Chapter 52

52

JJ

"You let her go?" Isaac glances at me from across the pool table.

"She's in the city, just not in my house." I bend over the snooker table, position my cue, then let the ball fly. It cracks into the one halfway down the table, and both roll into the holes.

"So, you're keeping an eye on her?"

I stare at him.

"So, you are keeping an eye on her."

"I'm not the head of the Kane company anymore," I remind him.

"So, you killed the unreliable men in your syndicate, created a security company to absorb the rest, and now they take care of all of your security needs and perform errands for you, like this one."

"Huh." I straighten. "So, you have been paying attention."

"Just because I wasn't around doesn't mean I didn't have my own sources of information on you."

"Hmm." I scratch my jaw. "Your source couldn't possibly be my pretty Head of Human Relations who you seem to be spending a lot of time with, and who may have influenced your decision to accept the project of creating paintings for my offices."

His features pale. "You asshole, and just as I was thinking that perhaps we could have a relationship."

"Relax. Your friend is under my protection. She's been quite invaluable in helping to find jobs for my men within the Kane Corporation."

"You mean" —his brow furrows— "surely not. She's?—"

"One of the good ones. The daughter of one of my most trusted men, who went to college and got a degree. I employed her legitimately. She was already aware of her father's role in my syndicate, and she wanted to help legalize the business."

"And you let her."

"It was helpful to have someone like her on my side."

He begins to protest, and I raise my hand. "I promise, she's in no harm. Quite the opposite. She's valuable to my business, and I take care of my assets."

"Like you're going to take care of her ?"

I line up my shot again. "Perhaps." I keep my voice noncommittal.

"This is what I don't understand. You've always gone after what you wanted. As a child, I resented your being away, but as I grew up, some part of me also admired your single-minded focus."

I shoot him a sideways glance. "You had a funny way of showing it."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I still resented you for being absent so much, but even I could tell you were successful. And some part of me knew you wanted to make amends. Why else would you install that state-of-the-art studio in the top floor of the house, eh?"

"You noticed?" I murmur.

"Of course, I noticed. I lived there, didn't I?"

"You never mentioned it."

"Didn't want you to think because I was grateful, I was forgiving you for everything."

I sink another two balls.

"I forgot how good you are at this," Isaac murmurs.

"I never forgot you and your sister. Even though I was away a lot, and I know it wasn't easy on your mother, I still remembered every birthday, every Christmas?—"

"Sending presents didn't make up for your being away."

"I may not have been able to attend every PTA meeting, but I always tried to make it to the end-of-year school plays."

"You also missed it more often than not."

"The point is, I tried."

"The point is, it wasn't enough. Mom tried her best, but she was too busy with her social life. I mean, she was around, but not really."

"It's my fault. I should have incentivized her more so she felt compelled to be part of your lives. I should have made her more accountable."

"That's all you have to say?" Isaac bursts out. "She wasn't an employee."

"She was certainly better paid than my men, and more than many of my heads of departments."

"Taking care of a family is not like running a company."

"Thanks to you and Lena, I'm realizing that." I line up my next shot. "I'm not sorry about what happened between the three of us."

"Neither am I." Isaac replies.

"It's not going to happen again, though."

His lips quirk. "I heard you the first time and I wouldn't expect it to, either. I'll keep away from her, too, unless—" his gaze narrows "—she gets pissed off and decides to leave you."

"Not gonna happen." I tighten my grip on my cue.

He tilts his head. "She's not here."

"She needs her space to figure things out. I get it."

He straightens. "You do? I can't believe the man who decided the fastest way to take over a company was by shooting the CEO agreed to give her space."

"I was new to this entire corporate bullshit game. But I learned, didn't I?" I roll my shoulders. "And sometimes it's fine to play along with the other party's suggestion. Especially if that's the only way to win their trust."

"Hmm." He taps his fingers against his cue. "I have two questions for you."

I strike the ball, miss my shot. Damn. I straighten and level my gaze at him. "Shoot."

"One. Why did you decide to go legit? And two—" He walks over to the table and picks up a ball. "You're not really giving her space, are you?"

I allow my cue to slide down my palm until it rests on the floor. "It wasn't challenging anymore. I've made enough money that it's no longer a motivation. Also, I realized I've been lucky so far, and wanted to cash in and get out while I could."

"So, it's possible to leave a life of crime?'

"As long as you have enough money and power to influence your enemies, yes."

He nods slowly. "And my second question?"

I allow my lips to curve. "Of course, I'm giving her space."

"I don't believe you." He picks up two more balls and begins to juggle them.

"Believe me or not; it doesn't matter. She believes she has the space she wanted."

"You bastard," he says in a mild voice, then catches the balls in his hands. "Are you following her?"

"Of course not."

"Do you have your 'security team'" —he makes air quotes around the words security team — "following her?"

"What gives you that idea?"

"You're a canny motherfucker who'd never allow the woman you have feelings for to leave without keeping tabs on her."

The boy's clever and knows me better than I thought. "I am not like our friends from the Cosa Nostra who resort to such amateurish tactics."

"So, you have found a way to keep tabs on her?"

I raise a shoulder. "You can keep rephrasing your question, and my answer will still be the same."

"You're an asshole," he murmurs.

"I need to teach you more creative insults."

He laughs. "Fucking hell. At least you're not outright denying it."

I wipe the smile off of my face. "I'd never lie to you, Isaac. Not to you or your sister or, for that matter, your mother. Perhaps I was too upfront with her; it's why she left."

"You never loved her."

"And you tried to make up for it by taking her side." I squeeze my son's shoulder. "I'm not saying she was right, but you did the right thing."

"And you're doing the right thing by giving Lena space, even if it's only the illusion of doing so."

I search his features. "So, no hard feelings about the fact that your girlfriend chose me?"

His jaw tightens. "That's not a fair question."

"If the past has taught me anything, it's that it's better to talk things out than let them fester. It's not easy for me to have this conversation, either, but I need to know, Isaac."

"And if I say that I'll never forgive you for it?" He tips up his chin. "What then?"

"Then I'd say I deserve it."

His lips twist. He pulls away then runs his fingers through his hair. "I was pissed when she told me what she'd done. At first, my anger—and my pride—blinded me to the sense of relief I felt. Eventually, I realized I was glad she had because it gave me a reason to end the relationship. And I didn't have to worry about hurting her feelings or being the ‘bad guy.'" He has the decency to look sheepish. I'm not sure if it's because he feels guilty or because he's comparing himself to me. He knows I don't pull my punches when it comes to doing the ‘right' thing, even if someone else might get hurt in the process.

"She thinks she cheated on you."

"I cheated on her first."

"What?" I stiffen. "What the hell are you talking about?"

He reddens. "All the time I spent time away from the house?—"

"You were having an affair?"

"I strayed… once."

"With the pretty HR manager?" I guess.

He rolls his shoulders. "It's complicated."

Something in my chest eases. Perhaps I felt I'd wronged him, too. After all, I ensured she was never too far away from me physically. I made sure we crossed paths in the office and at home, frequently. I felt her watching me as I swam in the pool in the evening, and I might have swam more often, just to show her what she was missing.

"You're relieved," he says flatly.

"I am," I say honestly. "I didn't think she was cheating on you. I knew the two of you weren't going to last."

"You mean, you wanted us to break up."

I hesitate. "Not going to lie. I didn't want her to be with you. And I might have urged things along faster in that direction. Even if I hadn't, it was only a matter of time before she left you. This way, I made sure she's still in the family."

His gaze narrows. "I don't know if I should be pissed with you or just envious that, once again, you went after what you wanted and got it."

"So can you, son."

He snaps his chin up.

Yeah, I've never called him that. I've never acknowledged our relationship so openly. I can't even say why, and that's my loss. I have a lot of time to make up for. And I intend to do things right by him this time.

"You're a brilliant artist."

He shakes his head, as if dazed. "You're kidding me, right?"

I laugh. "I should have told you that a long time ago. I confess, I don't always understand what you paint, but even to an untrained eye like mine, it's clear that your work is nothing short of genius."

His cheeks flush. "You really are making fun of me? Are you enjoying yourself at my expense?"

I shake my head. "I swear, it's the truth. I should have been more open with my feedback. I held off because I wanted you to run my company with me. I wanted you by my side, Isaac, and I was ready to do anything to get you there."

"I would have sucked at it. I never wanted to work with you, Dad. No offense."

A hot sensation twists my guts. He called me Dad. He stopped calling me that when he was five. And now, thanks to her, I have my son back.

I close the distance and hug him. He stiffens but doesn't pull away. In the way of most kids, he seems to suffer from my hug until I release him and step back.

"I know that now. I'm sorry I wasn't upfront about your talent earlier. I'm sorry for how bad I let things get between us."

He jerks his chin. "Can't say I‘ve forgiven you completely."

"How can I make it up to you?"

He tilts his head as he studies me. "Are you serious about that?" he asks.

"You bet. I'll do anything. Anything to wipe the slate clean and rebuild our relationship from the ground up."

"Hmm…" He strokes his chin. "Now that you mention it, there is something…"