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VIOLET
He’s here.
Achille’s imposing figure shadowed the hallway.
I bit my lip. Pretending we weren’t home was no use. He’d just be back tomorrow. I unlatched the door but left the chain fastened. Then I tugged it open, revealing a sliver of his leather jacket. My attention wandered up his wide chest and smooth jaw, colliding with his searing gaze.
“What?”
“Came to thank you for that little serenade,” he purred, leaning across the door. “Never had a girl do that for me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I rarely find a muse in a walkin’ cautionary tale. Consider yourself an unfortunate inspiration.”
Achille shifted, positioning himself in front of the gap. “What’s next? ‘Eyes stormy as the sea, touch burning like hellfire’?”
I raised a brow. “‘Leaves destruction wherever he goes.’”
“Is that what you think of me? A man who destroys things?”
“Aren’t you?”
He leaned in, the chain the only thing keeping us apart. “If I have to destroy something to take what’s mine, I will.”
I swallowed hard.
Each word from Achille was like a match struck in dry tinder, the flames licking closer to an explosion. He’d made it clear that his involvement in Jack’s life was non-negotiable, but that couldn’t happen. It was against my sister’s last wishes and my trust in him was as thin as ice in a spring thaw.
“Let’s continue this conversation inside,” he said.
“Why would I want that?”
“Because I’m his father, and you want me on your good side.”
A knot tightened in my stomach. “Prove it.”
He held up a small plastic tube. “I will.”
“What is that?”
“It’s just a cheek swab, Bumpkin.”
“You’re not coming anywhere near him with that.”
He sneered. “I can get a court order whipped up in my sleep.”
“Why do you even care?” I hissed, my fingers digging into the doorknob. “Someone like you… in your line of work. What do you want with a child?”
“That’s my business.”
“You can’t barge into our lives and demand a part of him.”
“I’m not asking. I’m telling you how it’s going to be.” His low rumble of controlled rage sent my pulse skittering.
My nostrils flared. “I’ll call the police.”
“I’ve got cops in my pocket thicker than my wallet.”
“Then I’ll file a restraining order.”
