Page 28 of In His Veins

Sensing discomfort, my mother chimes in. The attention finally diverted from me, I sneak a glance at Cal. Naturally, he’s already watching me. I squint my eyes at him, and he smiles wickedly. He breaks eye contact with me to respond to something I didn’t hear.

“I’m from a small town in Vermont, originally. I didn’t move to the south until Chase and I got out of Special Ops. I’ve been here since.” Leaning forward in my chair, I brace my arms on the table as I listen. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my father look disapprovingly at me. For a moment, I think he’ll give me a table etiquette lesson, but then my mother continues.

“What about your family? I’m sure they miss you.” Lucas seems to wince, but Cal’s face doesn’t change.

“I don’t have any family, unfortunately. My mother died when I was 18 and my father followed soon after. I never knew any of my extended family.” My mother’s cheeks turn pink, and she offers a sincere apology. Cal waves her off.

“It was a long time ago. Besides, my life is here now.” His eyes touch on me for a brief moment before returning to my mother. My cheeks are brighter than my mother’s and I take a sip of my wine.

Mom seems appeased by his answer and smiles brightly. “Well, I know how much you mean to my boys. You’re always welcome here.” He returns her smile, and I’m horrified by how quickly he won over my parents. I interject before I can think better of it.

“Odd though, isn’t it, that it took you so long to finally meet our family? Are you really that close with my brothers?” Chase frowns at me, but I focus on Cal. He studies me casually as he responds.

“Of course, I am. I’ve risked my life for all of them countless times, and I’d do it again without a second thought. Is that the answer you were looking for, Ava?” Mom stares at me from across the table, aghast and mortified. I should stop talking, but I can’t help the words that pour out of my mouth.

“I’m just saying, we hardly know anything about you after this many years. For all we know, you could be some insane psychopath.” He gives me a whisper of a smile and opens his mouth to answer, but my father slams his hand on the table, rattling the surrounding dishware. I jolt in my seat, turningto face my father.

“That’s enough, Ava.” He points his fork at me. “Lose that attitude or get out.” I lock eyes with my father and clench my jaw as I debate the merit of arguing with him at the table. I slump into my seat and pick at the remainder of my food. Cal breaks the awkward silence.

“It’s really okay, Richard. I get where she’s coming from. To be honest, I’m a bit of a loner and should have accepted your invitations a long time ago. Ava’s right to be wary, and I’m happy to tell you more about myself.” Cal’s words have a slight edge despite his overly polite phrasing. My mother smiles graciously as I tip back the rest of my wine before refilling my glass.

“Cal, honey, you don’t have to explain yourself. All of my boys trust you, and their judgment is enough for me.” He returns her smile before she swiftly redirects the conversation.

I tune out the polite chatter, and I’m the first to leave the table to clean my plate. Alone for a moment, I drink the remainder of my glass, refill it, then take another few gulps. I feel like I might be able to handle this night a little better if I’m at least buzzed. Mom follows me into the kitchen soon after and meets me by the sink. Her shoulder brushes mine as she turns on the faucet.

“What was that about?” She whispers. The water becomes gradually hotter as I scrub my plate. I shrug and am saved from responding as the boys file into the kitchen. Mom grabs Cal’s plate to wash it for him. He thanks her profusely and watches as my brothers begin cleaning the other pots and pans.

“Ava?” Cal asks, and I drop the plate I’m scrubbing. It clatters against the sink, splashing me with soapy water. I look at him, bewildered. He’s fighting a laugh as he continues. “Would you mind showing me to the bathroom?” I smile sweetly and wipe my hands on the towel hanging over the oven handle.

“Yes, of course,” I coo as I stride out of the room. We go down the two hallways to get to the nearest restroom before I whirl to face him outside of the door.

“What the fuck is your game?” I hiss. His finger curls into the belt loop of my jeans and hauls me toward him. He holds my face in his hand, tilting my chin up.

“This is no game,” he whispers, and I think he might kiss me. I put my hands to his chest and push.

“How’s that stab wound healing?” I taunt, making him step away from me.

“Too quickly for my liking,” he muses, stunning me into silence. I spin on my heel and leave him in the hallway. I need to get out of here. As soon as I’m back in the kitchen, I start saying my goodbyes.

“Already?” Mom complains as I scramble for my keys.

“Yeah,” I sigh, trying to sound regretful. “I’ve got work in the morning.” It’s not even a lie, but work is low on my list of concerns at the moment. I’m almost out of the kitchen when Cal struts back in.

“Leaving?” He raises his eyebrows, and I give him the same excuse about work. I start to leave again, but his next words stop me.

“I don’t think it’s smart for you to drive. You’ve had a few glasses of wine.” I scowl at him, hating that he noticed. Chase chimes in, and I know there’s no way I’m leaving now.

“He’s right, you need to dry out a bit first.”

“I drove here. I can’t just leave my car. I have work tomorrow.” I think I’ve found a good enough excuse, but of course, Cal offers a solution.

“I rode here with Chase, so I can drive you home in your car. I’ll just grab an Uber home from there.” Chase quickly agrees and thanks Cal for such a great idea. I roll my eyes.

“I hardly think that’s necessary,” I complain, but when Chase glares at me, I know I’ve already lost. Cal stalks toward me, holding out a hand for my keys. I reluctantly place them in his hand and follow him out the door.

He climbs into my car and adjusts the seat and mirrors as if he’s done it a thousand times. Cal braces an arm against my headrest as he turns his head to reverse out of my parents’ driveway. We’re silent as he drives, but I periodically steal glances at him. He looks natural in my car, and I feel annoyingly good about having him in my personal space.

We drive for 15 minutes before I notice we aren’t going toward my apartment and that I have no idea where we are. I frantically look for recognizable landmarks but the only thing lining either side of the road is woods. I twist to face him in my seat.

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