Page 41 of Rock Chick Bonus Tracks

The man’s smile faltered, his gaze shot to Lee, back to Luke, and he explained, “I saw a picture of you in the paper. Or, at least, a man who I thought was you. It was grainy and you were in the background. So I came to check it out, and I was right. The caption didn’t have your name, but it said you were a member of the Nightingale Investigations team.” He put his hands out to his sides. “So here I am.”

Luke knew that picture. It had been printed after Ava was in a car that collided with a police barricade, and they got her out before the vehicle exploded.

The paper didn’t print the part about Ava, so Adrian didn’t know that bit.

“That explains why you thought I was here,” he noted. “Not whyyouare here.”

Ava’s father’s face lost a little color, and he opened his mouth, but Luke spoke again before he could say anything.

“Where you been Adrian?”

He asked, but he knew.

Ava said she didn’t want him looking for her dad, but after surviving five Rock Chicks, and especially what his woman went through, Luke wasn’t leaving anything to chance. Ava had taken enough knocks from her family, she wasn’t going to take any more. And if she had to, he was going to do what he could to soften the blow.

So he knew exactly where Adrian had been for fourteen years, and that was a part—a small part but an important part—of why Luke was so…goddamned…pissed.

“Luke—” Adrian began.

“Nice tan. Livin’ it up while your wife tried to figure out how to finish raisin’ three girls after you left?” Luke pushed.

Color started to replace the pale, and Luke wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment or anger.

He had zero fucks to give to that too.

The words sounded tight when the man spoke, “You were always close to Ava.”

“Yeah,” Luke confirmed. “I was always close to Ava.”

“So I thought maybe…you still were.”

Luke didn’t reply to that, but he didn’t like where this was going.

He could guess this was where it was going, but he wouldn’t let his mind go there because he was hanging by a thread already. He didn’t need to make it snap.

Adrian took in a visible deep breath and let it out saying, “Listen, you haven’t made what you feel about the decision I made all those years ago a secret?—”

Luke cut in, “Nope, I made that pretty plain a few seconds ago. But I got more words on that if you want ’em.”

Adrian’s expression now turned hard. “No. I wanted to know if you might help me find my daughter. Ava.”

Yup.

That was what he wouldn’t let himself guess.

Luke felt Lee shift.

He knew why. The energy in the room changed, not in a good way, and it was all coming from Luke.

“I think I already have your answer,” Adrian muttered. “So I’ll be going. I can find her myself.”

“You aren’t fuckin’ findin’ her, Adrian,” Luke said between his teeth, the words an unmistakable threat, and Adrian didn’t miss it. Luke knew that when Adrian went completely still and stared at him. “Not interested in Marilyn and Sofia?” he asked.

“I thought I’d start with Ava.”

“Strange choice, seein’ as she was the one you fucked over the most.”

Adrian flinched.

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