Chapter 70
I was enjoying one of Hana’s omelettes and felt myself looking up at her while we ate. We finished our breakfast and she let out a little sigh.
you going to tell me?” she asked.
“Would you be upset with me if I went out for a while?” I
I asked her. She smiled at
“Of course not. Why would I be?”
“Because we don’t get that many free days off together, just the two of us,” I explained.
“That is true. But we have been inside this apartment, together, for a week, I think I will survive a couple of hours apart. I will miss you, even so, I will survive. Going to see Simon?” she told me. It was almost scary how well she knew me already.
“Yeah, I was thinking about calling lason and asking him to come with me like you suggested.”
“Do it. I will be here, I will find something to do and when you get back, we can do something together,” she said. I got up from my seat and took the step to stand next to her. I kissed her and felt grateful she was as accepting as she was.
“Thank you. I’ll make it up to you,” I told her.
“Don’t think like that. Even couples need to do things as individuals sometimes.”
“I agree, but I was looking forward to spending the day having you all to myself, I would have put off seeing Simon until tomorrow,” I told her.
“But tomorrow you will hand the evidence to the police and you don’t know how quickly they will act. I get it. Go. You won’t be here with me even if you stay. I get it, I promise, and I’m not upset about it,” she said. I looked into her eyes and I could see she was telling the truth. She looked happy and content and I hated that I needed to leave. But she was right. If I stayed, I would have spent the day thinking about Simon and the unfinished business we had.
An hour later, I had picked up lason, and we were heading towards the place where Simon lived with his current girlfriend.
“I will not have to worry about you killing the little shit?” Jason asked. “I’m all for a proper beating or something like that. But we need him alive,” he added.
“I won’t kill my own son.” I told him.
“Good.” The rest of the drive was made in silence. We got to the outskirts of the city. The highrises were left behind, but the suburbs were still some miles away The neighbourhood consisted of smaller apartment buildings mixed in with family houses. I parked on the curb of a smaller house. It looked like it needed some repairs and a coat of paint. I guessed it once had been painted white, but now it was closer to dirt grey. Both Jason and I stepped out of the car and walked up to the porch and knocked on the front door. After a moment, a woman, dressed in a skin–tight jeans skirt that just covered the basic parts and a bikini top, opened the door. I recognised her as Jess, the woman I had seen my son with before
“Yes?” she asked. Then she recognised me, “Hey, you’re that man that knows Simon,” she said.
“I’m his father.” I reluctantly admitted. “Is he home?”
“Honey poo, your dad is here!” she e yelled into the house.
“Honey poo?”
Jason quietly asked me. I felt slightly queasy.
“What the fuck are you yelling that fucking name out loud for everyone to hear?” Simon yelled back as he came walking. He fraze when he saw me and Jason. I was clearly not the father he had been expecting. “You fucking asshole!” he screamed, turning red
“Could we not do this in public?” I asked and glanced over my shoulder.
“Fine. If you prefer I deck you inside the living room, follow me,” he grunted, turned around and walked further into the house.
“I can feel the family love,” Jason mattered as he followed me inside the house. The inside of the house was in a better condition than the outside. It looked like a mix between a brothel and a nightclub. Not my cup of tea, but if you were into the aesthetic, it would have been a nice place. Simon stood in the middle of the living room. He was focused on me and his breathing was heavy.
“I heard an interesting rumour the other week,” he told us in a cold voice.
“I’m guessing it come from Aksakov,” I said.
Chapter 70
“Have you heard it as well?” he asked.
“Hard not to when you are sitting tied up in a chair next to the fucker after being shot by one of his men,” I told him. Jess, who had followed us into the living room, yelped.
“So you have come to tell me it’s all n
It’s all a lie? Come to save our father–son relationship?” Simon asked in a mocking vaior.
“No. It’s not a lie. Hana has been living with me since your men tried to grab her from her apartment,” I told him. His anger flared and he was ready to pounce on
“You fucking looser of a man. What gives you the right to fuck my wife? he screamed. I felt sorry for less. She was standing a little bit away from the three of us and she was looking between me and Simon, trying to figure out what was happening.
“Fuck you, Simon. She’s your ex–wife. She became your ex–wife because you don’t know how to treat a woman. You punch, you yell and you belittle the women in your life, except your mother. Thank god for that. You lost the right to her the first time you treated her like she wasn’t the most important person in your world,” 1 told him.
“Oh, so this is some kind of revenge by the two of you? Trying to embarrass me or something? Show me how wrong I was?” he asked.
“Believe it or not, but you have a tiny part in Hana’s and my relationship. I’m with her because she is an amazing person. She is warm and light and full of joy. I’m with her because I’m in love with her and the thought of not having her in my life fills me with despair,” I said.
“Fucking hell! You are walking in here and you think you can talk about my wife like that?” Simon shouted.
“EX–wife, Simon. You need to let her go. You have less, who seems nice. Or Amber, you should take care of that child. Listen, Simon. You are my son, so I want to give you some advice. Take a step back and look at what you are doine, how complicated your life is. You are playing a dangerous game with two mafia families. Aksakov is already on to you. How long before he finds you? Your business can’t be doing good while you’re in hiding and the Russians have withdrawn their support? You have a child on the way and you’re obsessing over your ex–wife. Let go of the unimportant things and focus on the important ones. It will be too one day. You don’t get any do–overs in life. Trust me, I know,” I told him.
“I don’t give a fuck what you say. I will do as I want. And Hana will always be mine, always. She might be fussing about at the moment, but I will get her back.” Simon growled. I felt my fists clench and then Jason’s hand on my shoulder
late
“He is just trying to get to you. Best thing to do is to walk away,” Jason told me. I was trying to collect myself, but nodded. “Simon. You have been a spoiled little brat since the first day I met you. But this is taking things too for. Listen to your father at least one time in your miserable life,” Jason said. Simon’s focus switched from me to my friend.
“What do you know? Do you think the mafia was my first choice? Fuck they were. But dear old dad cut me off financially. So what was I supposed to do? I had to be creative,” Simon said.
“You never came to me with a business plan or idea,” I objected.
“No, but I came and asked you to help with my wedding. And you turned me down. I had plans for that money!”
“What? You didn’t need money for your wedding?” I asked, feeling confused.
“No. We had a small wedding, Hana doesn’t have any family and mons wasn’t that happy about me marrying her, so she didn’t want to make a big deal about it. But then mom came up with the idea that you would be more than happy to help with wedding costs. I could ask you and use the money for my business. I had asked Rich, but he didn’t want to invest. But then you not only said you would not help me with the wedding, you cut me off all together as well,-Simion explained. He looked furious.
“How was I supposed to know it was for your business? You just came to me, talking about this grand wedding you needed money for and didn’t even invite me to. I wasn’t going to pay for that. If you had come with a business idea or a business plan, I would have listened and helped you,” I told him.
“Sure, it’s easy to say that now,” he said,
“Hey! Watch your tone when speaking to your father. You may not understand it, but he has sacrificed some big shit for you. Not that you have the brains to be grateful for it,” Jason told Simon.
“Well, he is making it up to me by screwing my wife, isn’t he?”
“EX–wife,” both Jason and I said at the same time.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think we are getting anywhere,” Jason told me. I nodded.
“I have tried, Simon. From the moment I found out you were in trouble, I have tried to help. But you have refused every time. You are an adult and it’s use
treated you as one. I will respect your wishes and stay out of your business. You know where to hnd me if you change your mind, I told my son. It felt like the closing of a chapter, and it hurt. But it was needed.
