Page 79 of Forbidden Wish
“Yes. My brother knows too. That doesn’t put me at risk, it protects me. Evander protects me. My father protects me. My brother. My gran—”
“My father?”
“Yeah,” Sersha said, dropping her arm and backing off a little. “Strat looks out for me. We’re not sleeping together. I know that’s what you think.”
“My dad is an adult, you’re an adult—”
“He told you we didn’t have sex.”
“And I should trust that?”
“Trust him.”
“Like you do?” Imogen asked. The hostility in the word jarred her hard. What was she doing? She exhaled. “Look, I’m sorry, okay, there’s a lot going on and—”
“Why don’t you trust him?” The discerning air around her spoke of true intrigue. “Because your parents split up? A lot of parents do, and he hated letting you down. Strat would never hurt you in any way.”
“He would never let me out given half a chance.”
“He loves you so much. It blinds him. All he wants is for you to be safe and happy. That’s something to be grateful for. Take it from someone who knows. It’s better to have a father who’s too protective than one who doesn’t give a shit.”
“Your father’s Police Superintendent.”
“Yes,” Sersha said on a sort of exhaled laugh. Maybe because she’d said that before. “And I stand by what I said.”
“My father’s a better man than yours.” She got a single nod. “How can that be?” Exasperated, her curiosity blazed. “Your father protects the whole city.”
“My father protects what’s important to him. His reputation. His standing. Everything else comes a distant second. Including family.”
“It broke my heart, the way Lach tried to be everything to him, tried to win his approval, his pride. Your father never saw it.”
“No, he wouldn’t, he won’t. Won’t stop Lach trying though.”
“It’s an engrained behavior now.”
“Exactly.”
Giving Sersha a hard time, her father a hard time, was her vent of the pressure she’d been ignoring.
“Your piece was amazing. The Manzani exposé.”
“Yeah, so people like to tell me.” Leaning on the wall, Sersha folded her hands flat at her lower back. “Feels like forever ago now.”
“You didn’t follow it up. You could’ve hit the big leagues with that piece.”
“Everyone’s opinion of the big leagues varies. Going global was never my goal.”
“What was your goal?”
Still leaning, Sersha shrugged. “Probably to piss off my dad.”
When she smiled, she reciprocated with a laugh. “That I can identify with.”
“It’s hard to piss off your dad. He gets grumpy, but he’s always a defender. Trust me, he’s got between me and some pretty big fish without caring about his own safety.”
“He has?”
“Sure. He’d do the same for you if you ever let him.”
