Page 57 of Prodigal

“I told you?—”

“Dré, guess who’s in Gideon’s office?”

Gideon glanced down to find Jules with her cell phone to her ear, talking to her brother. He stifled a groan. Goddamnit!

“It’s Ty! They’re having a meeting. Huh? Oh, yeah, he wants to see you before he leaves. Yeah.” She nodded. “In Gideon’s office.” She ended the call and gazed up at Gideon. “He’s on hisway. I’m gonna go get ready for our fun day.” She wheeled over to the door and then glanced back at Gideon with a big smile, her eyes bright with excitement. “I’ve got a whole list of things planned.”

Yeah, things they might not get to do if André was mad at him for this. Still, Gideon forced a smile and a wave. “Can’t wait.” The door closed behind her and he turned to find Ty glaring at him.

“Why are they here with you? How do you know André and his sister?”

“I don’t know if you noticed,Ty,” Gideon sneered, “but I don’t answer questions.”

“Why bring me here just to warn me away from André?” Ty kept pressing. “Am I that much of a threat to you?”

Gideon barked a laugh. “A threat? You?” Was he serious?

Ty shrugged, looking full of himself now. “You just implied that you and André are…more. He and I aren’t together, like you said. So, why would you feel the need to warn me away from him?”

Gideon went to him, standing toe to toe, chest to chest. To his credit, Ty didn’t budge. It wasn’t often that he’d had to reevaluate his opinion of someone, but Gideon was man enough to admit that he might have underestimated Ty Levins. Still… “You are laughably out of your league, my friend. You could never be a threat to me.”

They stared each other down, tension thick and choking until the door opened.

“Gideon.”

He tensed but didn’t turn around. If André was mad at him, Gideon didn’t want to know. A hand touched the small of his back, then André was at his side.

“Ty. What are you doing here?”

Ty nudged his chin in Gideon’s direction. “Ask your…friend.” That sounded just a little bit bitter.

Made Gideon want to smile. “Ty has been making noise, being a regular nuisance,” he told André without taking his eyes off said nuisance. “My people in law enforcement gave me a heads-up.”

“And you thought you’d bring him here?” André asked. “For what?”

“He threatened me.” Ty sounded like a spoiled brat.

“Yeah, he does that sometimes.” André didn’t even blink at him. Instead, he turned to Gideon. “This is the meeting you told me about?”

Gideon nodded.

“Except you didn’t tell me it would be Ty.”

Okay, now he felt as if he were being scolded. “Because you would have tried to stop me.”

André’s eyes narrowed.

“André, what the hell is going on?” Ty butted in. “How do you know this guy? Why aren’t you at your house?”

“Ty.” André blew out a breath. “How is your son?” There was something there, in his tone, that caught Gideon’s attention. Hurt? There was definitely a story there, one he wanted to know.

Ty must’ve heard it too, because he sort of pulled in on himself, shoulders hunched. “He’s fine. He’s perfect.”

André nodded once. “Then you should be with him instead of wasting your time on me, don’t you think? As you can see, Jules and I are safe and happy.”

Sadness flooded Ty’s eyes. “Is it true then? Are you and him a thing?”

“I no longer owe you explanations, but yes. Gideon and I are together.”

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