Page 76 of Playing With Love

“Um?” he mocked.

Phone forgotten, my spine stiffened.

Unfortunately, my father went on, which meant Tucker heard.

“Your mother’s in the hospital.”

“Mom’s in the hospital?”

“That’s what I said.”

I heard Tucker’s low grumble, but more, I felt it rumble out of his chest and reverberate around the interior of the car.

“Why is she in the hospital, Dad?”

“Watch your tone, Liza. I’m not one of those men you work with.”

I closed my eyes, prayed for patience, and hoped with all my heart this was not going to turn into a lecture about my chosen line of work. It had been years since he’d laid into me about going into law enforcement, but when it came to Craig Monroe, all that meant was he’d had years to stew. He didn’t care…until he did. And when my father decided to care, he believed everyone else had to care and respect his opinion.

“Sorry.” I found myself saying. “I’m at work and shocked to hear Mom’s in the hospital.”

“Apology accepted. Now, you must tell whomever you need that you’ll be taking a week off to come home and take care of your mother. She’s being released tomorrow and will need you to see to her.”

This time, Tucker’s grumble was more of a growl.

“Dad, I’m sorry but I can’t⁠—”

“You can and you will,” my father interrupted me. His tone morphed into his ‘you will not argue with me’ tone I’d heard a million times in my life. “Time to earn your keep, young lady.”

“Really, Dad, I’m⁠—”

“Why must you always waste my time? I have more important things to see to than argue with you. Make the arrangements and get home.”

Waste my time.

I heard that a million times, too. So many times I’d stopped asking him questions. So many times I’d stopped begging him to spend time with me.

Waste of time—that’s what I was.

“Please listen⁠—”

I got no more out.

Not because my father interrupted me again. Because Tucker had ended the call.

Lainey played through the speakers. I held my breath. Not that there was much oxygen left in the car since Tucker’s heavy breathing was sucking it dry. Then suddenly Lainey wasn’t singing and Tucker exploded when my phone rang again.

“Do not answer that.”

I remained frozen.

He heard.

Tucker had heard my father.

And now the questions would come and I was stuck in a car with him following Allyson to the compound. We still had thirty minutes before I could escape. And thirty minutes was a really long time to be interrogated by an angry Tucker.

“What the fuck was that?” he seethed through the ring.