"Dad!", Cori called when Money came in through the door.
"I'm home, baby", he said as she ran to him. She'd had a shower, her hair still wet, and she wore her favorite pajama pants, along with one of Money's shirts. She often wore her father's shirts to bed. She'd done so ever since she was a little girl. They used to be like nightgowns on her, hanging all the way to her knees when she was little. And she seemed to never break the habit. They were cozy. He couldn't help but smile when he saw it.
"You-you took Alex home right?", she asked. "He said you two had a long talk. Is everything okay?", she asked.
"I did", he nodded, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Everything's fine. He said he was going to bed and told me to tell you not to worry about him".
"I'm sorry daddy. Don't hate me, please!", she began to cry.
"Hey, hey, hey!", he said, wrapping his arms around her. "Baby, I could never hate you! You're my little girl! You're my firstborn daughter! How could I ever hate you?", he asked.
"I got with your rival gang leader's son. Me and him are going to have a child", she said meekly.
"I still love you with all my heart, honey. You're still my baby girl. Come here, sit down", he said, pulling her to the couch.
"I'm scared", she admitted quietly, holding her stomach.
"Do you not want to have it? If that's what you want I'll make it happen. We can schedule it first thing in the morning with the clinic", he said quickly.
"No! I- I want to have it. I know you don't want me to but-", she began but he interrupted.
"I never said that. Sure, it's father isn't who I'd like, and you're still only seventeen. But if you have that baby, it'll be the happiest baby in the world. It'll have everything. Grandpa will make sure of it", he said with a smile.
"Won't you hate it?", she asked, her eyes filled with worry. "It's Alex's. It's related to Miles Shovek".
"Fuck no, sweetheart! It's apart of you! I could never hate anything that's apart of you. It's going to be my grandbaby. It is my grandbaby. I'll love it just as much as I love all you kids. It's my baby's baby. How could I not love it to bits?", he asked.
"What if-what if I'm not a good mom?", she asked, his heart breaking as her eyes filled with tears.
"Are you fucking kidding me? You'll be a wonderful mother!", he insisted. "And I'll be there to help you. Mom will be there to help you. Julie!", he said. "You know how Julie is. She's going to love having a real baby around to play with and take care of", he smiled.
Corinne laughed, before curling up against her father's chest.
"Mom's going to be mad at me, isn't she?", she asked him.
I'll talk to her. She won't be more mad than I was. And you've gone through enough. I think I yelled at you enough for the both of us", he laughed. "I'll talk to her. Don't you worry about your mom".
"If it's a boy I know what I'm going to name it", she suddenly announced.
"Oh?", he asked.
"Jacob Alexander", she said. "I know, you probably hate it but- I want it to be named after the two most important men in my life", she smiled.
He forced a smile. He was truly happy his daughter would name her child after him. But the Alexander part filled him with mixed feelings. Guilt. Anger. Most of all guilt.
They stayed like that for a while. Money watched T.V. as Corinne drifted off to sleep. He couldn't help but smile to himself. But a tinge of guilt came over him, knowing he had lied to his daughter. Knowing she would be devastated in the coming days.
Alex wasn't home at all. In fact, he knew Corinne would be waiting for him, so he parked the car on the street behind the house, leading Alex bound and gagged through their backyard and down the back basement steps. He sat the boy down in a chair, tying him up, drugging him, and making sure he was well gagged before making his way back up the basement steps. Just as he got halfway up, he heard a dinging sound from Alex's pocket. He turned, reached in to the boy's pocket and pulled out his cellphone.
"Why won't you text me back?? You're scaring me! Are you okay? Is everything okay? I love you so much. Please text me back, Al!", the screen said. And he knew the number. It was Corinne.
"I'm okay. Me and your dad were just talking for a while. Everything's fine. I'm home. I love you too. I'm going to get some sleep now. Goodnight, Cori", Money typed back, before sending the text so his daughter wouldn't worry about Alex before snapping the phone in half, tossing the pieces in to the trash.
It was then he made his way back up the back steps quietly, sneaking through the backyard and back to his truck, driving around the block and pulling in to the driveway. Sure enough, she'd been waiting for him to pull in.
So while his girl snuggled against him sleeping, the eighteen year old boy she loved was tied to a chair in their basement, unconscious, and she had no idea. But her thinking Alex was safe at home made her happy and comfortable, and kept her safe. And so, he pushed the guilt aside, laying back on the couch carefully as not to wake her, and fell asleep himself. Before he dozed off he considered what he'd do with Alex, but the guys were going to come over tomorrow while Corinne was gone to help figure that one out, so he pushed the thoughts from his mind. He'd do anything for his daughter. Anything for any of his children. And while this was unfortunate, it was how it had to be.
And he knew how it had to be. If he and the gang staged some sort of fatal accident, then Corinne wouldn't think he did it. He'd be there to comfort Cori, and Miles Shovek would be none the wiser, thinking his son had an accident. And Miles wouldn't target Money's kids for revenge. It was a win win.
For him at least, not so much for Alex.
