Chapter 23
Luc
I screwed up. I thought I had everything under control. I had maintained control for over two years. Then Vicky happened, I couldn’t help myself. I knew I was bad for her. I knew I had demons in my closet that threatened to escape, but she gave me hope. Looking into her sad green eyes made me realize that I had to make her happy. Dammit, I was making her happy, the dark jade in her eyes had blossomed into an emerald green that sparkled. I wanted to believe it was because of me, she said I gave her hope but it was the other way around. The truth was that she was good for me, and I wanted her like I never wanted another woman before. She was broken and I was broken and together we made sense, we didn’t need to fix each other because our relationship had been about acceptance. I had revealed all my truths, and she still wanted me for me. I never had such an open and honest relationship before and I gained her trust. That is what kills me the most.
When she found me drunk I didn’t know what to do. Honestly what could I do? As I was getting ready to leave my apartment for my meeting I got a phone call from an unknown caller. That never happened, only a few people knew my cell phone number and even long distance calls for business revealed the Caller ID.
Something in the pit of my stomach told me that my freedom was ending. I knew the time would come. I knew it was never mine to really have. It was a temporary gift that could be taken away at any moment, and the moment had come. I had branded the eagle tattoo on my chest, knowing that an eagle would fly free all his life, but it was never really meant to represent my freedom because my freedom wasn’t real. My father had locked me in a chamber long ago, with his powerful rhetoric of what it was to be a Blanchard. Thinking back to the days he abused me, I felt like I had a noose around my neck reminding me that I was captive to Maurice Blanchard.
He called to tell me that he knew I used family resources. He found it funny that I wanted to use the family’s clout when it suited me. Only he said that things didn’t work like that. I used one of the family’s contacts to break into Scott Wellington’s apartment and completely erase all his hard drives and even his cell phone. This simple act was essentially sending the message that I liked having access to that kind of power. The damn asshole that I sent to Wellington ratted me out after I had asked him not to mention it to my father. I even upped his payment to keep quiet. Of course what did I expect? People feared my father. Then my father revealed that my brother Henri was shot and killed. The Dubois, another prominent crime family, gunned down the same brother that shot me in the abdomen and tried to kill my ex.
Father explained that there was war between the Blanchard and Dubois families and the Dubois family felt powerful enough to take on the Blanchard’s since they had now killed Henri, the second in command to my father.
I had told my father I had no interest in returning. I told him to put Justin, my little brother, as second in command but he would not hear of it. To him there was something powerful about the idea of having the eldest son there to take over the reins. I continually rejected him and told him that there was no way I was coming home, nor was I walking into the bloodshed that would ensue from war. I figured they would all end up dead anyway. A war couldn’t be good and they chose to live a violent life. There were no winners in war.
As I replayed the phone conversation in my mind my blood turned cold. “I will be in New York tomorrow,” he said with his thick deep voice. “I have a meeting there and then you will come home with me. You had your time to play the last couple years. Now your family needs you. You will not let them down. And Luc, I know you have a girl again,” he said with a devilish tone before hanging up the phone. My breath hitched once his words processed in my mind.
That motherfucker.
Shit, my father was coming. I stood up and raked my fingers repeatedly through my hair and he knew of Vicky. That is why I had to push Vicky out of my life. I had to keep her away from the demon that created me. I went for my meeting with the Japanese, but I couldn’t go back to the office after. My head was spinning. Instead I got drunk and pushed Vicky away. I knew how stubborn she could be. I feared if I told her the truth she would never leave me alone. We had grown close, but I knew she was still broken. She was still scared of placing her heart in my hands, and she was still vulnerable where her own life was concerned. As good as things were between us, I knew she wouldn’t abandon her daredevil ways overnight. If I had told her the truth, she would have wanted to stand by my side and confront the demon with me, she was tough and fearless like that, but I could never jeopardize her life.
Dammit, the asshole had been watching me the whole time. He knew Vicky’s full name and everything about her. He knew I was spending time with her. He knew she slept in my bed every night. The sick fuck waited for me to fall in love and then used it against me all over again. I was transparent to him, he knew my weakness and he fed on it each time, but I messed up too. I should have never called the family contact. I should have found a thug not related to my family. I wanted to protect Vicky from Scott Wellington and at the end; my actions had brought evil into our world.
My father would never let me have a normal life, the wife and children I always wanted. Instead he was asking me to sign my death certificate.
I went to Bryce’s office once I sobered up. He had become a good friend and I looked up to him.
“Bryce, I need to leave for a while,” I admitted not able to look him in the eyes. He stood up from his desk. His forehead creased, he could read people well and he immediately knew there was something very wrong.
“Why, Luc? What’s going on?” he asked then he waited patiently for my response. I didn’t know how to answer. I had told him the truth about my identity and my father, and he still welcomed me into the Tyson family. How could I admit that I was being summoned back into that life?
“Luc, is this about my daughter? I know you two are seeing each other, and it’s okay with me. You are a good guy,” he said, patting my shoulder. I stared up at him with round eyes. Of course he knew there was something between us. He had eyes everywhere around here. He knew what was happening in all departments, but what really resonated with me was that he gave me his blessing to date his daughter. That did things to my insides. It made me feel accepted. I had always wanted acceptance and coming from him it meant everything.
I was speechless what could I say now?
“The truth is, Luc, I am a little surprised you’re still here.” He continued throwing me off.
“What do you mean, Bryce?” I asked perplexed.
“Vicky. Luc, her father passed away in Thunder Bay, she took my jet there today. I assumed you would know all this.”
I suddenly felt light headed and dizzy. That is why she showed up to my apartment in the middle of the day. She was looking for me… she probably wanted to tell me what happened and I acted like a drunken psycho. Poor girl, what must she be feeling? What must she be going through?
“Bryce, I didn’t know about her father,” I said, swiping my hand hard over my face. I felt numb right now. “My father called me this morning and then I met with the Japanese…” I paused. You need to come clean, Luc, or else how would you explain leaving like this? After everything this man has done for you, you owe him at least the truth. “My father is coming to New York tomorrow. He says he has business here and then he wants me to go with him. My middle brother was murdered and he wants me to go back into the family. I don’t have a choice. He’s been following my moves, he knows that I am with Vicky.”