Miss Right

Chapter 15 - Revelations

Del became very serious very fast. That was a name he knew well. It couldn't be a coincidence. There'd never been another Scrappy. Del had had a few run-ins with the enforcer. That's even before his time as boss. There'd been a few groups back then, but only one that kept a Scrappy. Scrappy was also the brother of the boss. That means Del was most likely correct. Kari was the daughter of Steven the Fist. He should've known. He could see it now. Steven had worked for him.

Del wanted Steven to take over when he retired, but Steven had been gunned down.

The story went that Jimmy the Seal had found out about Steven taking over. Jimmy sent gunmen to catch him at home but had taken out his wife and child instead.

Steven went crazy. He was determined to do as much damage as possible. Steven and Scrappy assaulted Jimmy's compound. At the end of it all, Steven had bled out on scene. Scrappy escaped but was seriously injured. Del had already been listed as dead, so he wasn't able to help. Considerable damage was done to Jimmy's underlings. He never recovered from it. That's probably how he ended up an easy target for Demetrius. Most left him alone out of respect for Del and Steven. Demetrius didn't give two turtle shits about anyone.

Del was reeling. He never expected his past to get this close to his front door. Now, what was he going to do?

"You can't blame your dad, child. If I had known you were still alive, I might've found you sooner.*

They'd been watching the emotions storm across Del's face, but they weren't prepared for the story.

"Kari. He put you and your mother in hiding and realized that they wouldn't rest until you were both dead. He did the only thing he could do. Jimmy would never believe a rumor, but seeing Steven throw caution to the wind? That was enough. He gave his life to make sure you and your mom could have a life. He had to believe you died in the attack. Yet, here you are right back in the middle. You're a target because Demetrius noticed before I did. He only had two options. Kill you. Or marry you. Either one would solidify his takeover. If everyone else were to find out that you were the daughter of Steven, there are those who would instantly rally behind you to make you the new leader. "

"I'm no leader. This is all too much. It can't be true. My mom said my dad left to be a farmer. To make a fortune to support us. And he was killed? For me? And my friends at the bar. How many others have to be hurt for me? This is too much…."

Kari had been fighting back tears. She walked into the next room, trying to stifle them as Martha followed her in to comfort her. Del needed to act quickly. Something would eventually go wrong. He wasn't ready for it. Time was already moving too quickly.