Page 52 of Loyalties & Longings

Well, no immediate one anyway.

Dad has been out in the backyard, pacing with his cell and a cigar since I got back. Who knows how long he has been out there. I open the sliding door quietly, not wanting to disturb him if he is in the middle of work. He looks over at me and gives me a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Hey,Bella.” He sits in one of the outdoor setting chairs, looking tired, more so than usual.

“Hey, Dad. Are you all right?” I ask him gently.

“I’m okay. Where’s Blaze?” he asks, looking out over the yard. He’s deflecting. Something is going on, and now my body tingles, instantly on alert.

“He’s gone to get Lucifer,” I answer, trying not to look or sound as nervous as I feel.

“Good, Lake.” He turns his head to face me.

Oh shit.

He already knows about Blaze and me. My insides are screaming at me to call Blaze and tell him not to come back here.

To run.

Leave.

My dad is going to kill him in true mafia fashion. We’ve deceived him, run around behind his back, and he’ll probably disown me too. I can hear the blood rushing in my ears.

I jump out of my skin and my distressing thoughts when Dad puts his hand on mine.

“Blaze and I are seeing each other!” I let out in a high-pitched tone, almost shrill.

Dad’s face is still relaxed, impassive. “I know, Lake. I’ve known for a while now. Why do you think I’ve had Blaze be the one to be by your side for this past week?”

“But how?” I think back to see if we’ve slipped at all in being cautious. And why is he being so calm about it?

“I may be getting old now, Lake, but not much gets past your dad.” Although his words sound confident, his face tells a different story. His eyebrows are pulled down and knitted tightly together.

“But I don’t want you to let that dog out of your sight. I need you to be protected. Even if someone is only distracted by that savage-looking animal for a second while you grab your gun, which we’ll sort out for you before the opening night of your bar. Until then, you have Blaze.” I nod in understanding, but the hair at the base of my neck is prickling.

“At all times. I can’t have anything else, anything worse, happen to you. I’ve already lost more than enough of the people I love.” His voice comes out sounding grave.

We hear a car pull up and look at the outdoor television, showing the security camera live views. We see that Blaze has pulled up and is collecting all the dog’s belongings while Lucifer runs around the front yard, sniffing and peeing on everything. I let out a little chortle.How much pee do dogs have in them?The front door shuts loudly.

“Lake? Enzo?” Blaze calls out. I’m still edgy about the past half an hour from watching Dad pace and sit repeatedly. It’s probably not the smartest idea to call for me first in Dad’s house. I throw a side glance at Dad, hoping he passes it off, given Blaze has brought Lucifer for me.

“Back here,” Dad yells.

A moment later, Lucifer bounds straight for me but stopsshort when he sees Dad, slowing before standing between him and me, sniffing at him hesitantly. Obviously not sensing a threat from Dad, he turns to me and rests his chin on my lap. I love that he really does look like a hellhound but is, in fact, just a big teddy bear for me anyway.

It’s cliché, but it’s true.

“A good protector.” Dad points toward the giant black ball of muscle at my feet, then goes back to sucking at the stub of his cigar, but not before I notice he has his eyes trained on Blaze, giving him an acknowledging nod.

After I’ve given him a good scratch behind the ear, Lucifer runs off to explore our backyard, his new home.

Blaze sits next to me and is maybe a little too close, even though it seems Dad has known about us for a while now. It doesn’t mean I want to test Dad’s limits so soon, though. He looks as if he is one flippant comment away from snapping and going all-out Godfather on Blaze.

“What’s good, boss?”

“He knows about us,” I say under my breath so only he can hear me. Blaze sits up a little straighter.

“I do, but I’m happy for you both. I honestly wouldn’t want anyone else for my daughter.”

---