Allan closes his eyes for a moment before he reopens them as he returns to being his stock standard impassive self as he speaks. He takes a final sip of water and continues his remarkable confession. But when he starts again, his voice fills with so much malice and resentment I lean away from him. “Those men who I thought were my pack, who I trusted, stood next to me when you were in your hospital bed, and then they watched me bury my beautiful Margot. I will not let their deed go unanswered, nor will I let the law handle them. How could I? They hurt my daughter.”
ChapterForty-Three
RAMSES
Heidi is barely taking in what her father is saying. She’s completely overwhelmed and thrown by what he’s done. I hold up my hand, stopping him.
“Come here, baby,” I say quietly, touching over her shoulder. She moves without hesitation, curling up on my lap. I drop my arm on her, weighing her down with my presence and scent before giving her something to do. “You text Kai on your phone, I need to call Dare quick.”
Looking back at Allan, he’s retreated from spilling secrets to his more tried and truer stoic world after dropping a nuclear bomb on us.
Darius picks up the instant I press his number. And probably sensing I wouldn’t be calling unless it was an emergency, he doesn’t say a word.
“We need to lock down the place. Let the pilot know that Dr. Verdune doesn’t need him, he can go. Once you’ve spoken with the gate, get all Heidi’s guards to hold the perimeter. We’re not expecting trouble. I then need you here. Ask the staff to remain where they are until we seek them out.”
He goes, and Heidi is texting Kai, before she looks up at me. “Go get him for me, I’ll watch Allan.”
“You’re being bossy,” she retorts, but it’s without volume.
“I am.” I flick my head to the door, but Heidi doesn’t get off my lap.
She cups my face. “Not too bossy, or I’ll pull an ‘Allan’ and poison you.”
And then she disappears, and I’m left smiling like a fool after her, as I savour the latest confirmation that Heidi is our ideal partner.
My eyes linger on the door before I shift my focus to her father. “Is this the safest place for us to talk?”
His eyebrows pinch as he considers the question. To him my question could have a few different interpretations.
“I want to be able to speak with you freely, without being watched. Is there a better room to use?” I clarify.
Allan nods, and gets out of his seat, walking towards the bank of glass windows and doors, which is exactly what I was referring to. The security is not an issue considering we’re adequately protected, but the risk that people see us together is still there.
Instead of answering, he pushes a button and a moment later a low hum and a rush of green and gold curtains block the view of the outside world.
“I’ll wait for everyone to arrive before I introduce myself properly and go through what I’m suggesting,” I offer to him as he goes to sit back down. “But I think I have a better solution that may be more beneficial than getting the police involved.”
He doesn’t say or do anything for a few moments, but he also doesn’t stop his inspection of me, and that is what it is. Allan Verdune is an Alpha. You can see it in the way he acts, the way he holds himself. What sets him apart isn’t his strength—it’s his analytical mind. I suspect he’d be able to defend himself but unlike some Alphas, he wouldn’t be able to defend others. However, I only want him for his mind.
“How do you know Heidi?” he asks eventually.
“I’d like her to be here for that. And I’d like her to explain it to you if that is okay,” I say before starting to clean up the mess on the dining table. Leaving the stark reminder of what Allan did is good in the sense it keeps us focused, but at the same time I think we need to not have it sitting in front of us. I want all his focus on his daughter because nothing else matters.
In no time at all, Kai and Heidi reappear, and she’s looking back to her normal self already. Sending her away was a two-pronged approach to give both Heidi and Allan a chance to find their footing after such a shock. Heidi will be struggling to understand what, where, and how her father has done what he’s done. But for an Alpha it is ridiculously simple, he’s sacrificing himself to protect what is left of his family. And I understand that in spades.
Kai’s hand stays on Heidi’s lower back, and Allan hides his surprise at how similar my brother and I look, although at the same time you can already see his thoughts racing.
Kai steps up next to me, waiting, because that’s how we roll. We work together, covering each other and being protective of what is ours.
“Dare’s coming inside in a couple of minutes, he’s doing what you asked. I’m going back to the kitchen to grab a few things so we’re not disturbed. Rohi gave me an update on what happened.” Kai makes no bones of talking about Allan to me while Allan is watching. “I have a new respect for the man that extends past his brilliant mind,” Kai says by way of an update before he does what he said he was going to do.
I finish cleaning up the burnt tablecloth but also consciously move the chairs around, hopefully to give us a different mindset. I even purposely pull the chair both Heidi and Allan were avoiding, closer to Allan. I’d put money on it being Margot’s place at the table, her seat. The way the both of them looked at it longingly made it clear without anything being said.
Darius comes in, his attention makes a sweep through the room before he locks his eyes on Heidi. The appearance of my other brother makes Allan’s bushy eyebrows tip. But he remains an observer, still not saying a word.
“Little moon, what the fuck is going on now?” Darius doesn’t hide behind niceties or trying to be quiet.
And Heidi glides near his space, stopping short in front of him to give him an update. Of course, Darius nabs her, sweeping her off her feet again to sit on the table, on the far side so he has some privacy with her. He stands in front of her, his hands on her thighs grounding her, but touching her would also be easing him. He’d be stressing something else had been thrown in our path, anxious to know more about the lockdown but mostly his concern would be on Heidi, her emotional welfare.
