The others didn’t speak, seeming to automatically defer to Antoine.
“I believe you are Jaquelynn’s handler during this mission?”
I nodded, my lands laced between my knees. “Yes.”
“And, at the guild, you’re her team leader?” He asked the question like he already knew the answer but still expected me to respond.
“That’s correct.”
“So,” he adjusted in his seat, a very non-vampire move, probably a habit to make me feel more at ease, “please update me on the status of your mission.”
I blinked at him and then cleared my throat. “Pardon me, but I have given constant updates to President Fleming. Why aren’t you asking him for an update instead of me?”
If they really wanted to know about the mission, then they’d have gone through the correct channels. Them showing up here and ambushing me told me they were more worried about Jack than the actual mission. They thought they could get information out of me that they couldn’t get from President Fleming.
My eyes jerked to Rayne, who chuckled.
The redhead leaned forward in his seat, elbows on his knees. “I don’t mean to be rude, but you’re thinking very loudly.”
“Liar,” the other twin snorted. “You like making people uncomfortable, not knowing if you’re listening or not.”
Before I could respond, Antoine answered my question. “Tristen will give us the specifics, of course. I want your personal assessment.”
My fingers went to push my glasses up my nose, then I remembered I wasn’t wearing them. I dropped my hand.
“I don’t know what I can tell you that’s not already in my report.”
“Are you sleeping with our daughter?” Wynn asked, cocking his head to the side.
The others looked at him some in amusement and others in a chastising way before all eyes turned to me.
My mouth dried. There was no good way to answer this question. No father wanted to hear about their daughter’s sex life. I had to wonder if they were simply asking to make me more uncomfortable, put me off my game, a way of intimidating me. I cleared my throat and contemplated how to answer them.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but no. We are not sleeping together. We have been professional.” Mostly.
Rayne arched a brow but didn’t correct me.
“Why not?” one of the twins asked bluntly.
“Drake,” Antoine snipped, but all of them looked to me for an answer regardless.
I licked my lips and tilted my head slightly. “It wouldn’t be professional. Not only am I her handler during this mission, but outside of that, I’m her superior. I’d never use my position to take advantage of one of my hunters.”
“A bit late to put that worm back in the can don’t you think?” Wynn chuckled derisively.
I stared at him. “I don’t understand.”
Darren shifted on the arm of Antoine’s seat. “I believe what Wynn is trying to portray, quite crassly, is that we know ourdaughter. And up until a point last year...” He paused and then added, “After your promotion, I believe.”
I swallowed, having a feeling I knew where this was going, and it wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have with Jack’s dads. One dad was bad enough, but seven? They might as well shoot and bury me already.
“All we heard for months was Julian this, Julian that,” the other twin, Allister, groaned, shaking his head. “You were all she ever talked about for a while there and then suddenly...” He opened his hands in front of him..
“Nothing,” Drake supplied for him. “For our daughter to be all about someone one day and then suddenly not talking about them and acting pissed off—”
“Sad,” Marcus finally spoke up, his voice a rumbling growl. “She was sad.”
“Yes.” Drake pointed at him. “Something happened.”
