Page 20 of Cross’s Reckoning

"Wasn't doing that either."

She finally looks up. "Then what do you want?"

I step inside but leave the door open behind me. "To make sure you're okay."

She laughs once. "I'm fucking fantastic."

I lean against the wall and for once, I don't argue.

Lola looks down at her hands. "He knew I came here."

"Yeah."

"He knew I left Perdition in the middle of the night and drove into enemy territory."

"Yeah."

"And nothing."

I don't answer. She looks at me sharply. "Say it."

"What?"

"Whatever you're thinking."

"I'm thinking you're his daughter."

"That's not exactly breaking news."

"And I'm thinking I don't know what the fuck is wrong with him."

That catches her. She expected me to use this and maybe I would've once, but not tonight.

Her eyes turn bright, which makes her angrier. "I've spent my whole life defending him."

"I know."

"To you. To everybody. Even when I knew some of it was..." She stops and wipes angrily beneath one eye before anything can fall. "I always thought there was a line."

I stay where I am.

"What line?"

"Me."

The word is quiet and that's worse than if she shouted it.

"I thought whatever else he was, whatever else Perdition was, I was different to him."

"You should've been."

Her mouth twists. "But I'm not, am I?"

"I'm not answering that for him."

"Why not? You've had an opinion on everything else for ten fucking years."

"Because I'm not telling you your father never loved you just because he's acting like a bastard tonight."