To Love A Gangster

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Joey was sitting in his living room nursing a brandy feeling sorry for himself. He jumped up when he heard the front door knock, thinking it was Lucy he flung the front door open, but was lost for words to see who was standing in front of him. He just stood there staring with his mouth hanging open.

“Well I was expecting a warmer welcome than that,” Mike said with a smirk.

He didn’t know what to say, or do as he looked at his father, he knew he would come because his father still to this day swore he didn’t kill their mother, but Lucy had walked in and saw him stab her so it had to be true.

“What are you doing here?” Joey growled.

“I’ve come to see my children, but from your warm welcome it’s obvious you don’t want me here,” Mike informed him.

Joey raised his eyebrows at him, was he serious damn right he didn’t want him there. Mike had always been a big influence on Joey growing up, and he had always tended to get sucked in by anything his father said, mostly through the fear of the beatings he would receive when he didn’t listen, but he couldn’t risk that happening this time.

“It’s not obvious enough because you still came!” Joey hissed.

“Joey when are you going to believe that I did nothing to your mother, I loved Anna!” he snapped.

“Don’t say her name!” Joey roared.

Mike stood there with his arms crossed over his chest glaring at his son, he had always managed to scare Joey into submission when he was younger, and he wondered if he could still do it now.

“She did it to herself Joey, you know that she was having problems!” Mike shouted back.

Joey pulled him inside the apartment and slammed the door. He had no idea why he was allowing him to even have his say, but he wanted to hear what pathetic excuses he had come up with. Mike followed his son into the living room and sat down. Joey poured them both a brandy, and Mike sipped his whereas Joey knocked it back and poured another.

“I know she was having problems, but she wasn’t that far out of her mind that she would have stabbed herself five times!” Joey said as he knocked another one back.

“She wasn’t taking her medication, Lucy walked in as I managed to get the knife off her I know how it looked, and I know what the police thought, because I wouldn’t have been in prison for ten years otherwise!” Mike told him.

Joey tried to push it out of his mind but it had always niggled away at him. Lucy wasn’t old enough to understand that their mother wasn’t well, she was losing her mind she had conspiracy theories about people trying to kill her. It had always been in his mind that his father might not have done anything, but he was found covered in blood with the knife in his hand what was he supposed to think and the judge obviously believed he had done it because he sentenced him to ten years in prison.

“I need some time to think, and I want you to stay away from Lucy until I have spoken to her.” Joey told him.

Mike was pleased he was finally getting somewhere, but he wanted to see his little girl more than anything, it was her he needed to convince.

“Where is she?” He asked Joey.

“None of your business,” Joey huffed.

Mike raised his eyebrows at him, wondering what he meant by that there was no way he was going anywhere without him answering his question.