AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You handled yourself well last night,” said Liffey. “That shot was incredible. I’m very proud of you, Brooke.”
“Thank you, Dad. That means a lot to me.”
“Can I ask why you weren’t honest with your mother and I?” She was quiet, unsure of what to say. “Did we give you the impression that we wouldn’t have been proud of you for doing this job?”
“Not at all, Dad. You and Mom have been nothing but supportive with me. I guess I just wanted to show everyone that I could do it, then I would come home and hopefully work for VG.”
“I hope you do that as well,” said Liffey. “We miss you. You’re the only child we have, Brooke. The only one we could have. It wouldn’t have mattered if you were a school teacher, a nun, a high diver. Your mother and I still would have worried about you every day.”
“But why?” she frowned.
“Honey, that’s something that you will learn when you have children of your own. You never stop worrying about them. Never. And it doesn’t matter how many you have, or how old they get.
“I remember Mama Irene talking about how she worried for each of the boys as they left for the Army, then the girls as they left for college. Although she didn’t know that Alec was in the CIA. She thought he was in medical school and still worried for him all the time.
“It didn’t matter how big and strong they were, how smart they were, or old they were. Worrying for your children never stops. No matter how old they are, how close or far away, male or female. It never stops.”
“Did your parents worry for you?” she asked.
Her father hadn’t spoken much about his parents over the years, only saying that they were distant. He let out a long, slow breath, shaking his head.
“My parents weren’t like your mother and me. They were both alcoholics. Violent alcoholics. My father spent his paycheck before it was even cold in his hands. My mother stole whatever was left. I had two older sisters, but they both left the house as quickly as they could.”
“They didn’t take you with them?” she frowned.
“No, honey. They didn’t take me with them. They left me behind, starting their own families, not worried about me or our parents. I think they just figured that if they had to make it on their own, so should I.”
“But you got out,” she said quietly. “You got out of Chicago and made something of yourself.”
“I did. After I stole the car of the wife of the biggest gang leader in Chicago. The only way I was going to live was to steal another car, one that belonged to him, that had been placed in police impound. My life was over.”
“Dad, I didn’t know that,” she whispered.
“No one knew. Except the guy at the Army recruiting station. It was my way out, my way to survive outside of Chicago. Problem was, I hated the fucking Army.” Brooke looked shocked by her father’s admission. Everything she knew about him was that he was a great Ranger.
“Don’t look at me that way,” he chuckled. “I hated the regular Army. When I discovered the Rangers, my life turned around. I felt powerful, useful. I met Eric and Aiden, a few other men that made a difference in my life. I learned that I was good at more than just breaking into cars.”
“Dad, you’re amazing. You and Mom both,” she said, shaking her head. “I should have told you everything. You would have understood. You’ve been a great father. Wonderful. You and Mom have given me an amazing life, and I had no reason to not be honest with you. I’m sorry.”
Brooke hugged her father, kissing his cheek. He just smiled, standing to refill his cup. When he turned, he stared at his daughter.
“I can’t tell you what to do anymore, Brooke. You’re a grown woman, capable of more than most women I know. You’re going to be happy with East. I always knew you would be. It just took you both some time. Be careful when we go in for Sutton, Brooke. He knows that you mean something to East, and he’ll try to use you against him. If he does that, East won’t be able to focus, and it will leave him vulnerable.”
“I understand, Dad,” she nodded.
“I’m going to go grab some of those chicken biscuits everyone is talking about,” he grinned. “I’ll be back shortly.”
She smiled at her father, starting another pot of coffee as the room began to awaken. By the time he was back, everyone was showered and dressed, ready for Rivera’s arrival.
East looked down at his phone, grinning. There were a dozen text messages from Sutton asking where he was. He was panicked. Time to make it big. He dialed Sutton’s number, holding a finger to his lips for everyone to be quiet.
“Where the fuck are you?” he snapped.
“I was busy. Remember. Trying to find your explosive mole.”
“Well, he struck again! He blew up my apartment building. The whole fucking building and there were important people inside.”
“Shit, sorry,” said East, trying to sound sympathetic. “I was following a trail toward a Walmart on the east side.”
