Chapter Fourteen

"How is it possible?" I ask in shock, wishing the last few days have been a dream.

I look into his lush eyes and I see pain. He is wearing a black t-shirt that is skin-tight on him along with skin-tight black jeans and black, leather dress shoes.

"You see, your mom and I fell in love. After doing a few tours in the Army. I came home and I helped build a gang. You see, the streets were becoming more and more unsafe. So a friend of mine who had a small one decided to build a larger, more powerful one. One that could tear down other gangs. A gang all should fear, so while this was happening. I had just married your mom and we were expecting you. It was the 90s and everyone thought the world was going to end in the year 2000. So groups became more violent trying to take over the area. Well, a gang found out about your mother and they hurt her.  She was taken, when you were two. So once we got her back. I cut ties with you both to keep you safe. Your mother agreed to it all because it was what was best for you. All we ever wanted was your safety. My identity died to protect you." He looks at me as if he knows something about me that he hasn't snitched on me to Mama yet.

I think he knows about my past and what I can do. 

"So you abandoned me, to keep me safe?" I question wondering how this kept me safe.

"Yes. Your mother has to go home to her husband Philip. We can discuss more. I can get to know you more. My child, if you want to get to know me." My mom grabs her things and just leaves and I want to yell at the trader, as she walks out. 

As soon as she leaves, his eyes are a glowing lime green color. The way he looks at me makes me nervous.

"I heard you have been involved with Sam Wilson before," I nodded my head not wanting to lie to this scary man who gave me half his DNA. 

"I ran all his online systems. Helped him scam other people. But I don't do it anymore. He threatened me to do what I did." As soon as I explain this he tenses up.

"He not only used you, but he threatened you. I can't wait for that boy to get put away. He and Marcell's empire is slipping. I can't wait for their downfall. We have already been trying to put oil on the floor, he is already slipping on." He explains, saying the name of my ex. 

"Yeah, I am working on it too with the federal government. According to them in 2011, there were 33,000 violent street, motorcycle, and prison gangs active in the U.S., with more than 1.4 million members, a huge increase. It's getting worse, trust me Marcell is a serial killer. He likes to take down the leaders of smaller gangs. Brutally murder them in a style of a smaller gang and then do that so they feel like joining them. It's how he raises morality. I should know, I dated him." I bark out in rage. Every time he kills it is different. The man is so clean at getting away with It except for his obsession with carving letters into them.

I attempt to sit up some more and explain that, in recent years, gangs are participating in more non-traditional crimes such as prostitution, alien smuggling, human trafficking, identity theft, and mortgage fraud. These new, non-traditional crimes create higher profitability and lower visibility. I can keep such a low profile online and steal and get so much data, and no one bats an eye. 

"Gangs are not what they used to be, the crimes are done so quickly online or through a border that it is harder to latch onto criminals such as Marcell. He kills them but creates fake passports so they think he is not in the country. So thanks to his fake alibis and the way that he covers everything up almost perfectly. Because of the flights and how he travels, it's very hard to get the tapes because they have really old Security and they are all on vhses. Without probable cause and some kind of proof, these airports do not release the tapes." I explain as I angrily take a sip of ice water.

"Oh, I see. Well, I am going to train you if you're going to do something like that. Guns, combat, and you name it I am teaching you. My daughter isn't going to be weak to men that are like that." As he explains this he punches the wall. I am taken aback by his aggression.

This excites me because I have been begging to be taught all of these things. I got ignored forever, I have a gun but I hardly know how to use it. I can shoot but not well.

"Oh, yes, please. I want to be able to stand my ground." He laughs at this, it's a very deep belly laugh.

"Just like your mother, I see. I never had her instructed by the finest people I know. Hey, who knows maybe you can join your old father." I can tell the sarcasm, but hopefully, my spot on the team is locked when I put them all away. Maybe I could help them and work at home on it. But with the skills, he is going to be teaching me. I could go on the field. I can learn from the best and actually be more then the girl behind the computer. That excites me.

"I am going to call the doctor in, she thinks you are a mistress do not tell her of our relationship. You can't trust anyone in this business." He winks at me with his right eye and walks out, standing tall and sharp. This man is built well you can tell he works out just by watching him walk away. 

I finally have my father back in my life, but I don't know for how long. We work on different sides of the system, doing the same thing.

The door opens and a middle-aged woman is probably a couple of inches taller than me. She walks in and her heels click on the wooden floors as she walks over. She doesn't wear a name tag, she has dark brown hair that when the ceiling light hits looks red. 

"Glad to see you are awake now. I am Katherine Olson. Been a doctor for Benson Hunt for a while Ms. Shaw." To think hunt could have been my last name if I didn't get Rick's. 

"I am going to change your bandage and clean it up a bit. I heard about the explosion. That's wild that something like that happened. I will call and order some food after I do this. The cook has already gone home for the day. Benson sent him home early." She explains as she delicately takes off the bandage that is wrapped around my shoulder. Once it is off she takes some peroxide and uses some additional antiseptic cleaner. It burns a bit, and she then sticks a thick cream on it. She wraps it back up with a new bandage and grabs her phone.

"I heard you are vegetarian, would you like to order a couple of garden salads? " I nodded my head and she dials the number. 

"Thank you," I say, tossing a blanket over me. the blanket is one of those thin hospital ones. 

"You are welcome, sweetie. The wound should be fully healed in the next ten days. I should be able to take the stitches out by then as well. Thankfully it didn't go all the way through. It was like a wooden bullet. Hopefully, all the splinters are out."

She has a kind smile and I feel like I could trust her. But then I remember the business he is in. Dad walks in with a gun in hand.

"I am going to teach you the basics." He says with the biggest grin on his face.

"Your momma says you can handle a hunting rifle, says you are a good long-distance shooter." Nodding my head I keep my eye on the small gun.

"It's almost the same thing, except this one you can carry anywhere and it is a lot lighter so it's easier to keep stable." 

"Okay, can you teach me how to turn on and off the safety button?" That is the least he could do for me, when I got my gun someone had to teach me about the safety button. 

"Like this," he clicks the button and then clicks it again.

"As you get better I can teach you more. I will get you a gun soon. One that I think will fit you." He has a look of pride on his face as he explains this.

To think this man wasn't in my life for so long, and now he is giving me gun lessons and treating me like a daughter.  I honestly can't wait to get to know this other half of my DNA.

"Now, that we got that talk. Salads are here." He gives me a look of disgust. His face looks like he is sucking on sour Candy.

"I ordered a juicy burger, vegetables are not my thing, at all." He explains grabbing the Styrofoam trays.

"They can be mighty tasty if you give it a real chance, " I explain to him as I take a bite of a cherry tomato and the juice runs down my chin.

"I will stick with the protein and flavor." He says sticking a middle finger up at me. So I reply by sticking my tongue out at him. 

It feels natural to be around him, it feels safe here. We have similar personalities.

We ate a meal together which hadn't happened in nearly twenty-two years. This is something I needed. The connection to someone, who has been lost for so long.

I love this man, but I don't know how to tell him. He is my father and I can't tell him that I love him, that is so messed up. I finish my salad and I start stealing fries from his tray.  When I was a two-year-old I did the same thing, there are pictures of it to prove it. I remember doing just this and it still puts that same smile on his face. He offers me the rest of his fries and a giant pickle and I gladly accept it. I eat the pickle and fries together in minutes. 

"These fries are the best," I say, shoving a few more in my mouth without ketchup so it is dry. I then go and take another sip of water.

"I know, they are my cheat day specialty." He starts flexing his muscles jokingly and I laugh.

"There it is, there's my girl." As he says this I don't know how to respond to it. Never have I ever been his little girl.

I look over at him as he says this and he looks away, his face blushing a bright shade of red. He isn't used to having me around and I am not used to it yet. But my laugh made him realize what he has been missing. He said there it is as if he has been hoping to hear it again.

"I want you back in my life again." I reach for his hand and he pulls away.

"I can't." He stands up and walks out of the room as fast as he can and I am left alone to wonder why I can't keep him in my life. He chose this life over me. Over my mama and I. What is his reason?

Grabbing my phone I dial my grandmother's number. We didn't tell her about the accident because too much stress and worry can put her at risk of a stroke. She doesn't pick up so I try again and get nowhere.