Chapter 67.
Hutch's heart twinged. He'd waited so long to hear those words from that man's mouth. Far longer than Brett was aware. Brett being his father, to him, had never been in question, even though he had always denied it. His mother may not be the most reliable person in the world, but the one thing he knew, was that she hadn't lied about this. At some point in the distant past, Cherry had told him everything about how he came into that world, and he'd known ever since that moment, that she had been telling the truth.
"All these years of denial, and now what? You expect me to care because it no longer matters?" Hutch questioned, wondering why this was the moment he'd chosen to finally admit what he'd known this entire time.
"You should care. In fact, you should care a great deal. No one can stop us from having the relationship we've always wanted. I understand if you have reservations, but you having a job and supporting yourself, changes everything. Without getting into the specifics of it, when my parents found out about you, I was told it was an all or nothing scenario. Accepting you, meant I had to crush her, and our family had the means to do it. Sheridan had already lost the support of her parents, because of her refusal to…" he paused and looked away. "You were better off in her care. We may not have been able to have even a decent relationship, but at least we still had something. I wanted to help, and tried at the beginning, but my father found out and told me that it could be used as evidence that I believed you were mine and forced me to stop. The way things have been, is the best I could do. But you're independent now. You can be seen as separate and apart from Sheridan. No one can stop us from moving forward. Can't we start here, by just getting to know each other and seeing where it goes? Like why don't you tell me, about your job. What is it that you do, exactly?"
Hutch didn't want to believe any of what Brett was saying. There was something underlying all of it that set his teeth on edge. He was listening to a twisted version of a truth skewed as much in Brett's favor as he could make it, but while he wasn't certain of the reason, given he'd made no hint about the possible family connection, he had an suspicion that it wasn't anything good.
Taking a moment to think it over, Hutch knew he needed to string Brett along. Whatever his underlying motivation was, he wanted to discover it, to keep the Barstow's from becoming a problem, and discovering for themselves the familial relationship to the Stanton family, be it through Cherry or other means.
"I'm the butler."
"No way. That's amazing, Jules." There was a lack of genuine sincerity in his voice, although he'd made a valiant effort to fake it. "That's a big step up from high school drop-out, and whatever shit you were getting up to with that group of future criminals you'd started hanging around with. Does your boss, know about your background?"
"He knows more about it than you. Part of my employment contract requires me to return to high school, and graduate."
"Sounds to me like you were lucky that you didn't end up with a criminal record. Although, I doubt he would be too thrilled if he found out about your friends."
"I prefer to call them, former associates, but since you brought them up, it makes me wonder what you're trying to get at."
Brett's smug grin was testing Hutch's patience. He knew well enough that Casimir wouldn't care one bit about any of his former life here. If he was willing to let go of all he had done to stop him when he was king, a few poor decisions as a teenager wouldn't even make him blink, and Brett had no way of knowing that.
"Just that, it seems to me that you've managed to get into a good position all by yourself, and I would hate to see you lose it because of your questionable behavior, until recently. But, considering, all of that was under your mother's watch, me having a good relationship with you, and your boss, could help reassure him that you're not going to slip back into old habits."
"He knows where I stand, and he knows where my habits lie."
"Jules, son, you're still young. It pains me that I haven't been able to raise you to know what men like Salvador and my father are like. They don't trust anyone. The tiniest hint that you've slipped up, and it's over. You need a buffer, and I've got the name and reputation to back you up. I just need a chance to prove that to him, and with me at your side, he'll never consider letting you go."
"And what's in it for you?"
"Okay," Brett bobbed his head, "I get it. It's going to take some time for you to trust me. That's more than reasonable. But what's in it for me, is a good relationship with you. Anything else that might come my way, would be just a bonus." Taking another drink, he leaned back, with his eyes close, humming as he savored the flavor of the top-shelf scotch. "Damn, that tastes good. You'll see, Jules, there is a lot to love about this life. So, what do you say, would you consider getting me a sit down with your boss? Let me talk to him as your dad?"
"As my dad," Hutch chuckled. "What a sad joke. You've never been my dad, Brett. I'm honestly quite loath to know that you're my biological father. You took too long to come to your senses, and I'm well past the age, where I care. Whoever Casimir Salvador chooses to 'sit down' with, is his business, not mine. I am his butler, nothing more. I will not overstep my bounds, so you can pretend to be something you are not."
"You may wish to reconsider your position, Jules," Brett remarked, shaking his head, his tone filled with an unjustified amount of disappointment. "Especially since I would bet all three of those pretty little emeralds in your tie tack, that your upstanding and very respectable boss, has no idea who Cherry Bomb really is. Do you really think a man like him is going to let the son of a stripper, oh, my bad, exotic dancer, from the largest, trashiest club in the city, be seen in public with that exquisite beauty who is his precious wife? And if I'm not mistaken, he's got a daughter too. Considering the looks her mom has, I'd add in those cufflinks that she's a gorgeous little hottie also. So, is it all that much for me to ask that you convince him to maybe have a few drinks with your old man, in exchange for me keeping silent? I mean that is the reason you moved out of your mom's, right? To make sure he never saw her for the bitchy whore she is?"
The hairs on back of Hutch's neck stood on end. Brett wasn't wrong about Casimir not knowing who his mom really was, and how he'd prefer that he never found out, but he was more than willing to tell Casimir the truth making this far from the sort of leverage, Brett thought it was.
"I'd highly recommend that you refrain from speaking of the Salvador family in such a disrespectful manner. Casimir is the type of man who would not take kindly to such a vile slight, especially towards his wife. If you wish to do business with him, think of him as a King who gave up a kingdom just to be with her, and maybe, by some miracle, you might be tolerated by him."
"See, Jules. I knew you'd see things my way. This is going to be good for both of us. You get the dad you've always wanted, and I finally have a son who's worth acknowledging. Things go well enough, this could be a whole new life for the both of us, Jules."
"I already have a whole new life, Brett. I'll find a way to convince Casimir to sit down with you, but fail to heed my advice, and you won't find yourself getting very far. Now, my time is up, enjoy the rest of your drink."
"Wait one more minute," Brett said, as Hutch stood up from the bench. Taking a moment to straighten his tuxedo, he watched Brett pull a couple of business cards from his inside pocket. "Take those," he remarked, tossing them across the table. "Give one to your boss and keep the other for yourself. Use that number to reach me if you can't get a hold of me at home."
Picking up the business cards, Hutch slid them into his inside pocket.
"Good. See, I knew we could come to an understanding," Brett remarked, as he lounged back with a broad, toothy grin, plastered on his face. "Now be a good son and go back to your boss. Can't have him thinking your old man doesn't respect your new position or his invaluable time."
"If you want to gamble, Brett, you should try the poker tables on the observation deck. I think you'll have far better luck there. I'll be in touch," Hutch replied, hearing the smug bastard remark, "Best see that you do, Jules," as he turned and left the room.