Page 51 of Witch's Promise

His father picked up the vial, examining it with a practiced eye. "And you immediately assumed I was involved? I'm hurt, Sean. Truly."

The sarcasm in his father's voice made Sean's blood boil. "Cut the crap, Dad. A girl from the Wisteria coven was taken. This has your fingerprints all over it."

To Sean's surprise, his father's brow furrowed in what looked like genuine confusion. "The Wisteria girl? Sean, I assure you, I had nothing to do with this attack you're describing."

"Bullshit," Sean spat, but a seed of doubt had been planted. His father was many things, but he'd never been a good liar. At least, not to Sean. "If it wasn't you, then who? Riley?"

At the mention of Riley's name, something shifted in his father's expression.

"Riley wasn't here last night," his father said slowly, each word seeming to cost him. "He's been difficult to control lately. Unpredictable."

Sean felt his stomach drop. Riley, going rogue? The man had always been a loose cannon, but he'd been unwaveringly loyal to Sean's father.

"What do you mean, difficult to control?" Sean pressed, leaning forward. "Dad, if Riley's involved in this, we need to find him. Fast."

His father's eyes narrowed, studying Sean with an intensity that made him want to squirm. "We? And who exactly is 'we' in this scenario, Sean? Last I checked, you wanted nothing to do with this family or its business."

"This isn't about us," Sean said, forcing the words past the lump in his throat. "An innocent girl's life is at stake. Whatever beef we have, whatever fucked up history is between us - none of that matters right now."

For a long moment, his father said nothing. He simply stared at Sean, his expression unreadable. When he finally spoke, his voice was softer than Sean had heard it in years.

"You always did have a soft spot for lost causes," his father said, a hint of what might have been fondness coloring his tone."Alright. I'll look into Riley's whereabouts, see what I can find out. But Sean, I need you to understand something."

Sean tensed, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"I made you a promise years ago," his father continued. "That I would leave you and your… interests... alone. I've honored that promise, even when it's been inconvenient. Even when it's cost me."

The implication hung heavy in the air between them. Sean felt a surge of emotion - gratitude, suspicion, a desperate hope he couldn't quite squash - threaten to overwhelm him.

"I know," Sean managed, his voice rough. "And I... I appreciate that. More than you know."

His father nodded, a ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Then trust that I'm telling you the truth now. Whatever happened to the Reed family, to this Wisteria girl - it wasn't sanctioned by me."

Sean wanted to believe him. God, how he wanted to believe that there was still some shred of decency left in the man who'd raised him. But years of disappointment and betrayal had taught him to be wary.

"Okay," Sean said finally. "I hear you. But Dad, if you find out anything about Riley, about where he might have taken Jessy - I need to know. Please."

The plea in his voice was embarrassingly obvious, but Sean couldn't bring himself to care. Not when so much was at stake.

His father regarded him for a long moment, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. "I'll see what I can do. No promises, mind you. But I'll look into it."

Relief washed over Sean, so intense it made him dizzy. "Thank you," he said, meaning it with every fiber of his being. "Really, Dad. Thank you."

As Sean turned to leave, a lifetime of unspoken words and missed opportunities pressing down on him, he paused at thedoor. Looking back at his father, he saw not the cold, ruthless leader of a criminal empire, but the man who'd taught him to ride a bike. Who'd comforted him after nightmares and praised his first successful spell.

"You know," Sean said, the words feeling like they were being dragged from some deep, hidden part of him, "there's still a chance for us. To work things out, I mean. I know we've both done and said things we can't take back, but... I still want to have a relationship with you, Dad. I know the man who raised me is still in there somewhere."

For a moment, his father's carefully constructed mask slipped. Sean saw a flash of raw emotion - longing, regret, a bone-deep weariness - that made his chest ache.

"Sean, I-" his father started, but seemed to think better of it. Instead, he simply nodded. "Be careful out there. And... keep in touch, will you?"

It wasn't much. It wasn't anywhere close to the reconciliation Sean had dreamed of in his weaker moments. But it was a start. A tiny crack in the wall that had stood between them for so long.

As Sean left the house that had never really been a home, he felt lighter than he had in years. The weight of guilt and unresolved issues still pressed down on him, but now there was something else too. A flicker of hope, fragile but persistent.

Sean's motorcyclerumbled to a stop outside Katelyn and Ricci's modest suburban home. The normalcy of the place felt surreal after the tension-filled meeting with his father. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the conversation to come.

Katelyn opened the door before he could knock, her pregnant belly preceding her. "Jesus, Sean. You look like hell warmed over. Get in here."

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