

“Ouch. Don’t fucking hit me,” Rex complained.

“Don’t be a fucking idiot. It doesn’t matter if he already did the time and we have the witnesses. Who needs the cops coming around? In case you forgot, there’s shit we’re doing now that would get us locked up, and I don’t want any more attention than necessary. Plus, we lose control of him now, all it does is make us look weak. We keep a tight leash, and like I said, we can use him again if we want to.”

My chest was so damn tight, it was hard to breathe. My dad and brother weren’t good people, I’d always known that, but they’d let an innocent man, one they supposedly loved like family, go to prison for something he hadn’t done. They’d threatened Riven’s family without blinking an eye.

My stomach rolled, vomit trying to climb up my throat. This whole time I’d thought Riven wasn’t any better than them, yet he’d sacrificed years of his life for the woman he loved most in the world.

And my family exploited that.

“When is Parrish getting here?” Rex asked. “Becca is freaking out because I didn’t come home last night, so I need to get going soon.”

“He said an hour when I called, so he should be here soon.”

I took that as my cue to sneak back around to the front of the house. They wouldn’t want me to have overheard what I just had. I didn’t know what in the hell to do with this knowledge, if anything, but for now I was keeping it to myself.

I knocked on the front door. When there was no answer, I opened it and called out, “Dad!”

“Out back!”

I steadied my breathing, trying like hell not to let it show how agitated I was, when really, my pulse throbbed against my skin, blood rushing through my ears.

I made my way through the house, which was a mess, trash and beer bottles everywhere, my dad’s bong on the table.

“What do you want?” I crossed my arms, trying to act the way I always did.

“Why the hell didn’t you tell us Riven McKenna is back and working with you?” Dad pushed up from his chair, trying to be intimidating.

“Why does it matter? I figured he would have told you. He’s Rex’s best friend.” I pointed to my brother, hoping my voice was steady and sounded like I believed they were still close.

“Shit changes,” Rex said, and my dad swatted him on the back of the head again. Dad liked to be the one in control and to do all the talking, and Rex was the same with anyone other than Dad.

“Seems Riven is a little upset about your brother and Becca, plus the fact that we never saw him when he was inside. Don’t know why he would expect us to. He’s always been selfish, though. Thinks he’s too good for where he came from now, thinks he’s too good for us. He’s getting a little too big for his britches. If he says anything you think we need to know, I expect you to tell us. Keep an eye on him, Parrish. Let us know how he’s doing.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so. I don’t ask shit from you. You’re just like him, thinking you’re too good. You do this for me because I told you to.” Dad took a step closer, and it took everything in me not to do the same to him. Still, I straightened my back, made myself taller, not backing down.

Rex laughed. “You’re like him in more ways than one. Is he fucking you yet?”

“He’s straight, you asshole, and we hate each other.” Well, he hated me. I wasn’t so sure I hated him anymore—or hell, if I ever really had. I’d wanted to.

“No, he’s not. That’s not what he said when we paid him a visit yesterday.”

My gaze snapped to Rex’s. Riven was queer? Or was Rex just giving me shit? Not that it should matter one way or another. Me and Riven wouldn’t ever happen, and I shouldn’t want us to.

It took me a moment to process what he’d said—when we paid him a visit yesterday. “What did you do to him?”

“Tsk, tsk,” Dad said. “What makes you think we’d do something to him, and why would you care if we did?”

Shit. I was messing this up. “I care because I don’t want to clean up Rex’s mess and because Riven works with me. My crew need the help…unless Rex wants to get off his ass and get a job other than selling drugs.”

“Fuck you, Parrish.” Rex shoved me.

I shoved him back. We were dysfunctional as hell and always would be. Dad got between us, knowing neither of us would lay a hand on him. “Stop acting like idiots!” he cursed. “Get out of here, Parrish, and you keep us posted on what Riven’s up to. That’s all you need to know, and I expect you to fucking do it.”

No way in hell was I doing that, but still I said, “Yes, sir,” to keep the peace, and then did exactly as he said. I got out of there while I could.