I bent over and gave him a lingering hug. “I love you, Daddy.”
He put his arms around me and kissed my ear. “I remember when you could fit in the crook of my arm and I used to feed you my milkshake through the straw. When the hell did you grow up on me?”
Not wanting to let go, I forced myself to sit up. “I have to head out before dark. Is there anything you need? A drink, another grocery run, a bigger house?”
We both turned when the sound of a motorcycle rumbled in the driveway. I nearly fell off the chair when Crush kicked in the footrest and shot out of his seat to get the shotgun off the wall. Harley looked mildly interested but was too busy trying to snooze on a blanket in the opposite corner. I wondered if he recognized the bike and knew who was coming.
Crush peered out the window. “What the hell’s he doing here?” After setting the shotgun on the table, Crush unlocked the door and waited.
I sat down on the plaid sofa beneath the window, my legs crossed as I watched the action about to unfold.
Someone trudged up the steps, and before they could knock, my father opened the door.
Switch looked like the bad boy in a movie who decided to make an appearance and stir up trouble. He wore a heavy pair of motorcycle boots with his jeans bunched inside. His shoulder-length hair blew across his face, but I caught a smile. “How’s it going, old man?”
“Get your ass inside before you let the heat out. All kinds of visitors today,” Crush said, throwing me another look as he let Switch in and shut the door.
Switch set his black helmet next to the shotgun and unzipped his leather jacket. “Heard you were here,” he said to me.
Crush disappeared into the kitchen, which was opposite the living room wall. “Red needs to keep his mouth shut about my business. Don’t you see Raven every day?”
Switch held my gaze. “I’m on vacation.”
Crush ambled over to the table and wrapped up the leftover rolls in foil, obviously hoarding his food from our guest. “You want a drink?”
“I can’t stay,” Switch said, noticing my evening gown. His heavy brows sank over his eyes, and it felt like he was staring into my soul. “Mind if I talk to Raven?”
Crush tapped the package of plastic wrap against the chair and looked between us. “I guess that’s my cue to walk the dog.” He clicked his tongue twice, and Harley popped to his feet. “Don’t eat my food,” he warned Switch as he put on a coat. “We’re gonna take a walk down the road.”
I watched every movement Crush made. The way he bent down to give Harley a nice pat on the side, the time it took for him to connect the zipper on his coat, the wink he gave me before walking out the door. When he left, I’d barely noticed Switch had sat in the recliner to my right. He smelled earthy and green like fresh grass and wet soil. Sometimes Viktor had that same lingering smell after a long run on the property.
“Sorry to bust in on you and your old man, but I’ve got a few concerns.”
I turned the volume down on the Christmas movie. “You’re on vacation. What’s there to complain about?”
The springs inside the recliner creaked when he leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees. “I get a call out of the blue to take a long break—no explanation. Look, I get it. Keystone has secrets, and it’s not my place to question what you do. But imagine what’s going through my mind when I swing by the house to grab my favorite jacket and Vampires run me off the property. Good thing it was daytime because they tried knocking me off my bike.”
I folded my arms. “We’re having friends over.”
“I haven’t told anyone about this.”
Switch had a stare that could rival any Chitah’s gaze, so I got up and went into the kitchen.
“Keystone was taken under siege, wasn’t it?” he asked from behind me.
I used the scrubber to clean the inside of a glass. “It’s our problem.”
“News flash—your problem is my problem.” His voice was suddenly right behind me, his breath on my shoulder. “Sorry, Raven. But you’re not alone in this. We’re family.”
“Oh, it’s like that?”
“It’s like that.”
Instead of drying the glass, I set it in the rack and faced him. “I know that wolves have that pack-like instinct, but Keystone isn’t your pack. Enough people are dead. Do you think I want to see you or anyone else I care about killed? Viktor’s keeping you out of this for a reason—to save your life.”
“And I’m here to pay him in kind.”
I weaved around him with a wet rag and wiped down the table. “It’s complicated. If word gets out, I don’t know what could happen.”
