Page 17 of Forbidden Bond

“People would believe that,” Strat offered. “You did just lose someone. Puts things in perspective.”

For some people, not the one holding the gun and pulling the trigger, apparently.

“And you don’t excel in it,” she said. “Your job is literally to uphold the law. Didn’t Conn remind you that you’re supposed to obey it too?”

“How could you do it?” Lachlan asked. “Henry was—he didn’t deserve—I can’t believe you’d walk in there and shoot your own father. He wouldn’t have seen you coming, wouldn’t have thought anything about letting you in to talk. You took advantage of his trust.”

Exactly what she’d said.

“Ron’s not the man we thought he was,” she said.

“You’ve been telling me that for years. I should’ve listened. I’m sorry I—”

“It’s not your fault that you wanted to see the best in him, Lach. You idolized him. We see what we want to see.”

“I’m not a monster,” her father hissed. “Neither of you understand. It wasn’t meant to—I didn’t mean to… I didn’t go there intending to hurt anyone.”

“Except you took a gun, one not registered to you,” Strat said. “Kinda kills that argument. Why go armed if you didn’tintend to hurt anyone? And if it was for protection, in case laws were broken, don’t you have a service weapon?”

“This has nothing to do with you!”

Oh, her father was getting catty in all the wrong ways. She twisted, grabbing the headrest to get a better look at Ronald.

“I would walk into fire for Strat,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “I haven’t even decided if I’ll let you live yet.”

“Sersh,” Lachlan warned.

“Accidents befall people all the time, Lach. Especially out on the open road.”

Strat’s warm laugh appreciated her.

Lachlan’s scowl did not. “Sersh.”

“Okay,” she said, holding up her hands as she bounced back in her seat. “I’ll behave.”

“Never do for anyone else,” Strat said from the corner of his mouth and winked her way.

SEVEN

THEY DROVE THROUGH the night and stopped for gas at first light. Strat got out and she wasn’t far behind.

“Stay here, Dad,” Lachlan said as her door closed, then followed her out. “Sersh, we have to talk about this.”

“Not where he can hear us.” She went to stand a couple of yards from the hood, her brother on her heels. “What do you want?”

“What do I—don’t start giving me the attitude.”

She exhaled and took his hand. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to… I’ve had a pretty shitty week.”

“Sounds like it. You really think Ire is dead?”

“I think I’m going crazy not knowing. I know you don’t like him, Lach. You think he’s wrong for me, that he’s caused problems, and—”

“What the fuck do I know? I trusted our father. Clearly, you’re a better judge of character than I am.”

“Don’t think that way, everyone trusts their parents.”

“You didn’t,” he said and scrubbed a hand through his hair. “We could take him in.”

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