Chapter 2: The Command

*Lucas*

I paced back and forth in front of the door of my father's office. He had made a massive business decision without my knowledge. Even though he held half the shares, this was my company. I created this empire for us, and it wasn't easy. I had to turn every traditional crime that plagued our family for generations and make it into a sustainable company that could lead us into the future. The legal, viable part held the cover to our most illegal dealings, but with that I was able to employ over three hundred people and provide generous incomes to them and their families. My father's thoughtless action to bring in an unvented outsider into our home and privacy could destroy everything. To say I was mad was an understatement.

He had been under a lot of pressure lately from almost everyone, and the stress of it all had to be the reason why he would do this, why he would jeopardize so much for one person. There was also the possibility that he was losing his mind in his age and his critical thinking skills were declining, but he was only fifty-three, it was too early for his memory to start going. I really hoped that that wasn't the case, if his memory was leaving him, that would create a whole other Pandora's box that I wasn't ready to open. The only logical conclusion was that it was stress.

The argument I had over in my head was planned out to exhaustion, I was prepared for all possible outcomes and disagreements. Taking a few, deep calming breaths, I told myself that if he was approached angry then he wouldn't be receptive. He typically responded to reason and logic, but all this was new territory, I didn't know what kind of Tony Massi I would get today. I felt my body release the tension and my breathing evened out. Disagreeing with my father was not something that happened often, we were always in sync with our thoughts and decisions.

Knocking on the door while opening it, my dad held up one finger to tell me to wait while he finished up the phone call he was on. I took a seat on the large brown leather couch that was placed in the corner of the room adjacent to the sleek glass and steel desk that he was sitting at. In another out of character move, my father wanted all the offices to feel welcoming before Kennedy started. I had to admit that Grace had done a great job in the remodel, prior to her feminine touch, the offices felt cold and empty. Grace had spent the rest of the week getting everything ready and spending an enormous amount of money in the process.

The comfortable couch that was once two medal folding chairs were placed in front of an old large solid block of oak wood. There had been nothing on the walls and the built in bookshelves held random file folders. Prior to how it looks now, the rooms weren't a place for business meetings, it was to get work done and then leave, but now I could see us spending hours in here, bringing clients in and out without hesitation. Grace wanted the rooms to feel homey and inviting. An old family portrait was hung on the wall, one that I hadn't seen before and didn't remember taking. I must've been around three or four and my mother was holding me close to her chest. I rarely got to see pictures of her, photos from that time before her death were scarce. She was a beautiful woman, with auburn hair, light green eyes, a sharp nose, and triangular face. I remembered bits and pieces of her, like what she used to smell like, or a random memory of a sleeveless green sun dress, with little white flowers would pop in my head that I knew belonged to her but there were no core memories.

I always wondered what kind of woman would get involved with a man who was a criminal and eventually would know that whatever children she had would be criminals too, once you joined the Family you could never leave. I knew my dad was a kind, caring man, who would do anything for the people he loved but he wasn't exactly a good man. Dad would say that if you truly loved someone and treated them right, then they would look past your flaws, but I had a hard time believing that that kind of love truly existed.

Dad cleared his throat, taking me away from the distant thoughts of my mother, "I know what this is about," he said, cutting right to the point. "I have my reasons for wanting Ms. James here and I will not be changing my mind."

"Care to elaborate on those reasons." I said a little too hotly. "I am so confused as to why you think this is a good idea? I need to understand what you were thinking, especially going over my head and doing this without talking to me first, this could seriously affect my company."

Tony stood from his desk, pressing his fists against the glass, commanding his posture in a way that I've only seen him do when the Family was being insubordinate. "First, this is our company, not yours, I know you have turned it into what it is today, but I built it from the ground up too, I have just as much control over it as you do. Second, I don't need to give you my reasons, this is not negotiable, and a decision you are just going to have to deal with. This is an order, not a request."

I stared at my father blankly and blinked rapidly. The last, and only time he commanded me to do something was when I was ten years old, and he forced me to be friends with the boy that lived on the property we owned across the Pontchartrain. Sure, Titus had become the only other person I truly trusted besides my dad, but after that day he never commanded me to do anything. Like now, back then he said he had his reasons and never gave me an explanation, fortunately for him, it worked out. Every other time though it had always been a discussion and mutual agreement. There wasn't much more I could say, I did not have a plan for any of my scenarios. I got up from the couch without another word, I was forced to agree with him, ultimately what my father says, goes.

"Son," he stated, with my back turned away from him, "you may not understand and agree with my decision, but you'll have to trust me."

Trust was what I had for the man, but I couldn't just ignore this, it was a bad decision. Closing the door behind me, I pulled out my phone. Hesitating because I didn't want to disobey him, it would be the first time in my life that I would, but there was no way I could let this happen.

"Hey Boss, what's up?" Titus picked up on the first ring like always.

"We have a problem and Tony won't see reason. I will need you to find out everything about our new employee, Kennedy James. Go as deep as you can, I want to know her family, friends, and what she ate for dinner last night. Follow her if you need to and figure out the connection she has with my father."

"On it," Titus hung up. I could count on him to be discreet and get the job done.

If dad wasn't going to change his mind, I was going to figure out a way to force Kennedy James to leave before she found out all our secrets.