Page 13 of Exile and Embrace

I had noticed her too, but I was wise enough to keep my mouth shut and my hands to myself. As far as I knew, she loved him. What a waste.

So, being involved with Declan’s ex is definitely the last thing I want to be doing. If she backs out now, there might still be time to find a woman to play along.

You’d still want her, though. She is perfect for this.

Ava laughs and pushes her sunglasses on top of her head before glancing over at me. “Look, my father turned out to be a bastard in disguise. I need to figure out exactly who he was so I can put all that shit behind me. Which means, I would be going to Portland either way.”

“Your dad?”

“Yeah. Dead now, so don’t get yourself worked up over meeting him. He was the Head of State.” She focuses on the road, weaving through traffic.

“You never mentioned that when you were with Declan.”

Ava gives me a flat look, those brown eyes looking like they’re seconds away from rolling to the back of her head. “I knew then what your family did for a living. Did you really think I was going to put my family in jeopardy like that? All Declan needed to know was that my father was a politician in Tennessee.”

“Even back then you didn’t trust him?”

“I trusted him. I loved him.” Ava’s hands tighten on the wheel again before she reaches over and turns up the music.

The bass rattles the windows as the crooning voice of a singer I don’t recognize fills the car.

I guess we’re done talking about this. That’s fine, there’s going to be plenty of time to find out what else she was hiding back then.

The phone that was in the envelope starts ringing a few minutes later.

I sigh at my father’s number on the screen. Even though I want to ignore the call, I’m smarter than that.

When Dad calls, you answer.

“Hello.” My tone is low as I reach over to turn the music down.

“Are you on the road?” Dad doesn’t bothering to ask how my release went or how it feels to be free. Not that I’m surprised. The parenting gene definitely didn’t embed itself into his DNA.

“Yes. We should be arriving in Oregon in a couple days.”

“See that you do,” he says, his tone stern.

The thud of something heavy shutting comes down the phone.

It’s a subtle intimidation tactic, and one he’s used many times before. “I don’t want to have a problem, Finn. This is your chance to prove yourself to the family. If you fail me one more time, I’ll make sure that it’s the last.”

The line goes dead.

4

AVA

My eyelids grow heavier the longer we drive.

Finn snores softly beside me, his head leaning on the window as I pull into the parking lot of a motel.

Dim lights shine overhead, though one is broken. Glass is shattered on the ground beneath it.

If I squint against the darkness, I think I can see a man leaning against it.

“Wake up.” I park the car in front of the office. “We need to go get the key for our room and get some rest.”

Finn swats at my hand when I try to nudge him awake.

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