Page 102 of Wicked Knight

Eventually a call comes through on his phone and he excuses himself.

The tension leaves when he heads back into the house.

Eric focuses on me, seeing that things are not well between my father and I. He comes over and sits next to me on the wall, levelling me a hard stare.

“Is everything okay between you two? Your father mentioned something about

your little friend from next door.”

The fact that Eric is even talking about Mackenzie makes me think that my father said so much more than just mentioning her. Knowing him, he ranted and raved.

“Yeah, everything's fine.”

“He said you were seeing her.”

“I was.”

“But not anymore,” Eric fills in.

“Yes, not anymore.” I hate lying to him, but I need to lie right now to protect my plans. I trust him, but I know his allegiance will always be to my father, meaning there's only so much I can say to him without revealing myself.

“Your father is still grieving, Dimitri. Losing Tommy was like nothing else for him. Be mindful of that. He may look like he doesn't care or, like, he's being over the top, but I know he cares for you.”

“I think sometimes he needs to be reminded that the same blood flows through our veins.”

“I can't argue with that. Your father can be difficult at times. Regardless try to fix whatever is going on between you two. It's not good to be at war with each other, especially when you're around each other all the time. He’s your Lord Chancellor.”

“I agree.” I say that to humor him because I know my father in ways Eric doesn’t. With all his ranting I'm sure Father didn't mention that he held a gun to my head.

Father returns outside and our conversation ends. Eric talks about his plans for Mount Kilimanjaro and the night wears on.

Soon we're back in the living room for ice cream and cake at Yuliana and Vanessa's request. The women in our family always seem to cushion the blow of the abrasiveness that comes from my father. I'm glad when it's time to go. The night was a struggle, but not as bad as I expected.

The only thing I don't know is if coming here tonight helped my pursuit to know my father’s plans. I know he's still pissed. The rage is practically rippling from him in waves. But I think coming here tonight might have pacified him in some way.

He catches up to me as I'm getting my coat on to head out.

He pulls me aside, away from everyone. “You're not seeing her, are you?”

I don't need to ask him who he means. I know he's talking about Mackenzie. “No, I haven't seen her.” I lie again. This time, I feel no shame to lie to him. In fact, I take pleasure in the conflicted look on his face.

It's a look that tells me I've shoved him into that gray area again where he doesn't know if I'm lying or telling the truth. Good. I won't be his dog.

Let him stew with the worry of what I'm up to.

I know him. He'll think I won't risk getting Mackenzie in trouble or her family. So he'll believe that fear will scaremonger me into doing what he wants me to do.

Little does he know, I'm biding time.

Like I said to Mackenzie yesterday, I don't have a plan yet. But I realized that sometimes the plan is to just keep your eyes open and your mind in a position where you see an opening that you take it. That’s when you strike.

“See you later,” I tell him. Then I leave.

I walk across quad, know eyes are following me. Not his anymore. These eyes belong to his henchmen, the guards, who've been watching me constantly since the blow up on Sunday.

I throw them off by going to the stadium, then I hang out at Erebus for a while, until I think they've stopped watching me.

An hour passes and I go under the secret passages that lead to Raventhorn Hall. I turn off by the bridge that will take me opposite Mackenzie's apartment.

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