Page 290 of Secret Shifters Next Door

“Antonio talked about Gio Francis once,” Jared said. “Only once. I only remember it because it was the one time I ever heard him sound even remotely afraid of anyone. This is big.”

“I guess we have Ava to thank for this,” Miles said.

I narrowed my eyes. “How do you figure?”

The rest of them stared at me with open-mouthed wonder. Steff raised his brow and laughed. “Bro, seriously?”

Tate waved a hand at me. “Guys, let him figure it out on his own. Nothing we say will get through that thick skull of his.”

FOURTEEN

AVA

Dad nodded to the receptionist as we left. The big, broad smile he sported showed his confidence and strength. The second we got in the car, though, he sagged and rested his head against the back of the seat.

“Good lord, I’m tired,” he said, wiping at sweat that had started beading on his forehead.

“Are you okay?” Worry speared into me. He looked clammy and more tired than I’d seen him since the last chemo session.

Reaching over to pat my hand, he nodded. “Yeah, that took a lot out of me. Trying to act like my old self. I didn’t want those boys to see me as a weakling. I need a nap. I can tell you that right now.”

“Okay. That’s not a problem.” I started the car and pointed us toward home.

Less than twenty minutes later—I’d speeded a little—I was helping Dad into bed. He’d kicked off his shoes but remained clothed. I fluffed the pillows behind him and sat on the chair beside the bed while he tried to get comfortable.

“Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you sure you want to get involved in all this?”

His brow furrowed and he looked confused. “You mean helping those boys?”

“Well, yes. All the shifter business. It’ll be dangerous for everyone.”

“Honey, I’m serious. I meant what I said about Liam. He was like a son to me, and he would’ve become my son had he lived long enough to marry you. If there’s anything this family can do to help Blayne, I consider that a simple payment compared to what he gave up. Whether Blayne’s stubborn ass believes me or not, it’s the God’s honest truth. I’m going to look out for him. I’ve never broken a promise in my life, and I am not gonna start with breaking the promise to Liam. That's that.”

His words were pretty emphatic. I was happy to hear he was serious. I’d spent my whole life being conflicted about my father’s business. He was not brutal or evil like most leaders of crime families, and he always made sure his people were taken care of. That they were as safe as possible, and that the business was as lucrative as possible. I knew there was violence involved, but I always tried to forget about those aspects of the job. Being able to do something that was inherently good was a nice change of pace, and I could totally get behind that.

I leaned forward and covered his hand with mine. “Thanks, Dad. I know it would mean a lot to Liam.”

Dad’s eyes twinkled with mischief and he gave me a knowing grin. “Is there anything going on between you two? You and Blayne?”

Blinking in surprise, I tried to answer too quickly and stumbled over my words. “Uh…we…what? Hang on, what?”

“You heard me. You think I didn’t see that little hand-holding thing earlier?”

“No, Dad. There’s nothing going on. Therecan’tbe anything between us.”

“And why the hell is that?”

“Ugh, come on. It would be…I don’t know…weird. Wrong. On, like, a million different levels.” Even the thought of it filled me with a weird sense of betrayal to Liam—dead these last ten years and still such a huge presence in my and Blayne’s lives.

Dad chuckled and gave a faint shake of the head. “You two will figure it out.”

“What does that mean?”

Instead of answering, he simply rolled over, nestled his head on the pillow, and started snoring ten seconds later. I sat there with him, watching him sleep. What was he talking about? We’d figure what out? It had been like biting through steel to get Blayne to accept me as an acquaintance and friend. Anything more than that was a no-go in my opinion.

---