Page 4 of Watching Her

“I understand there will be a software update at the end of the week.” I swirled the liquid in my glass.

He cast the line and took a deep breath. “Don’t worry, Christian. There are no issues, just yearly maintenance.”

“Mmm…” I allowed him to enjoy the moment, including sucking down most of his drink. “Fascinating, Brandon, given an update occurred less than three months ago. I’m curious. Did you find bugs in the system?”

This time he barely glanced in my direction. “I did. Unfortunately, hackers are switching methodologies, becoming much more tenacious.”

“Understood. When I was a kid, I never realized how competitive the hospitality and real estate industries were. I’d thought my father was just in charge of a bunch of fancy hotels. Little did I know the amount of money and responsibility involved. Let alone how much power he wielded across the world.”

“He is still a formidable man.”

I stood, moving closer to the back platform. “You have no idea. Did you know when my father purchased the failing little hospitality company, he did so with retirement savings from his previous career?”

“That I didn’t know. Markham never mentioned what he’d done previously.”

“He was cautious about telling just anyone, keeping his oath of honor to a man even more powerful than himself. It was a very strange transition, done upon the insistence of my mother after my younger brother was born. It took him a few years to make the move, but he honored her request.”

He seemed elated the moment something was snagged on the line and frantically began to reel it in. “What was the career?”

I took a minute before answering him, but did so as if matter of fact. “He was the former lieutenant to the Carpella Crime Syndicate family. From what I understand, he was the Don’s closest and most trusted friend. Pops had a reputation as being a bloodthirsty man. Now, I realize he was never father of the year, but I was gifted the opportunity to see him in action on two very distinct occasions. And I do call the incident gifts. He even required me to participate at times.”

There was no doubt poor Brandon was sweating like a pig. I was curious if he thought I was merely telling him a story.

I wasn’t.

“What?”

That was all the man could manage after what I’d admitted? No one in the company knew about my father’s less scrupulous beginnings. If you searched hard enough, you could find accusations of a connection with Carpella, but there’d never been any photographs of the two of them together and no arrests made.

My father had never left any evidence behind, which was one of several reasons he was considered part of the Carpella family.

“My father had a way of handling issues that was envied by other crime syndicates throughout the country. Perhaps the world. He was clever, creative in his methods of torture, and highly efficient. He could smell treachery for the organization even before the Don had any idea there was an issue. All of what I mentioned was something he also instilled in his offspring.”

Brandon had forgone bothering to reel in his prize. He also wasn’t looking at me, just standing trembling while the heavy breeze blew him back and forth on the deck.

For the first time in a while, I felt alive.

“Now, he didn’t want his sons directly connected with any mafia organization. He told us participating would shorten our lives, which was why Tempest became so important.”

“I can understand,” he managed, his voice now unrecognizable.

“I guess you could say I was very lucky in having a brutal father,” I continued. “It took me many years to even consider the possibility his lack of empathy and constant demands of his children would provide such a fertile understanding of how business should be run and the treachery I’d face.”

I lifted my glass as if toasting my father. While I did respect the man, perhaps even loving him in my own way, my life had been altered forever because of his own issues with greed.

Only his weakness had never been about money or power, but about exacting revenge.

In turn, just by reputation he’d gained dozens of enemies. One of them had destroyed my life. For that alone, I’d never forgive my father.

Even if I was one of the richest men in the world.

“I’m very much like my father, Brandon. Something else until recently I’d been determined never to admit. Not only do I have his eyes and angular jaw, and his work ethic. I also have an innate need to control all those around me and punish anyone who dares defy me.” I polished off my drink, chuckling as soon as I swallowed.

I also took my time placing the glass on one of the tables, staring at the dense crystal as if taking my time to make a decision.

Which wasn’t true.

The bastard’s fate had been sealed the minute I’d determined he’d betrayed me and his old buddy, my father. How I was different from my father was in how I doled out punishment.