ISAAC

 

“You been walking around with a blindfold on or what?”

I blink a couple of times and push my teeth against each other before I speak. “Why do you say that, Uncle D?”

“I can’t believe I have to lay this shit out for you. Like father, like son.” Uncle Dane lets his head drop back, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I snap. Family or not, I’m getting pissed, missing whatever point he has yet to make. There are other things playing on my mind right now. The last thing I needed today was to be summoned by him for a chat in the damn park.

His head whips back up until he’s staring me straight in the eyes. That’s when he shows me some of his former self. That’s when I see how people feared him, even though to us he’s never been anything but loveable. Even at his age, right then is when he schools me on how to be a man and step up.

“Your dad had some fucked-up notions about your mum,” he says, and my shoulders tense. “Not like that. Never fucking like that,” he growls at me. I relax momentarily but tense again waiting for him to tell me the rest. “He didn’t think he deserved her. Not going to get into that. It’s their business. There are some things you don’t need to know. What I will say is he loves your mum. There was never anyone else for him, but I had to make him understand that she felt the same way about him too. Now it seems I gotta pull your head outta your arse as well.”

“Touching Uncle D, but I don’t get why my head needs to be pulled outta my arse,” I reply.

“She’s working at ShadowBox,” he snarls. My body goes from rigid to stone. I can hear the blood rushing through my ears as my fists curl in on themselves. “Took everything in me not to drag her arse outta there myself, but she’s yours. She’s always been yours. I didn’t see her dance. Thank fucking Christ. If I did, nothing would have stopped me tearing up the stage, putting her in my car, and dragging her to my sister. I am going to talk to Pea and Con, they need to step in… if you won’t.”

“I’ll sort her out.” The words come out in a low bark. I try to unlock my body, but everything in me is fighting against the information he’s just imparted. Via’s working at a strip club? No. Fuck that. Via is stripping at a fucking strip club.

“I can see you’re pissed, nephew. Rein it in. You need to deal with Liv in the right way. You bulldoze this, and you’ll get her out of there, but that will be all you manage. She’ll shut you out. She’s like her mum.” His tone’s softer now, back to being Uncle Dane and not Black Ops Dane.

“Why would I care? My goal is just to get her out of that shit hole and make sure she’s not showing her fucking body to every low life in London.”

“Then I haven’t pulled your head out of your arse yet,” he grinds out.

“You know the situation I’m in, you know what my life is. You know,” I emphasise.

“You’re right, I do know. What I know is that life’s short, don’t waste a fucking second, Isaac. Trust me on that.”

I say nothing, just stare ahead while I wait for him to give me the rest. “Isaac, you’ve known Liv her entire life. You know that you hold the world in your hands as far as she’s concerned. She can’t see past you.” Gently, he places his hand on my shoulder. “You have to know that.”

I nod and avert my eyes from his. “She’s my cousin. She’s family.”

“And if you don’t wake up, that’s all she’ll ever be. One day you’ll open your eyes, and realise… she’s someone else’s.” He taps my shoulder and walks away, calling back as he goes, “Two days Isaac, then I go speak to Pea and Con about Liv. Let me know you’ve sorted it, or haven’t… and if not, I’ll sort it.”

My big body slumps onto the bench, and I heave out a sigh. Tonight I’m going to ShadowBox. Tonight is the last time Olivia McKenna takes her clothes off for anyone. The words ‘but me’ drift through my head. I shake off the notion. “Fuck, I need to get a lid on this,” I murmur to myself.

My mobile rings and I pull it from my front pocket. “Shelly,” I grunt.

“There’s movement on the shipment.”

“Handle it. I’m busy.”

“What the fuck? This is what we’ve been waiting for.”

“Shit,” I growl pinching the bridge of my nose.

“Fine. I’ll be back in twenty minutes.” I cut the call before she can say another word.

One way or another, I’m getting to ShadowBox tonight and pulling Via’s arse out of there.