Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 122

Daniel blinks at me for another second, I think a little appalled at my suggestion that he kill his uncle, before he sees the irony on my face and realizes that I'm making a dark joke. A bad joke, admittedly, but one I hope will break the tension. Thankfully, Daniel does laugh, shaking his head and dropping it a little as he tugs at the bow tie around his neck. "It's so insane, Fay," he sighs, and when he continues to fiddle with the tie I brush his hand away and untie it for him. "It is," I say, leaning in to put a hand on his cheek and make him look at me. "Honestly, Daniel, there's so much we don't know. And nothing else we can do about it, at least until tomorrow. So should we just..."

"... Get really drunk? And not talk about it?" he finishes for me, and I grin at him, glad that we're on the same page. "Hell yeah," he says as the bartender comes back and places our two drinks in front of us.

We both grasp our glasses and clink them together as the bartender moves away, smiling at each other.

"To our engagement," I say, feeling a little hysterical, "which has survived, somehow, despite all odds."

"Our engagement," Daniel agrees, smiling with one half of his mouth as he shakes his head and downs his drink, signaling to the bartender for two more. I laugh and toss my shot of tequila down, savoring the burn in my throat, wanting the relaxation and tender oblivion that it promises.

And then, impulsive, I lean closer to Daniel and press my mouth lightly to his, kissing him because I love him and because I'm grateful for him.

The kiss is sweet, short and easy, but Daniel laughs when I pull away, glancing around the room. "Come on, Fay," he murmurs. "Cool it, or you'll ruin my reputation here."

I stare at him for a moment, confused, and then slowly I start to look around the room and realize that everyone around us at the bar or the little booths...everyone is sitting in same-s*x couplings.

"Oh my god," I breathe, my face breaking into an excited smile as I whip my face back to Daniel, thrilled. "Did you bring me to a gay speakeasy!?"

"Welcome to Green's," he says, giving me a little smirk and raising his newly-delivered second Manhattan to me. "The most discreet, private, and expensive gay club in our fair city."

"Ohmygod," I say again, so fast and excited that it's all one word, looking around again, absolutely buzzing with curiosity. "Do you come here all the time? Why do they call you Mr. Green?"

"Be cool, Fay," Daniel laughs, putting a hand on my shoulder and obliging me to sit back in my seat as he hands me my drink. "As I said, I've got a reputation here."

"Are you Mr. Green?" I ask, my eyes wide. "Do you own this place?"

"No," he replies, grinning at me. "Every member is Mr. Green. It's supposed to be anonymous. It's kind of...the one place in the city where I can go to a gay bar and...not worry about who sees me."

"Oh," I say, my eyes going wide as I realize how important that must be for someone like him. "Well, I love it," I say, grinning widely. "Thank you for bringing me!"

"Well, who can I trust if I can't trust my fiancé," he says with irony, taking a big gulp of his drink.

"Beards are notoriously trustworthy," I point out with a happy sigh, nodding along with him.

And then, over the course of the next few hours, as we laugh and chat and talk about nothing and everything all at once, Daniel proceeds to get very, very drunk.

I drink with him, of course, but I start to notice that when I'm on my second drink Daniel's on his fourth. And on my third, his seventh. Daniel's bigger than me, of course - he can handle more than I can - but still, I start to see his eyes go half-shut as the night passes and his words slur together. I don't chide him, realizing that this is what he wants, perhaps needs, after our stressful evening.

Daniel is...sensitive, I know. And while this is my first time at this "maybe my dad will get whacked for power" rodeo, it's something he's dealt with all his life. And perhaps the strain on him...I guess it makes sense, in a way. That he's just so sick of it that all he wants to do is wipe it from his mind.

And there is something about it that I find tempting - the idea that I could wipe it all out, too, for the next few hours, and face none of it. But there's something else in me that wants to stay sharp, that isn't finished with the night.

And as I see Daniel's phone, resting on the bar, continuing to light up with text after text, I realize what it is.

"Give me that," I say, reaching for the phone as Daniel signals the bartender for another round.

"Ignore him," Daniel suggests lightly, waving a dismissive hand. "Fuck Kent. F**k Natalia. F**k 'em all."

"Don't be ridiculous," I murmur, entering Daniel's password (which I obviously have memorized) and clicking open his texts to find at lest six from Kent demanding to know where we are.

I quickly type out a reply:

Hey, it's Fay. Daniel and I went out for drinks to blow off steam. We're safe. We just...don't want to be around them right now. All right?

I wait a few moments and am pleased when a text comes right back.

All right. Come home tonight. I want both of you here, safe.

I send a little star emoji back, purposefully vague, and then slide the phone back onto the bar.

"Seriously, Fay," Daniel says, and I look up to realize that he's been watching me. "Seriously, fuck Kent. He's ruining our lives. Why do you even care if he knows where we are? Why do you care about him at all?" "Daniel," I reply, frowning at him a bit. "He's your dad."

"He's a dick," Daniel insists, and I laugh, shaking my head. "What," Daniel continues, leaning into me a bit, "are you going to deny it?"

"No," I say, crossing my arms and studying him. "But...I admit that I am less willing to talk shit on your dad than I used to be."

"Because you have a crush on him," Daniel murmurs, sighing ruefully and taking a too-large gulp of his new drink. "Which is still weird and gross."

"Slow down on that, Mr. Green." I advise, taking the drink out of his hand and placing it back on the bar. "Besides, it's not like your dad wasn't on our side tonight, Daniel. He was just as pissed at Natalia and Alessi as we were."

"Yeah, but only because it benefits him," Daniel sighs. Then he looks up at me, his face perhaps a little too serious for someone so drunk. "Seriously, Fay," he says, looking at me closely. "You don't think he'd kick you to the curb just as easily as Natalia did if it stopped benefitting him? As easily as he did Fiona?"

I bite my lip, hesitating, not knowing the answer and a little afraid of it.

"Fay, he dated Fiona for years," Daniel insists. "She was practically family. She was like -" his voice breaks a little here, taking my heart with it, "she was like a mom to me. And then poof," He snaps his fingers in the air to emphasize his point. "Gone." "Daniel," I sigh. "Fiona was...my cousin. She was betraying your dad, reporting back to mine. Telling him Kent's secrets."

Daniel goes a little bit pale at this information and turns back to the bar, reaching for his drink. "Okay well," he murmurs, "that makes more sense then. But still, Fay! He cuts ties. You are not safe, just because you're sleeping in his bed." "I didn't think I was," I sigh, and as I say it...I wonder if it's a lie.

Because honestly, sometimes?

Sometimes that's the place in the world where I feel safest, the only place that makes sense.

The other night, Kent called me his peace - his refuge. And honestly I wonder if that's what he is becoming for me as well.

But before I can consider it, I notice that Daniel is sliding out of his chair a little bit, his eyes half-closed.

"Whoaaa, boy," I laugh, jumping up from my seat and helping him sit up.

"I'm fine," Daniel insists, yawning and swatting me away a little, looking for his drink.

"I know, sugar," I murmur, grabbing his phone off the bar again and dialing the first number in his recent call list. "Let's get you home."

Twenty minutes later, I smile as I see Jerome come through the curtain.

"Well hello, Mr. and Mrs. Green," Jerome says, looking us over fondly as he wanders over to the bar, his hands tucked neatly in his pockets. "My, aren't you a sight."

"Just Mr. Green, tonight," I say, standing up and tucking myself under Daniel's arm so that he can lean on me. "Mrs. Green held it together."

"Did she?" Jerome asks, looking at me suspiciously as I stumble a little in my high heels.

"Comparatively, yes," I say, raising my chin proudly and making him laugh.

"You guys all right?" Jerome whispers to me, curious and concerned. "The three of them came home and it was...a lot of yelling in Italian."

"We'll make it," I say, giving him a sad little sigh. "It...was a bad night."

"Okay," Jerome says, nodding, trusting me to fill him in when he needs to know.

"Hey, 'rome," Daniel slurs, finally looking up to see his boyfriend there.

"Hey, handsome," Jerome says warmly, and I'm both surprised and pleased as Jerome steps close to my fiancé, reaching out to run a hand through Daniel's dark hair before moving to duck under Daniel's other arm. I've never seen them be this sweet to each other before. I almost blush to see it, the real affection between them on full display.

"Ready for bed?" Jerome asks Daniel softly.

"With you?" Daniel says, looking over at him as if I don't exist at all. "Any time."

Jerome grins at his boyfriend, nods to me, and then together we get Daniel out to the car.