Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 165

When I open the front door to my shore house, I'm a little appalled - but somehow, not surprised - to see Ivan standing there. "Are you serious," I growl, moving to slam the door shut.

But he throws out an arm, stopping me. "I just want to talk, Fay."

I stare up at him, hatred all over my face. "Where was all the talking, Ivan, in the past few days before you destroyed my life?"

"I didn't destroy anything," he snaps back, his temper rising as he leans forward to glare down at me. Kent did that. But somehow, I'm the bad guy?"

"Yeah, Ivan," I hiss, staring up at him. "People who lie to me for months about their entire identity are the bad guy -"

"I was undercover!" he shouts, starting to lose his cool. "It was my job!"

I open my mouth to throw something back at him, but my dad's cool voice cuts me off.

"Can I help you, young man?" he asks, and I turn to see my dad with his arms crossed, looking Ivan up and down unhappily.

"Sir," Ivan says, standing up straight and looking a little chagrined to have been caught yelling at this man's daughter. "Apologies sir. I'm Detective Kaminski. I've been... involved in the Lippert case for several years now. I'm...acquainted with your daughter." "He means he's in love with her!" Janeen's voice calls down from upstairs

My cheeks instantly burn with embarrassment and when I look back at Ivan I see that his are too.

"Well then," my dad says, his eyebrows nearly to his hairline as he moves back to clear the path to the stairs "Guess you should come inside, my boy."

I scowl at Ivan as he passes me, but shut the door behind him.

"How did you even know where I live," I murmur to him as I we climb the stairs after my dad.

"I know everything, Fay," he sighs back. "Besides, it's public record - you own this house."

"Jackass," I murmur, but I don't say anything else as we reach the second floor, where Janeen and Daniel are waiting for us in the living room - Janeen grinning eagerly and Daniel looking stoically at Ivan even though he's still dressed in my dad's pajamas. The five of us stand awkwardly together before my dad clears his throat and breaks the silence. "Quite a selection of young men you've gathered, Fay," he says, a little smirk on his face as he looks between the two incredibly good-looking guys standing in the living room, one dark and one fair.

Janeen bursts into a stuttering little laugh. "Oh dad," she says, putting a hand on his shoulder and grinning around at us, enjoying every moment of this. "You don't even know the half of it -"

"Janeen," I growl, swatting at her, but she evades me and loops her arm in dad's. "Come on," she says, sing him towards the kitchen. "Let's get our guest some iced tea."

Daniel takes a step closer to us, closing the circle.

"Do you mind," Ivan says to him through clenched teeth, "if I have a moment alone with Fay?"

"Hell yes I mind," Daniel snaps, crossing his arms over his chest. I do the same, likewise glaring at Ivan and wanting Daniel there.

"Why are you being so ridiculous, Fay?" Ivan says, losing his temper again almost immediately. I consider him, realizing that I've never seen him this worked up - not even that day in the stable. "I did this for you - for -" he glances at Daniel, "for us -" "What!?" I exclaim, shocked. "Ivan, you did this for you - for your fucking job, for your father -"

"That was the start of it," he agrees, staring intensely down at me, not looking at anyone else anymore. "But the end of it - moving now, getting him out now? I was setting you free -"

I take a step closer to Ivan, glaring up into his face and speaking between clenched teeth. "I did not ask you to set me free - I am not some ridiculous caged bird! I wanted to be there -"

"He had you locked up!" Ivan exclaims, getting heated now, "tied into that ridiculous contract!"

"Contract?" I hear Daniel ask, but I ignore him.

"That's all bullshit, Ivan," I say, placing a hand on his chest and shoving, hard. "I made my choice - weeks ago. I picked him."

Ivan stumbles back then, staring at me - and it's not just my shove that pushed him away. It's also his disbelief that...even with Kent out of the picture. I still pick him.

He glances down at my stomach. "Is this because you're..."

"No!" I shout, advancing on him again and going pale as I glance towards my dad in the kitchen, who I still haven't told.

"Because he's never getting out Fay," Ivan says all in a rush, his eyes wide now, almost as if he's trying to explain my freedom to me - as if I think I'm still wrapped up under Kent's control.

"You've got some kind of Stockholm Syndrome bullshit - but Lippert is so wrapped up in all of this that he's never getting out - he's going down -" Ivan steps forward and takes me by the shoulders, staring closely into my face to make sure I hear him. "There's no bail - the judge refused it. And he's - they're going to ask for the death penalty, Fay. The best he can hope for - ever, even with a plea, is several life terms in prison. He's not getting out."

Ivan studies my face as I go pale - as he waits for me to realize that I am free -

But he's going to be waiting a damn long time for that, because no one was forcing me to stay in the Lippert house. I wanted to be there -I tied my life to Kent and to Daniel because I want them. Because they're my family.

"I will help you raise this baby," Ivan murmurs, stepping closer to me now.

"That's fucking enough," Daniel growls, stepping forward to intercede, but I put up a hand to stop him.

"How did you do it," I say, my voice hard, as I stare up into Ivan's face. "Because we both know you don't have enough on Kent to get him six life sentences."

Kent confessed to me some horrible crimes that night in my bed and Ivan has a recording of that - but I'm well aware that kind of pillow talk isn't going to hold up in court. So, there's got to be something else.

Ivan sighs and glances at Daniel, not wanting to say. But I stare up at him, waiting.

"Other testimony," Ivan sighs, looking away - I think, somehow, a little ashamed. "Other bosses are coming forward, testifying against Kent in exchange for immunity. They're...they're loading him up, Fay. That was the deal: Kent takes the blame for some other boss' crimes and the city gets a huge part of their organized crime wiped out - the entire Lippert enterprise, liquidated."

"Who," I whisper. "Who else, besides you."

Ivan just shakes his head at me.

"Who!" I demand.

"You already know, Fay," he says, gritting his teeth.

"My father," I whisper, staring up at him, needing the confirmation.

Slowly, Ivan nods.

And then he takes a step closer to me, as if to take me in his arms -

But I step back and I turn away, wrapping my arms around myself and moving slowly towards the back deck, where I stare at the sea.

"Fay," he calls after me, but I just shake my head.

"You should go, Detective Kaminski," I say quietly, the name feeling odd on my tongue. But he's not Ivan anymore - not the one I knew.

He says my name again, pleading this time. But I don't reply.

I hear footsteps, a little protest, maybe even a light scuffle. But then a single set of footsteps echoes behind me. "I'll give you time," Ivan says, "to realize that this is right. I'll be back, Fay."

"I'd prefer it if you didn't," I murmur, heaving a little sigh. But I don't look back at him, and he doesn't touch me. Instead, the footsteps just fade away behind me. And when they're gone, I just rest my head against the door frame and close my eyes.

And then I spend the next half hour wondering how the hell I'm going to deal with the fact that I'm probably never going to see Kent ever again.