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My whole body is so tense I can practically feel my muscles growing sorer by the second. Then again, that seems to be my constant state of being these days. I’m just sitting here, waiting for him to drop whatever bomb he came here to deliver, and I still have no damn clue what’s going on at Kings with Harper.
I haven’t felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, which means Mac or Finn still haven’t checked in with me. Like I fucking instructed them too. I can’t handle not knowing what’s going on. The lack of control is eating away at me.
The three of them are going to get the ass-chewing of a lifetime when they get back.
I continue to spiral as Dad just sits there, staring at me, swirling the glass of whiskey in his hand. The constant noise of the ice rattling in the tumbler grates my nerves. “Jesus Christ, Dad. What is so important?”
He brings the amber liquid to his lips and polishes off the glass. Oh great.
With a dramatic sigh, he leans forward and sets the crystal glass on the coffee table. He rests his elbows on his thighs and asks, “How are things going with Harper? I notice she isn’t here.”
I fucking knew it. Of course, this is about Harper. I make a mental note not to give him too much information. I want to keep a few cards close to my chest. “They’ve been fine. She’s out with Mac and Finn.”
“Out?”
“Out.” I continue to meet his stare, deadpan.
“And where exactly is ‘out’?”
“They’re at Kings.” This should be good.
“You’re joking, right?”
“Nope.” I pop the “p” to get some attitude across. His face turns red with anger almost instantly.
“What the hell are they doing at Kings?!” He’s sitting up straight now, and I know it’s only a matter of time before he explodes.
“She was going stir-crazy in the apartment and wanted to go out. It’s the safest place we could think to take her.” I neglect to tell him that it was Finn’s idea and that none had checked in since they left. That’s for me to worry about, not him.
A few seconds pass, and, as predicted, he explodes out of his chair. “What the fuck is wrong with you?! How are you supposed to keep an eye on her if you let her go gallivanting all over the goddamn city?!”
I remain seated on the couch, “She’s fine. Mac and Finn are with her, and Kings is crawling with security, who knows exactly who she is and what she looks like. She won’t be able to leave without anyone besides the guys.” Before they left, I called in some extra security at the club.
“I should have known not to trust you with this. I should have taken care of it myself,” he seethes, pacing around the den like a fucking crazy person.
Wait. Taken care of it… Take care of what? I want to know the answer, so I continue to push. “What the hell is your problem? Either you trust me to take care of things, or you don’t. She’s just a girl. I’m pretty sure we’re more than capable of…”
“She’s not just a girl!” There it is… I can always count on his temper to get the better of him. “I swear to God, Ronan. If anything happens to her, then it’s over. We won’t be able to…” He stops mid-sentence, and a look of instant regret spreads across his face as if he’s said something he didn’t want to have said.
Unease crawls up my back. “We won’t be able to… what?”
He doesn’t answer, and rage consumes me. My temper is finally getting the best of me. I am my father’s son, after all. I won’t deal with the secrets, not when it comes to Harper. “Dad! Answer the fucking question.” I stand and curl my hands into fists at my sides as I take a couple of steps closer to him. “We won’t be able to… what?” I bite out the last word.
“It has to be done.”
Fuck. “What does?”
“We came to an agreement… a truce, if you will. You have enough to worry about. You can barely handle the responsibilities I’ve given you as it is.” I ignore yet another comment about my inability to lead because I already know exactly where this is going, but I want to hear him say the fucking words. “So, I took it upon myself to deal with the problem across the pond and gave our friend Declan a call.”
A slow smile spreads across his face, and for the first time in my life, I lunge forward and put my hands on him. “Tell me you didn’t,” I say with my hands gripping the front of his shirt.
“Oh, but I did.”
I move to push him against the wall behind him, and I hear a low chuckle escape his lips. He’s fucking laughing.
“I asked him what it would take for him to leave us alone. His answer was simple… Harper.”
