Page 145 of The Best of Us

“Maybe Daniel mentioned my name to his old man, and the fact my uncle’s living at The Sapphire Hotel.” Colin fidgeted with the ends of his hair, then his eyes widened. “Oh shit, if he was cloning Lennon’s phone, that must be how he knew. I told her all of that.”

“Not your fault,” I said before he started blaming himself. No way could he have ever predicted any of this happening. “I can see Daniel’s father offering him a chance to redeem himself from his life of crime. Yet another reason Daniel didn’t want anyone finding out he hurt a woman. So, he offered Daniel an opportunity to do him a favor, one that Daniel botched because he tried mugging my intern.”

“Are you saying Daniel’s dad is the one hatching this overthrow-the-king plan?” Colin asked me, brows raised.

“If it looks like a duck,” Hudson spoke up before I could, “then it’s more than likely a motherfu—” He dropped his curse as if my son hadn’t already displayed he’d inherited my sailor’s mouth, despite not being in my life.

“No, the cyber wallet can’t be used to take down Sebastian,” Izzy said, shutting down that theory. I supposed I needed to watchAvengersto understand the references, but the intent was clear. “Honestly, I don’t get why someone in The League would want it. It doesn’t make sense.”

We have to be missing something.

“I’ll update Gwen and see what she can find that may help.” Izzy faced Colin. “Anything else you know about Daniel’s father to help us narrow the search?”

“You said he’s not Irish. Any clue where he’s from?” I asked him, and Colin closed one eye as if he didn’t want to say. “What is it?”

He tugged at the drawstrings of his hoodie, and I was beginning to understand why he wore those damn things, even in May. Something to fidget with, to draw comfort from. Well, I was there now, so he had both his mom and me for that.

“His dad, um, Lennon said he’s Sicilian, like you.”

Dammit.“We need to get Giuseppe Messina back on the phone.”

“Why?” my father asked, stepping forward and around Colin to look at me.

“Because I get the distinct feeling he didn’t tell me everything.” I wrapped a hand around my throat, feeling like I was suffocating. “The Messinas had our six out there tonight, but that doesn’t mean there’s not more to the story.”Which reminds me.“Tommaso said to consider their debt paid after helping us. What the hell was he talking about? When did you do a favor for them?”

My dad pulled out his phone and then peered at my son. “I didn’t do anything. That was all Colin,” he announced as Juliette returned, my mother trailing behind her.

“Wait, what?” Colin blurted out as Juliette stood in between the two of us.

“I didn’t have a chance to fill you in while you were en route to rescue Colin,” my father explained. “While I was talking to Giuseppe tonight, I let him know Colin was my grandson. I had to make it very clear that if anything were to happen to him, there’d be hell to pay even if they weren’t involved. I sent him a photo of Colin to show him what he looked like, too.”

Not what I wanted to hear.

“His granddaughter was at his house for dinner, and she saw Colin’s face on his computer screen,” he continued, and there was no mistaking the look of pride in my father’s eyes.

“I don’t understand,” Colin said.

Yeah, same.

“You, my boy, protected Giuseppe’s granddaughter at school last week. As luck would have it, the reason you were suspended . . .”

Juliette stumbled in shock as my father let us pick up the pieces. And hell, I staggered back that step with her.

“His granddaughter, Meredith, was secretly dating his lawyer’s son. She was too afraid to tell him they were dating or that he hit her, knowing what he’d do. But she accidentally blurted out the truth when she saw you on his screen tonight.”

Colin’s words from the car during our driving lesson came back to me like a headshot: “He’s not just a defense attorney, he defends the scum of the universe and makes big bucks doing it.”

“So, you see, my dear,” Dad continued, eyes on Izzy, “when I told you not to worry about the Sicilians betraying their word to us, I meant it. Giuseppe owed us. Colin saved his granddaughter, so he vowed to ensure my grandson was safe.” He faced Juliette, squinting at her. “I’m not a fan of how we all got to this point, but there’s only one way to look at why the cards have fallen like this.”

“And that is?” Juliette murmured as I took hold of her waist, drawing her to my side.

My father’s piercing gaze cut from her to me. “God’s timing. God’s plan.” When he silently gestured for me to step forward, I let go of Juliette and quietly heeded his request. “And a father must protect his children no matter what.”

I swallowed, choking back on the emotion building in the form of something tangible in my throat. My hard-ass father hugged me in front of everyone, and my arms remained locked in shock at my sides.

“I’m sorry, son,” he whispered in my ear, then repeated his words in Italian. “I didn’t protect you the way I should have. I’ve made so many mistakes, and you’ve had to bear the brunt of them all. And for that, I’m so deeply sorry.”

Tears hit the backs of my eyes as I wrapped my head around what he was doing and saying. I’d already forgiven him for everything, hadn’t I? But maybe he’d never truly forgiven himself. Maybe it took Colin coming into our lives for him to realize that.

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