Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 220

Kent nods slowly, looking down at me, but his face doesn't register any surprise. "All right," he says, his voice even. "Where do we begin?" I frown at this, a little - it's almost as if he was expecting this.

"Why aren't you more surprised by this?" I ask, pulling back a little. "Are you - do you have reasons to want to have a talk about Jerome too?"

Kent sighs and rolls his eyes a little. "I don't - Jerome's been nothing but loyal to me since the day I hired him. I just met Janeen in the hall on my way here - she briefed me. Don't read into it too much, Fay."

"Oh," I say, tilting my head to the side, relief running through me. Because the last - the absolute last thing I want right now is to have any more reasons to suspect Jerome. But seriously - the way Jerome responded to the idea that Ivan told me to be suspicious of him...

"What happened?" Kent asks seriously. Quickly, I tell him all of it - about Ivan telling me to watch out for Jerome and then Jerome's extreme reaction when I casually mentioned it. Kent listens carefully, his eyes on my face the whole time. I reach out and take his hand while I speak, inwardly a little pleased to see Kent slip into his boss role, assessing the situation.

It's much sexier than he probably knows.

But, well. We have other things to concentrate on right now.

"Don't you think, though?" I say, wrapping up. "That, I mean, if Jerome thought that it was ridiculous then wouldn't he have just laughed it off? I mean, it's Ivan of all people."

"Why is it ridiculous if Ivan says it?" Kent asks, frowning. "I mean, he's not stupid. He had us all fooled."

Slowly I shake my head, looking up at him. "He had us all fooled, Kent, but he...he really did think he was getting me on his side. And he was very eager to sow whatever discord he could between Daniel and Jerome and I - he was trying to separate us, to change my loyalties to his side."

"Again," Kent says, staring off into space and considering it. "It wasn't a bad tactic, if that's what he was doing. It's a system that many who seek control - particularly abusers - use. And especially if there was some truth behind it..."

"Are you suggesting Ivan was an abuser?" I ask, wrinkling my nose. Because... I mean, I think that pushes it a bit far, doesn't it?

"No," Kent says, smirking a little and smiling down at me. "Though it's interesting to see you defend him, Fay."

I roll my eyes, brushing it off. But I have to admit - as much as I've firmly chosen team Lippert? I don't hate Ivan - I hope he finds his own peace and just leaves us the hell alone.

But something in me...well, it suggests that Ivan's not done just yet. He's too dogged for that. The idea curls in my stomach, but I move on from it, wanting to continue the conversation.

"So, what did you mean?" I ask.

"That those who seek control over people - abusers, cult leaders - will typically try to separate people from their loved ones in order to get them away from people who would tell them to get out of the situation."

"Oh, you mean like how you made me cut ties with Janeen and my dad?" I ask, raising my eyebrows right back.

This makes Kent genuinely laugh, tilting his head back a little. He looks a me a little ruefully. "All right," he says, "fair. But I'm not trying to separate you from them now, am I?" He tugs me a little closer, a bit of apology on his face. "I've repented."

"No," I say, smiling up at him. "You've been quite good lately, Kent. Maybe we should send you off to little two-month stints in jail more often. Reformed Kent is quite nice."

He murmurs something dark about how he'd like to see me try before lowering his face to mine, seeking a kiss. But I put my hands on his chest, laughing and pulling my face away. "Pay attention!" I scold, pleased despite myself but wanting to have this talk. Kent, I know, especially after having a little morning whiskey, would be pleased to let us get distracted - but this is important to me.

"Right, right," he sighs, settling back on the pillows but not moving his hand from the place where it has dipped low on my back, perilously close to my ass. I narrow my eyes at him, shaking my head and squaring my shoulders, hating that he's making me be the responsible one right now.

"So, do you think that was it?" I ask. "That Ivan was just trying to sow discord? Or, do you think there's anything about Jerome to be worried about?"

"Well," Kent says, leaning back against the pillows and taking me with him a bit so that I'm nestled warmly against his side. He lets his eyes glaze, clearly thinking it through. "I think Ivan's own motives for asking you to be suspicious of Jerome are certainly a factor." "And since you met Jerome - you have no reason to suspect him as anything but a loyal employee?" I ask, curious.

"Except for the fact that he was quietly sleeping with my son for months and deliberately keeping it a secret?" Kent asks, looking at me and turning his head dubiously.

I laugh, shaking my head at him. "I've lived with them, Kent. I - they're in love with each other. I have no doubts about that - I don't think they could have faked it this long, not with the way that they treat each other."

"All right," Kent says, nodding, taking my word for it. "Then no, I don't have any suspicions."

"Will you tell me?" I ask quietly, watching his face. "How you...found him, or whatever?"

Kent nods and then begins. "It was about two years ago," he says quietly. "I saw him on the streets a couple of times. You have to understand - there's pretty much two ways to get loyal guys on your team. The first is through...referrals, of a sort. If a guy on your team brings you his family? That's the best. If he brings you a friend, or someone he met recently...it can be good, but not always great, because you don't know what that new person's motives are."

"What do you mean?" I ask, curious, soaking this all up. Because while I now have proof that I am at least mildly criminally adept, I've never grown a team like Kent has. I find myself fascinated.

"You never know," Kent says, "where that 'friend' came from - he could be a rival guy, or someone else's man who just found a way in. You've got to be careful with that kind."

"Like Fiona?" I ask quietly.

"Precisely like Fiona," Kent says, sighing a little, I think still frustrated that she got by his radar for so many years. "I was introduced to her by a mutual friend; I should have been more suspicious, but...she did her work well, and her background check came out clean. But now that she's your cousin and she's killed for you, it's different. You two are deeply tied and more likely to be loyal to each other. Yes?"

I nod, letting him know I understand. "So, is that how you met Jerome?" I ask, getting him back on track.

"No," Kent says, shaking his head, frowning a little as he looks away. "Jerome was the third way, which is as good as family. I noticed him - he didn't even introduce himself to me, or know I was watching."

"Where?" I ask, my voice quiet, not wanting to interrupt.

"I met Jerome when he was hustling on the streets," Kent says, smirking a little. "Stealing hubcaps off fancy cars and reselling them to parts dealers. Other things too - I noticed him a couple of times. He made a lot of money, but he didn't blow it all on booze and girls or impressing his friends, and he wasn't hooked on drugs, like so many of these young guys are. All of which suggest to me someone eager to work, and eager to rise. I liked that."

I smile a little, recognizing Jerome in this description, loving him more from it. "So, when did you bring him on board?"

"I did it casually," Kent replies, looking at me now. "A couple of small jobs, which he performed well. Then, when he passed any background checks we could pull on him, I had him shadow Marco for a while. Marco gave a good report, said he was hard working and eager. So," Kent shrugs, "I put him on the payroll."

"He moved up fast," I say, raising my eyebrows, "if you soon had him driving me."

"Maybe too fast," Kent murmurs, considering it with a little frown. "But...he knew horses. So, if I was going to send you to the stables, I wanted you with someone who wasn't going to be a total idiot there."

I smile a little, remembering the early days getting to know Jerome, whom I had liked instantly. Even if Kent was glad to know Jerome could handle himself around horses - still, I wonder at him sending me away with a good-looking young guy - especially since I now know that Kent was into me basically from the start.

"Did you know Jerome was gay?" I ask, curious.