Page 69 of Forbidden Need

With a slight jolt, her father stopped, and Conn’s hand dropped.

“Sersha…” her father said, and she just stood there waiting. “I… I’m sorry.” And her jaw dropped. What the hell was—“What I said was inappropriate, your relationship is none of my business.”

“I… what?” She couldn’t… Had she hit her head? “What?”

“I’m sorry. I love you…” Glancing at Strat and Conn, she didn’t even know how to respond. “I’m proud of you.”

“You’re… Oh my God.” This was Connel, all Connel. She didn’t exactly believe her father was sincere, but fuck, it was a wonder to witness. “Thank you.”

The astounding shock that almost decked her was watching her father look to Connel for the nod before walking away.

“Whoa,” Strat said. “That’s a neat trick.”

“What did you say to him?” she asked, moving against him. “How did that…?”

Strat handed three fingers of whiskey to both her and Conn. “Threaten him with your enforcers?”

“Didn’t have to,” Conn said, touching his glass to hers when she raised it. “I’m good at what I do.”

“I’ll say. Wonder what else you can make him do,” Strat said. “Remind me never to cross you.”

“I don’t think you ever planned to.”

“Boss?” Niall’s appeal brought them around. “Entertainment’s here.”

“Entertainment?” she asked as the lieutenant stepped aside. Through the vast windows at the front of the building, trouble brewed. “Oh, shit.”

Swerve and Vex got out of a car on the opposite side of the broad street.

“Fuck.”

“We’ve got this,” Connel said, handing his glass to Strat.

She caught his arm. “Baby.” When he looked at her, she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want him to get hurt, to go out there and brawl or… “Remember your audience.”

He came to kiss her head before urging her back against Strat. The men made eye contact then Connel was striding away, Niall with him. With a glance at this guy and that, they followed their leader.

Razer, Jagg, Ford, oh shit, if Vex called in his troops…

“Let them be, Scamp,” Strat said as the McDade crew walked out onto the road to meet Vex and Swerve in the middle, literally stopping traffic.

Not one horn blared. Cars kept their distance and seemed happy to do so. Locals, obviously.

Conn and Vex, toe to toe. The room held its breath. People weren’t even subtle in standing up to watch what they could see and not hear.

“I just got him out of the interrogation room,” she murmured, holding her glass to her chest. “I don’t want tonight to be bail.”

“Welcome to your new life, Scamp. And for what it’s worth, I don’t think they’d bail him,” her friend teased. “Not him.”

“Thank you, Strat.” She swallowed some more liquor. “That makes me feel so much better.”

He laughed. “Come on, you don’t laugh about it, you’ll go crazy. Your guy’s smarter than to rumble with a wraparound audience. And a blue one at that.”

“Conn can’t use what he knows about Vex in front of Swerve.”

“Because Swerve is Silvio’s lackey.” Silvio being the don and Vex’s father. “What does Ire know about Vex?” After a second of eye contact, she drew her eyes away. “Strange to see the two of them together, Vex and Swerve.”

“I’m not reading too much into that. It’s better that Silvio sent Swerve than came himself.”

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