The House of Angels

Uncle Clay

Clay turned around and his face immediately changed, his body stiffened, his grip on the cue tightened.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my princess' new plaything." He smirked disdainfully, holding his ground. "Oh, and you brought your friend, too." He added, taking a look at Josh.

"We should talk." Daniel said curtly, his eyes cold, his entire demeanor threatening.

"I have nothing to tell you, and I suggest you to run before I decide to beat you two to death." He laughed, turning around to continue his game.

"You seemed to have a lot to say this morning, when you sent those ugly, cheap roses to my girlfriend." Daniel smirked, knowing he was going to hit he target with those words.

Clay growled, turning around to face him again, the grin wiped out of his face with just a few words.

"You have a death wish, boy?!" He barked on his face, pissed and ready to attack.

"You're the one with the death wish, uncle Clay. It wasn't enough for you to abuse a fourteen years old," Daniel said sarcastically, his voice getting louder to make sure everyone in that place could hear him. "you also keep stalking her after two years, when she's still a minor..." he said, pacing calmly around the room, making sure to gain everyone's attention. "and, to make matters worse, that girl happens to be my girlfriend, as well as Dominc St Vincent's daughter-in-law." He concluded, feeling satisfied when the mention of his father's name made the entire room go silent. He usually hated that reaction, he hated Dominic and everything he represented, but sometimes it was necessary to pull some strings for a greater good.

"You, son of a-"

"You sure you want to make things even worse, uncle Clay?" Daniel asked mockingly with fake concern. He had him right where he wanted him.

"Shut the f**k up!" Clayton shouted, red like a tomato. "You wanna talk? Let's talk!" He snarled, then dropped the cue and headed toward the backdoor with Daniel hot on his heels.

As soon as they were out in the alley Clayton pulled out a semiautomatic gun and pinned Daniel on the wall, gun pointed straight at his head.

"You think I give a f**k about your daddy, you little bastard?!" Clayton snarled, fury contorting his face. He was so pissed he was really considering to put a bullet between that kid's eyes. Moon was his. After all he'd done for her, he'd earned the right to have her, and this son of a b***h wasn't going to ruin everything.

Much to his surprise, the kid wasn't scared at all... he was... smirking?

"What the hell... you're sick, kid, just like your father!" Clay said, unable to mask his stupor.

"You think I'm scared of your little gun, you jerk?" Daniel asked, laughing heartily.

Josh was petrified, he was scared to death, he couldn't lose Daniel like that. Moon had told him what that man was capable of, but the scariest thing was that Daniel kept provoking him and Josh knew his friend didn't care for his life at all, so that was going to end pretty badly.

"Daniel! Let's go home!" Josh yelled, taking a few steps toward them.

"Don't come any closer or you'll be seeing your friend's brain!" Clay shouted, his eyes never leaving Daniel's.

"What are you waiting for, uncle Clay? Shoot me!!!" Daniel hissed, a sick smirk on his face. "You thought I was gonna beg for my life? How delusional! I don't f*****g care!"

"Shut up!!" Clay's grip on the gun tightened as he pushed it harder against Daniel's temple.

"If you shoot him, his father will kill you and everyone you care about!" Josh hastily intervened, hoping to put some sense in that motherfucker.

"Then Moon will be safe. Let him shoot me, Josh, really." Daniel's evil grin was scaring.

"You think I won't do it?" Clay asked with a chilly voice, as the cold metal pressed against Daniel's skin.

"On the contrary, I think you'll do it. I hope you will." Daniel replied, his face serious now.

Clay fidgeted with the gun, considering what to do.

Daniel was surprisingly calm. He didn't fear death. He'd faced it too many times. He thought of it as a liberation from the pain, from that purgatory people kept calling life.

Clay's face suddenly changed, his eyes searching Daniel's face.

"You would die for her?"

"f**k you, man. I suggest you to shoot me before I make you regret you were even born!"

"Daniel, stop!" Josh barked, exasperated.

"You two don't know her at all, do you?" Clay asked, this time it was his turn to smirk.

"What does that even mean?" Josh frowned in confusion. "We should calm down, put the guns down and talk like normal people. If you two are able to act like proper human beings!"

"Listen carefully to what I'm saying. That girl will be your ruin, boys..." Clay shook his head letting out a little chuckle.

"Shut the f**k up, old man! You have no right to talk about her!" Daniel snarled his forehead pressed harder against the gun, daring Clay to pull the trigger.

"You think she's a victim? How sweet of you..." Clay mocked them.

"Why don't you stop beating around the bush and tell us what exactly you mean? Or is this just your ridiculous attempt to confuse us?" Josh cleverly said.

"Because I would never betray her. Unlike you two, I know her very well: all her soft spots..." he whispered, looking pointedly at Daniel with a smirk. " and her darkest secrets...and yet I'm still here. I would never leave nor betray her. I'll just wait 'till she gets tired of you and then I'll take her back."

"You're sick, man. She doesn't want you. Stop imagining things." Daniel snapped, now shaking with anger.

"You think so? I think you don't know a f*****g thing!" Clay hissed between gritted teeth.

"Shoot me while you're still on time!"

"Daniel!" Josh yelled desperately.

"Shut up, Josh!" He replied, still looking directly into Clay's eyes. "Shoot me, you coward!"

Sensing Clay's hesitation, Daniel didn't waste time and slammed his forehead hardly against

his nose and he, taken by surprise, stumbled backwards, the gun falling on the ground. His nose was evidently broken and blood coated his face.

Daniel didn't waste time as he tackled the older man on the ground, his fists connecting violently with his face.

"You should have pulled the trigger, you coward!" He shouted, his mind blinded by rage and fear. Fear of losing Moon becuse of that asshole. Fear of not being able to help and protect her, like he hadn't been able to help his mother or his aunt. Clayton wasn't reacting at all, his face was now showing signs of Daniel's fists, but he was a huge man, and, although Daniel was pretty big himself, he couldn't have managed to do that if the older man hadn't hit his head while falling on the ground.

"Daniel! Daniel, s**t stop it! You'll kill him!" Josh yelled in panic, stopping his friend's arm right before he could deliver another punch.

Daniel was heavily panting, his knuckles split open, his white shirt soaked in Clay's blood.

Clay was laying there, unconscious, barely breathing. Josh checked his vitals and after making sure his heart was still beating, he shoved him away disdainfully. He was lucky to even be alive and he had only Josh to thank for that.

"Are you okay, man?" He asked, looking intently into his friend's dull eyes.

"Yeah. Let's get out of here." Daniel replied curtly, standing on shaky legs to head toward his car. Josh called an ambulance before following his friend. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty for secretly enjoying what had just happened. Clay deserved to die, but he couldn't let Daniel do that, not when they'd worked so hard to prevent him from becoming like his father, and he wasn't going to just watch while Clay succeeded in doing what even Dominic St Vincent hadn't been able to.