"Come in," my father states in a voice so full of command, if I didn't know any better, I wouldn't have thought he was asleep.

The man that found Aiden and I together pushed the door open and dragged me inside the office, dropping me to the ground in front of my dad's desk. What an asshole. Clearing my dad thinks so too because I can see his teeth subtly clenching and unclenching.

My dad is a scary man. Just with his 6 '3 height is enough to make anyone trying to look in his eyes topple over, but for his age he has managed to stay pretty fit and healthy. He also has this dark aura around him that I have been trying to master for years that makes anyone in his presence want to lower their heads.

Though, while I may not have completely mastered his aura, I was born with his dark, murky green eyes that pierce lasers into everyone that crosses them. Trust me it hurts.

"What was so important," my dad asks calmly, rising from his black leather chair. "That I had to meet you in this office at 1 am in the goddamn morning. And if you say it's because he went to a party I will rip your eyeballs out and feed them back to you," he says standing in front of the trembling man while holding a knife to his neck. Shit, he knows about the party.

"I-I promise this is important, Mr. Auclair."

"Out with it then," my dad says, already bored with this conversation.

"Your son is gay. I found him kissing a boy in a neighbor's backyard," the man spits out with disgust. But I guess that is a normal reaction for someone that works in the underground and black market.

You see while everyone around the world is starting to accept gay people, the underground is not. They fear that if their heir is gay, they wouldn't be able to have any kids to keep the bloodline going. Even if the couple did adopt the bloodline wouldn't be "pure". If parents were to find out about their child's real sexuality, most would force their children into arranged marriages and in the end most of the children would kill themselves. Or if the child got lucky, their parents would just disown them. Both ways it is still not great.

"Is he now," my dad says looking over to where I was sitting on the floor. "Do you have something you need to tell me Cameron?" He says with so much demand it sounds more like a statement. "Maybe you should tell me after you are not drunk, go sit on the couch." What?

My dad walks back to the man and shoves his knife into the man's mouth and slices off his tongue. The gooey pink object falls onto the red rug and blood fills the man's mouth. "That should teach you from telling lies about my son."

Dad walks to the door and gets the two guards standing in front. "Take this man down to the basement and leave him there."

The two guards scurry around the man and drag him away immediately closing the door behind them.

"Now since that is out of the way. Do you want to tell me what that was all about," dad says while sitting on the couch next to me. "You know a drunk man's actions are a sober man's thoughts."

I look over to my dad sitting patiently on the couch with his legs crossed. "I don't know," I mumble. And it's true. Dad always taught me to evaluate every aspect before I made a decision, but now I don't even know where to start. Yes I have always liked Aiden, he was my best friend. But do I like him in that way? Do I like boys in that way?

Even when girls flirted with Aiden I may have gotten a little jealous, but that's normal isn't it. I just wanted him to pay attention to me. I never did see girls the way my brothers have, but they always said I just wasn't old enough yet to understand. But I should be old enough now. What if I see boys in the same way they see girls?

I think back to some of the other boys in my class, but only one boy with caramel hair and a light six pack is sticking out, shit. I immediately try to fight down a blush that is creeping up on my face.

"You seem to be having a great dream over there, Cameron," dad chuckles.

"Shut up," I say, trying to hide my face in my hands.

"So, it is true."

My blush disappears and I stare back at my dad. He had raised me since birth after mom died in a car accident planned by one of our enemies. I know after saying it out loud my whole life will change,  but it has to be said, if not for my dad, for me.

"Yes, I am gay."

I try to keep a strong mask on, on the inside I am crumbling fast. Please just say something.

"Get over here."

"W-what?"

Dad opens his arms in my direction, "Don't leave your old man hanging son."

I immediately jump into his arms and hug the life out of him. "I will always love you. You are my son and always will be, but I also wish for your happiness."

I look at him, trying to see in his face, where he was going with this conversation.

"If you stay here with your family in the mafia, you would be forced to hide your sexuality and marry a woman who you wouldn't like or you can go to America to start anew. I can get one of my guys to forge a new identity for you and you could finish school at an international boarding school. But, you wouldn't be able to see us again without getting a target on your back."

So a life where I may find a husband or a life where I am trapped in a cycle of killing with no escape. "I am sorry dad, but..."

"Don't be sorry, I wouldn't have made it one of the choices if it hurt me too much. I am going to call my friend to get you a new identity. You can rest, but be ready to leave at 5:45 am." And with that dad walks back behind his desk and starts looking through folders at 1:55 am in the morning, for me.

————————

"You ready Cameron."

"Yes, just let me send one quick message." My bags have already been taken to the Uber by the back gate since dad didn't want to tell any of the men specifically where I was going for safety reasons.

I scrolled down to the one other contact I have besides my family.

Hey Aiden,

I am going to boarding school for the rest of high school, so don't question why I am not at school. I hope to see you around in the future, but I fear that may be unlikely. I hope you can move on past what we may have had and find someone else you can hold close to your heart. In a few years I better hear about the best doctor around in town.

I start to write the words I lov- but then I start worrying about holding Aiden back. So instead, I finish the message with a short I will miss you, my dear best friend.

"Here," I say, passing my phone to dad. My phone would be easy to track so I have to get rid of it. As I passed over the last item that connected me to this place and people, it hit me at full force. It wasn't just my family and Aiden I was leaving behind, but also my reputation at school.

Normally people only wanted to hang out with me because my family was wealthy, leading to all my friends being fakes; but I was fine with that because at least I had Aiden. Now though, at boarding school I have the chance to get people to like me without the money attached to my name. It's going to be perfect.

"I will always love you. Don't let anyone push you down and keep your head up," dad says while hugging me tightly breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Wow dad, you are starting to sound like a normal parent."

"What are you talking about kid? I was a completely sane and reasonable parent to you."

"Making me run around your backyard for 3 miles while I was hung over isn't normal."

"Well normal 15 year old kids aren't supposed to be hung over in the first place, maybe it was just your fault that I had to take such extremes."

"Fine, I get it."

"Dammit kid I was supposed to have the most time left with you."

We stayed together in silence for a few more minutes basking in each other's presence.

"Alright," dad says, pushing me out of his hold. "Here's your new passport, ids, and some money in the white envelope. Now I better not see your body return in a coffin you got that," dad says pushing his finger in my chest. "Go make me and your mother proud."

With those final words and a small smile on dad's face, I open the car door and tell the young man who looks to be on a caffeine high, which makes sense for 5:55 in the morning,  where I'm going.