“Does it matter?” Dad quietly responded. Mom gave me a warning look, which I promptly ignored.
Summer wandered in, her eyes wide as she looked at Dad with curiosity. “Yeah, especially when other kids know, and we don’t.”
Dad wrapped his arms around my Mom as he gazed at her, smiling widely.
“Whatever I was, it’s long gone. I’m just Dad now,” he winked, smiling at Summer as she frowned.
Mom stood straight, clapping her hands together for our attention.
“Enough with question time. Move your asses.”
“I’m going to Jade’s,” I mumbled, pulling my jacket from the rack.
Dad raised his eyebrows at me again. “Jade, eh? What did your old man tell you—”
“Bye, Dad.”
I could still hear him laughing as I walked out of the door.
I wasn’t sure, but I was pretty convinced my dad was a former scary bastard. Maybe I should do some digging.
Tomorrow.
Tonight, I had plans.
CHAPTER 29
CAL
Gretchen was giving me that look, the one that told me she was right and I needed to hurry and admit it.
“What?” I sighed, holding on to the door frame above me, my stomach twisting as she raised her eyebrows.
“You can’t lie to them, Cal.”
Her silky robe fell open slightly, and she treated me to a glimpse of her soft, tanned skin. I tilted my head with interest. She was still theonlywoman who could do this to me—distract me from conversations, work, kids—you name it. She didn’t even need to try.
“What are you going to tell them?” she asked softly.
I fixed her with my gaze. It had never been my intention to lie, per se, but I just never saw a good time to tell them I’d been involved with the mob.
Fuck, even Gretchen didn’t know to what extremes I’d been involved, and I wanted to keep it that way. Caleb frightened me with how alike we were—and it made me sad to think that’s how I would have been if I wouldn’t have gone through the shit I did when I was younger than him. But then it led me to Gretchen, to my family.
“FuckRaven, I don’t know. What am I supposed to say—‘hey kids, daddy was a monster’? They’d be super proud.” I knew I was bitter, but I couldn’t help it.
“You made mistakes. Bad choices at a young age—”
“Bad fuckingchoices, Gretchen? A girl nearly died.”
Many more had since.
But she didn’t know that. Nor did she know that the man who kidnapped her had exited the world at my hand either.
“It’s a small town. People talk. We’ve been lucky they’ve not questioned it so far. I don’t like them being kept in the dark.”
“Baby,” I sighed, striding towards her, my hands on her shoulders as she looked up at me. She looked defeated and tired. “I can’t tell them, okay? I don’t want them to know.”
“You want them to come to their own conclusions?” Her eyes flashed at me as she pulled away, turning towards the bed. I watched as she slid under the covers, her back to me.
