Page 73 of Sire
“I’m beginning to be okay with that.”
He cups my face, lifting my stare. “What’s your favorite memory here?”
“Waking up to Nannie’s wild blueberry muffins and feeding Banjo.”
“Who’s Banjo?”
“He was Nannie’s old shepherd. So smart and sweet.”
“What happened to him?”
I swipe a sudden tear. “Waylon shot him for trying to protect me.”
The veil falling over Sire’s indigo eyes turns them black. “I’mreallygoing to kill him, Wren. You may hate me after. You may never want me to touch you again or?—”
“I won’t hate you. I’m not a snowflake, either. Nannie called it ‘country justice’ because judges and cops never give a shit for poor mountain people and ‘colored’ people like they say, particularly if we’re women. So, if you want safety, you gotta kill for it.”
He nods, glancing away.
“You just thought of your father, didn’t you?”
“Yeah,” he mutters.
“Sire, when are you going to tell Axel? I mean, just being with you and your brothers today; you fight with so muchlove. Don’t you think he’ll understand? That he’ll forgive you?”
“If I just hurthim? Probably. But if I hurt his kid? Never, because I don’t deserve it.”
“We all deserve forgiveness.”
He swallows. “No, some of us don’t.”
“Hey, look at me,” I say softly, and he meets my eyes. “Love keeps no record of wrongs. Did I read that in Corinthians, or was it on a cereal box?”
A grin plays on his lips. “Sounds like Lucky Charms to me.”
“Do you want to get lucky with me?” I tease.
“Every fucking day of our lives.”
“Okay, then. We’re here, confronting my past, so let’s confront yours. What can you do about your father and Axel?”
He inhales, staring into the forest, and lightning quick, a plan forms in his eyes. I marvel, watching it as he nods. “Every April, a megayacht anchors in Savannah, Georgia. Local rumor is it’s a Russian oligarch’s ship, and they’re right. It’s my father.”
My heart starts racing. “And?”
“And next time, I’ll pay him a bloody visit. I want intel and justice. I want to know if Axel has a child, and if so, I want my niece or nephew back. And…” he cups my cheek, “I want to make sureourkids will be safe, too.”
My hands start to tremble like it’s a sign. “How will you do that?”
“Make a new deal with him. Just me.”
“No, Sire, don’t do it alone. That’s too dangerous. You need your brothers with you.”
He shakes his head. “And risk them, too? No. I have some friends I can call.”
“Friends? You don’t needfriends. You need your badass brothers or a SEAL team.”
“Don’t worry.” He kisses my nose. “My friends are crazy. They’re cousins and contract killers and?—”
