The Gang Leaders Daughter

Chapter 12

Alex's POV

It was so good to see Caleb again. I really had missed him, but I could feel the tension between him and Kyle. Fortunately, Caleb's father had come over and complimented my dress and congratulated Kyle and I being engaged. Soon enough, more people started showing up. Practically everyone there was a leader of a gang. Some were very known, and some were just starting out. Those who weren't gang leaders were either members, security, or arms dealers. The house was crawling with people who all had some sort of power. Which is why I was being cautious to who I talked to. 

I had been staying by Kyle's side as a precaution. He didn't seem to mind, not that I could tell at least. In fact, it seemed like he enjoyed it. Whenever someone he or I knew would see us, they would congratulate us and tell us how lucky we were to have the other. Few scolded the fact that we were getting married so young, but they still congratulated us.

After about an hour of that, I received a tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I saw the aging face of the man I missed most. "Daddy!" I dropped Kyle's arm that I was holding on to and jumped into a much needed hug from my father. 

"How are you, Pumpkin?" His voice was gentile, but it was raspy and hoarse, which wasn't normal. It was usually strong, yet smooth like velvet and the same time. 

"I'm okay, how are you? How are my brothers?" I asked as I pulled back to look at his face. He seemed to have more grey hairs than I remembered and he had bags under his eyes.

"I'm alright, dear. Your brothers are just fine. I'm teaching them each how to run The Devils, so they're at home. They're almost to the age that I'll pass down leadership to them so I can retire." He gingerly smiled as he looked down at me. He grabbed my hands and kissed them softly, then looked to the ring. "Isn't this the ring that Grandma Rose gave you?" I nodded as I explained.

"Kyle took it to get the six little diamonds added to it and made it my engagement ring. It was his way of trying to stop our constant arguing. It's worked so far." I smiled. He hummed in response and looked behind me to Kyle who was speaking with my uncle. 

"How is he treating you?" His voice got hard all of a sudden as I noticed tears gather in his eyes. I thought back to when I had first moved in with Kyle and he had almost choked me to death and then when he chased me through the house until I locked myself in the bathroom. I thought about telling my father, but when I looked to his worried gaze and the bags under his eyes, I decided not to give him anything to worry about. 

"He's treating me just fine, Daddy." 

"Good, I-" My father erupted into coughs that ripped through his whole body and I grabbed his elbows to try to steady him. He grabbed a napkin from his pocket and raised it to his lips. He eventually, slowly stopped coughing and tried to fold the napkin in half before I saw it, but he was too slow. 

I saw the white material tinted with red and grabbed it from his shaking hands. "What the hell is this?" I gently and quietly demanded. 

"Nothing you need to worry about right now." He whispered as he slowly took the napkin out of my hands. I grabbed his face. 

"Daddy, tell me what's happening to you. Your hair is graying faster than it should. You have huge bags under your eyes. You're coughing up blood...What's going on?" Right when he was about to speak, I heard a yelling from across the room by the front door and I froze as I recognized the voice.

"Don't fucking lie to me, Kyle! Where is she?!" It was Tyler, my ex. I looked to the source of the commotion and saw Tyler nose-to-nose with Kyle. Kyle looked calm, too calm for the situation, compared to Tyler's red face. "I know you two are engaged and I know she's with you!"