Page 37 of Deadly Conflicts

Ally made a disgusted face. “You don’t have to put them in there,” she said, annoyed. “You can just sneak out there to do your business after they fall asleep.”

“I shouldn’t have to sneak around in my own house,” James groused.

“Well, that’s not my problem,” Ally said. “They’re staying here and if you try to weasel out of it I’m telling Mom exactly why you don’t want them living under your roof. She’ll accuse you of having a filthy mind and sit Mandy down for the talk.”

James knit his eyebrows together. “What talk? I’m pretty sure Mandy knows about the birds and the bees.”

“Not that talk. The one where she explains how to control a man’s urges by cutting him off from sex,” Ally replied. “She had it with me when I was eighteen. I’m still traumatized.”

Jake snorted, drawing a few curious stares from the patio furniture. “No offense, angel, but I don’t think that talk worked with you.”

“Don’t push me,” James warned, extending a finger. “She’s still my sister, no matter how annoying I find her right now.”

“I didn’t say the talk worked, just that I had to listen to it,” Ally clarified. “I’m not listening to it again and you’re going to want to make sure Mandy doesn’t have to listen to it because it will totally kill the mood for days.”

James was horrified by the suggestion. “Fine,” he said, blowing out a resigned sigh. “I’m going to do it, but I’m not going to like it.”

“Oh, I think that’s what Mandy says every time you get romantic,” Ally said, giggling maniacally as she darted around her brother’s swipe and moved away from the grill. “I’ll tell Mom and Dad the happy news.”

“This is just not my week,” James complained.

JAKE TOOKa breather from all of the family togetherness and excused himself to visit the guesthouse as a way to avoid the evil looks Louis kept shooting in his direction. He wasn’t keen on talking to the man, but he had to do it if he expected to make amends. He just wasn’t sure how to proceed.

Jake never considered himself much of a talker. He wasn’t mute for any specific reason, of course, but he only spoke when he deemed it necessary. After hooking up with Ally, he had no choice but to loosen up a bit on the talking reins. She was a general chatterbox. If he didn’t respond to her questions he found that a pouting Ally was absolutely no fun. So he talked, even starting conversations out of the blue sometimes. Ally was always tickled when he did it.

“You seem lost in thought.”

Jake jolted at the sound of Louis’ voice, turning a rueful smile in the direction of the man he hoped would be his father-in-law one day. “I was just … nice day, huh?”

For his part, Louis wasn’t thrilled with the state he found his daughter and her live-in love several hours before. He didn’t hold a grudge against Jake, though. He knew his sons – all three of them, for that matter – held the man in high esteem. That was good enough for him … almost.

“Let’s go inside,” Louis suggested, opening the door and gesturing before Jake could muster an argument to stop him. “I think we need to have a chat.”

“Sure,” Jake said, his heart heavy. “I kind of expected this.”

Jake entered the guesthouse first and headed straight for the bar. If Louis was going to pick a fight he needed something to dull the edges of his busy mind. Instead of immediately following, Louis took a moment to study the guesthouse with fresh eyes.

“This isn’t how it used to look,” Louis said, glancing around.

“Oh, no,” Jake said, pouring three fingers of Jack Daniels over some ice. “Do you want something?”

Louis shook his head. “Just to know what happened out here.”

“I … James didn’t tell you?” Jake was confused. “You know how Avery entered this world, right?”

“I thought I did,” Louis said, taking a seat at the booth built in the corner of the room. “I’m starting to wonder if I’m missing something.”

Jake was reticent as he sat across from Louis, worry twisting his stomach. “I’m not sure if I should be the one to tell you this. If James kept it to himself … .”

“Tell me,” Louis prodded.

“Well, I’ll keep it short,” Jake said. “Lance Pritchard escaped from prison and he was bent on getting his hands on Emma. We had everyone at the house but thought we had a line on him so we left Mandy and Emma here.”

“I know this part,” Louis said, nodding. “Emma went into labor and Mandy delivered the baby.”

“Not quite,” Jake hedged. “Pritchard made it through security and caught Mandy and Emma. Mandy delivered the baby and then … um … tried to sacrifice herself to give Emma time to escape with the baby.”

Louis was flabbergasted. “What?”