“Don’t worry, Poe. I have faith in you.”
I ascended the other stairs, wondering if I had faith in my father. I knew Christian would go above and beyond, but would Crush ever bend? He was an obstinate man, so it would take a lot from Christian to change his mind about him. I knew he had my best interest at heart, especially given my rocky childhood.
When I reached my bedroom, I opened the door and found Harley snuggled up on the white rug in front of a crackling fire. The wind outside whistled against my north-facing windows, and small pellets of ice tapped against the glass. A love seat in the alcove had a thick blanket draped over the back. Not my love seat and definitely not my blanket.
“Where did that come from?” I asked.
Crush looked up from the bowl of soup he was eating at my desk. “Peckerhead.”
“I really wish you’d stop calling him that.” I sat on the bed and noticed he had on brown slippers. “Did he give you those?”
“No. Blue left them at the door. Said they were Viktor’s. I guess we wear the same size. Warm as hell. Sheepskin lining or something.”
He also had on one of Viktor’s sweaters, and it made me smile. When we had gone back to the house for the dog, Crush was so fixated on Harley’s giant bags of food and chew toys that he didn’t pack anything for himself beyond a pair of boots and a toothbrush. Two metal bowls sat on the floor to the left of the desk, one filled with water and the other containing a few kibbles.
“Before you start harping on me, I took some painkillers,” he said, slurping more soup.
“Let me know if you start feeling any of the symptoms on that sheet. I mean it. Don’t blow it off.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know.” Crush lifted the bowl and drank the rest. Then he wiped soup off his goatee and turned his chair to face me. “Why don’t you have a TV in here?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, there’s no electricity. Wyatt has a huge TV in his office along with vending machines. That’s down on the second level, and you have to stay up here. I’m not a big TV watcher anyhow.”
He set the napkin on the tray. “I take it you got a new job?”
“I can’t talk about it, but yes. If you accidentally hear anything, it could compromise the mission. Viktor would make you live with us until the job is complete.”
“Oh hell no. I’ll stay up here. I got too much work to do. The boys are taking over the shop for now. I told them to stay home today because of the roads.”
“If you get bored or want to walk around, you can go in any of the open rooms up here. We have a game room and a library. Most of the locked rooms are for storage, so don’t go rummaging around in those. And stay off the covered balcony. It’s too cold out there, and you might accidentally lock yourself out.”
“I’m not a six-year-old.”
I thought for a minute, then continued. “We put chairs in our favorite alcoves. Some are just private places to talk, and others have windows with a great view of the property. Grab a blanket and thermos of hot coffee. People pay to vacation in places like this.” I glanced at the hearth. “I see Christian brought up more wood. Since you’re not used to burning firewood, keep the flue open. Only close it when the embers are burned out and cold. That’ll keep the warm air from escaping. Just remember to open it before starting up another fire or you’ll suffocate from all the smoke.”
“Does the Vamp have a room, or does he sleep in here?”
“Both. Don’t worry, Christian won’t bother you unless it’s to check on you or the dog. I’ll sleep in his room to give you privacy.”
“Or you can sleep in here to give me peace of mind.”
“I’m not sleeping in the same bed with my father. You snore. Besides that, this bed is way too small for the both of us.” I glanced over my shoulder toward the armoire and noticed a narrow table that wasn’t mine. The bottom shelf had nothing but drinks while the top had baskets filled with fruits and other snacks. Everything my father could possibly want to tide him over.
“Keep a candle burning in the bathroom at night,” I instructed him. “It gets dark after the sun goes down. There’s also a flashlight I never use in the bedside table. The batteries should still be good. Is there anything you need?” I looked at the bed and assessed if the blankets were warm enough. “The fire keeps it pretty toasty in here. Wear your socks to bed. If you have to get up in the middle of the night, these floors are like ice. I should probably hang drapes over the windows. They’re old and drafty.”
“Harley will keep me warm. Won’t ya, boy?”
“Ruff.” Harley’s tail thumped against the carpet a few times before he dozed off.
I got up and hugged my father tight. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Stop worrying.”
“No, but I might.”
He pulled back. “Say again?”
“I just don’t want anything to happen without letting you know how much I love you. That I forgive you for all the dumb shit you did in the past, and I’m sorry about the hell I gave you. I’m not sorry about the hell Istillgive you, because now I’m doing it to keep you alive.”
