Daddy Issues

Daddy Issues

Maya's POV

I punched Vincent in the face before he could say another word.
My fist connected with his nose, and blood splattered everywhere.
"That's for abandoning me," I said.
Vincent stumbled backward, holding his bleeding nose.
"Maya, wait—"
I hit him again. This time in the stomach.
"That's for selling me out."
Vincent doubled over, gasping for air.
The three armed men behind him raised their guns, but Isabella held up her hand.
"Let them talk," she said.
"Talk?" I screamed at Vincent. "You want to talk? You had nineteen years to talk!"
"Maya, please—"
"Where were you when I couldn't pay rent? Where were you when I worked three jobs just to eat?"
"I was protecting you—"
"You were protecting yourself!"
Vincent straightened up slowly, still holding his nose.
"You don't understand. I had no choice."
"Everyone has a choice."
"Not when Isabella Romano owns your life."
I looked at Isabella. She was watching us like we were entertainment.
"What does he mean?" I asked her.
"Tell her, Vincent," Isabella said with a smile.
Vincent looked around the room nervously. At the smoke pouring in from the hallway. At the four men who wanted him dead. At his daughter who hated him.
"Your grandfather found me fifteen years ago," he said quietly.
"So?"
"He made me a deal. Work for him, or watch you die."
"Work for him how?"
"Watching you. Reporting back. Making sure you stayed safe."
I stared at him.
"Safe from what?"
"From them." Vincent pointed at Dante, Marcus, Luca, and Adrian.
"They never hurt me."
"Because I made sure you never got close to them."
"Until now."
"Until now."
My head was spinning. Nothing made sense.
"So you were working for my grandfather this whole time?"
"I was working to keep you alive."
"By abandoning me?"
"By staying away from you. Ivan said if I got too close, he'd kill us both."
"And you believed him?"
"I've seen what Ivan Volkov does to people who cross him."
Vincent's voice was shaking now.
"Maya, you have to understand. Everything I did was to protect you."
"Even selling me to them?"
Vincent's face went pale.
"What?"
"You sold information about me. You told my grandfather where to find me."
"No. No, that's not—"
"You set up the warehouse meeting. You led those assassins right to us."
"Maya, I swear to you, I never—"
"Then how did they know where we were?"
Vincent looked at Isabella again.
"Tell her," Isabella said. "Tell her who really sold her out."
Vincent's hands were shaking now.
"It wasn't me."
"Then who?"
"It was..." Vincent's voice got very quiet. "It was Agent Chen."
The room went dead silent.
"What?" I whispered.
"Your fake mother. The woman who raised you. She's been working with your grandfather from the beginning."
"That's impossible."
"Maya, Agent Chen isn't FBI. She never was."
"You're lying."
"She's one of your grandfather's people. She has been since the day she took you."
My legs felt weak.
"No."
"She's been watching you. Training you. Getting you ready."
"Ready for what?"
"To take over the family business."
Isabella started clapping slowly.
"Very good, Vincent. You finally told her the truth."
"What truth?" I asked.
"The truth about your entire life," Isabella said. "The truth about why you're here. The truth about what you really are."
"What am I?"
"You're bait."
The word hit me like a punch.
"Bait for what?"
"For them." Isabella pointed at the four men. "We needed them to care about someone. To have a weakness. And you, my dear, are their weakness."
I looked at Dante, Marcus, Luca, and Adrian. They were all staring at me with expressions I couldn't read.
"Is that true?" I asked them.
"Maya—" Dante started.
"IS IT TRUE?"
"It's complicated," Adrian said quietly.
"No, it's not. Either I'm bait or I'm not."
"You started as bait," Dante said. "But things changed."
"Changed how?"
"We fell in love with you."
"All of you?"
"All of us."
I looked around the burning office. At Isabella and her armed men. At Vincent with his bloody nose. At the four men who claimed to love me.
"So everyone has been lying to me."
"Maya—" Marcus started.
"Everyone has been using me."
"It's not like that—"
"Then what is it like?"
Before anyone could answer, more explosions shook the building.
The FBI was getting closer.
"We need to leave," Vincent said. "Now."
"You're not going anywhere," Dante said.
"Neither are you," Isabella replied.
She nodded to her men. They raised their guns.
"Actually," Isabella said, "none of you are leaving. Except Maya."
"What?"
"Maya, come with me. Your grandfather is waiting."
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
"You don't have a choice."
"I always have a choice."
"Not this time."
Isabella's men moved closer, their guns pointed at the four men I cared about.
"Maya," Isabella said sweetly, "you can come willingly, or you can watch your boyfriends die."
"They're not my boyfriends."
"No? Then you won't mind seeing them shot?"
I looked at Dante, Marcus, Luca, and Adrian.
Despite everything. Despite all the lies and betrayal and manipulation.
I couldn't watch them die.
"Fine," I said. "I'll come with you."
"Maya, no!" Marcus shouted.
"It's the only way."
"There's always another way," Adrian said.
"Not this time."
I started walking toward Isabella.
But Vincent stepped in front of me.
"Maya, don't do this."
"Get out of my way."
"You don't understand. If you go with Isabella, your grandfather will never let you leave."
"So?"
"So you'll become just like them. A killer. A criminal."
"Maybe I already am."
"No, you're not. You're good. You're innocent."
"Innocent?" I laughed. "I've killed people, Vincent. I've lied and stolen and hurt people I cared about."
"Because they made you!"
"No. Because I chose to."
"Maya—"
"You want to know the truth? The real truth?"
Vincent nodded.
"I like it. I like the power. I like the fear in people's eyes when they see me coming."
"That's not who you are."
"It's who I've become."
"It's who they turned you into!"
"Does it matter?"
Vincent stared at me like he was seeing a stranger.
Maybe he was.
"Come home, Maya," he said quietly. "Let me help you remember who you used to be."
I looked at my fake father. This weak, scared man who had spent my whole life running away from his problems.
"You want me to come home?"
"Yes."
"You want me to forgive you?"
"Yes."
"You want us to be a family again?"
"More than anything."
I reached behind Marcus and grabbed the gun from his belt.
Vincent's eyes went wide.
"Maya, what are you doing?"
I raised the gun and pointed it directly at his head.
"I'm choosing a side."
"Maya, no—"
"The girl you raised is dead, Vincent. She died the day you abandoned her."
"Please—"
"The woman standing here now is someone else entirely."
My finger moved to the trigger.
"Maya," Vincent whispered. "I'm your father."
"No," I said. "You're not."
I was about to pull the trigger when Adrian grabbed my wrist.
"Maya, stop."
"Why?"
"Because killing him won't change anything."
"It'll make me feel better."
"No, it won't."
I looked at my brother. My real family.
"He deserves to die."
"Maybe. But you deserve better than becoming a killer for revenge."
"I'm already a killer."
"You killed to protect us. That's different than killing for hate."
"Is it?"
"Yes."
I stared at Vincent. At the fear in his eyes. At the blood on his face from where I'd hit him.
"Maya," Isabella said impatiently. "Enough drama. Kill him or don't. But we need to leave."
"She's right," Vincent said. "The FBI will be here any minute."
"So?"
"So if they catch you with these men, you'll go to prison forever."
"And if I go with Isabella?"
"You'll be free."
"Free to do what my grandfather tells me?"
"Free to make your own choices."
I laughed.
"Vincent, everything you've ever told me has been a lie. Why would I believe you now?"
"Because I love you."
"You love the idea of me. The daughter you wished you had. But you don't know who I really am."
"Then show me."
I looked around the room one more time.
At Isabella and her patient smile.
At the four men who had changed my life.
At Vincent and his desperate hope.
"You want to know who I really am?"
"Yes."
I moved the gun away from Vincent's head.
And pointed it at Isabella instead.
"I'm the woman who's tired of being everyone's pawn."