Page 126 of Lies Like Love

Two burly men rush toward him, pausing only when my father holds up a hand stopping them. They take a step back, but don’t retreat. And just like I remember from when I was younger, my father is flanked by men like the world’s out to get him.

Except, he’s not the victim here. He’s the villain.

Jude’s shoulders are tense as he assesses the situation. He’s wearing the same dark jeans and white T-shirt he was wearing when I left him this morning. Only his eyes are a dark void I’m sinking into. A pit of tar that coats every inch of skin. Burning hot as his gaze skims me, like always, verifying there’s no damage.

“Ah, Jude.” Dad doesn’t bother looking him in the eyes as a vicious smirk ghosts his cheeks. “Good of you to join us.”

Jude walks around Dad, his stare focused on me. And I see everything I need to know in his eyes. Shock. Anger. He didn’t know my father was alive any more than I did. But the moment he figured it out, he came for me.

Like he always does.

Like he always promised.

Like he always will.

He walks toward me prepared to be my protector in this moment. If only he could grip the universe to stop it from tearing apart. It’s a losing battle as the past and present paint a collision of chaos in my head. Something he must sense as pain stains his expression. He let me hate him for years to prevent this very moment. Whether he knew the full truth or not, he tried to save me from an ugly reality time didn’t prepare me to face.

“How did you find out?” I ask when Jude stops in front of me.

“Maren stopped by the parlor to give you this.” Jude holds out a business card with the address for Twisted Roses written on the back. He flips it over, showing off the emblem on the other side. “It’s how she heard about the parlor.”

A logo I’m familiar with sits in the corner. A spear with the initials D.A. on either side of it.

David Alcott.

It was on my father’s company letterhead growing up. And even if the card has no other clear indicator, one thing is certain. He sent Maren to Jude—and me to him in the process.

Jude folds the card and places it in his back pocket, turning to face my father, standing a fraction of a step in front of me.

“At least you bought her a decent ring.” My father’s gaze drops to where I’m spinning the green diamond infinity band around my finger. “Expensive for a piercer’s salary.”

“I’m more than that.”

“Ah, yes. Moving up.” Dad ticks a finger in the air, and it feels almost mocking. “But we both know you could be so much more. So much you’d never want again.”

“Why do you care what I want?” Jude narrows his gaze.

“I don’t.” Dad shrugs. “But if you want my permission to marry my daughter, there will be expectations.”

“I don’t remember asking.”

“Funny.” Dad smirks, his gaze darkening. “Me either.”

Both of them hold the standoff in silence for a moment. Jude with his arms crossed over his chest like my own personal bodyguard, and Dad like the devil without a care in the world.

Finally, Jude breaks the tension.

“Why don’t you cut to the chase, so you can crawl back into whatever grave you clawed your way out of.”

“Is that any way to welcome me back into the family?”

“You aren’t welcome, and we aren’t family.”

“We will be.” Dad looks at me again. “As intended.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I’m not sure what’s more unsettling, the fact that Dad is here, or that his statement almost sounds like this was his plan all along.

“You think it was an accident you found your way back to him?” Dad tips his head toward Jude but doesn’t break my stare. “It might not have been my plan initially, but after your mother stopped playing her part, I had to get creative.”

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