Some of my other men, who Brody oversees, look at me inquisitively before returning to their work, their postures stiffer now that I’m in the room. There’s something satisfying about carrying the kind of authority that can nearly break a man’s back when you’re in proximity.
Brody smugly crosses his arms over his chest, leaning back in the chair. The faint squeak from the hinges has the hairs on the back of my arms standing on end. “I’m going to need a little more information than that.”
“That’s Kate’s ex,” I clarify.
I want to punch him for the way his mouth lifts with a knowing grin. “You’re gone for her, aren’t you?”
I am.
Completely.
My eyes roll as I knit my arms over my sternum, trying to ignore the tight pull that’s making me anxious. I just want to find this fucker and rid her life of him. Entirely.
“Shut up,” I growl.
I may have to wait to destroy the bastard who ruined my life, but it doesn’t mean I have to wait to kill the man who’s tormenting her.
He clears his throat, typing away rapidly to match the pulse in my neck. “Arden hasn’t come after my balls yet. I assume that’s your doing?”
My eyes drift downward regarding him. I was the one lying to Arden. Brody kept his mouth shut about the reason Kate was here to save my ass while I watched her to see if she was involved with the Calco Cartel; it was only fair I saved his.
My father and I are slowly getting back to normal. We’ve always been close, and I hate that this has thrust an awkward space between us. He was shocked to see that I had brought him a bottle of his favorite Scotch a few nights ago—a fifteen-thousand-dollar bottle.
My visit was double-sided, though.
One, to apologize for lying and to tell him I forgive him. Arden may have held a gun to my head, but I was the reason it was there. Doesn’t make it any better, but I had to own up to my actions, and in return, he owned up to his. The only time I’ve seen my father cry is at Tayla's and my mom’s funerals, but as I sat in front of him in that office, he broke. His remorse was eating him alive. When he put the pieces together about Kate being at the estate, he was consumed by grief and overtaken by the demons whispering in his ear that Kate was working for the man who ripped my mother from him. His baby girl.
We just existed together for a while, like we have so many times when we’re lost in that place inside our heads that seems impossible to escape.
He’s all I have.
The man who taught me to perfect a shot with a handgun before I was in high school. The man who watched me gut a man with pride in his eyes instead of fear when I was sixteen. A father I look up to, knowing there’s no line between choosing the mob and your family.
If he could love my mother, Tayla, and me endlessly through all the bloodshed strung through our world, there’s no reason I shouldn’t be able to do the same. The thought of having a family may terrify me, but imagining my future with Kate gives me something to live for. Something to fight for. One look at her was all it took for me to understand that a violent life can dance with a beautiful one.
The second reason for my visit with my father that night was to defend Brody. I was the one who asked him to lie for me, and the thought of him suffering at Arden’s hand because of me had my gut spinning with guilt.
Clapping a hand on his back, I nod. “You did what I asked you to. Arden’s wrath was mine to deal with. I owed you one.”
He peeks over his shoulder, giving me an arrogant grin. “Damn. Was that an apology?”
I remove my hand from his shoulder, tucking it into the pocket of my suit. “Burn it into your memory. It won't be happening again.”
His typing fills the space as he pulls up a string of code. “Any other details that might help me narrow the search for this guy?”
My head tilts. “He was a part of her life back in Oregon. She said he was a phlebotomist.”
“Interest—” Brody’s eyes expand. His fingers stay glued to the keyboard as his eyes take in the screen.
My eyes narrow on his still stature. “What?”
“That name is in our system.”
“Well, yeah. I asked you to find him. It should be—”
“No, boss.” Brody swallows, shaking his head. “I mean,oursystem… Like the Lachlan Park employee database.”
I freeze, my sudden stiff posture forcing all the blood to my ears. “You better be goddamn fucking with me.”
