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I take a step forward, making them retreat off the porch. They stumble back, but I continue to charge forward with Jenni hot on my heels. They both stop once they reach the end of the grass where a sleek white Cadillac sits idling next to the curb.

“Tylan? Please.” She pulls my arm, making me give her my undivided attention. Her gaze moves to her father, and then back to me. “He’s my father. I–I need to explain.”

“You know he doesn’t give a fuck what you think, right?”

She doesn’t answer, but the tears that start to build in her eyes is my undoing. Turning back to the men, I give them the only option I feel comfortable with.

“I want you the fuck away from my family, but she wants to talk. You’re lucky your daughter means something to me, or I wouldn’t even entertain the idea. So here the deal; you and your minion are gonna accompany me to my clubhouse. There and only there is where you’ll have your time with your daughter before you bounce yourself right the fuck outta here.” I turn toward Jenni. “Now, get some more fucking clothes on, and I’ll make sure your Daddy gets where he needs to be.”

There’s a war raging within me. I want to snap these fuckers in two. Make them bleed until they know they have no business here. She’s not their concern, not anymore. I’ll be damned if he thinks he’s going to take the one ray of sunshine in my otherwise, dark, fucked up world. I’m not willing to go back to the person I was before she showed me the light. If I have to permanently dispose of these two fuckwads to do it, then I will. Father or not.

As soon as Jenni retreats into the house, her father opens his mouth again. “This is none of your concern. Her time here with you is over.”

I straighten to my full height. “I don’t fucking think so.”

“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.”

“I don’t give a fuck what Bible crap you tried to throw at me, but if I were you, I’d turn my shit off, or you’re liable to lose your car. You know, it being parked in the Devil’s playground and all that.”

Instantly Daniel begins to instruct that pansy ass Micah to secure his vehicle and the sound of their dress shoes clicking on the concrete. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sin and Savannah standing on Bianca’s porch, watching. The audible gasp that hits my ears tells me that Savannah’s as surprised to see him here as I am.

Rushing through the door, I’m met with a concerned looking Ryder. “What’s the matter? Why is Uncle Tylan yelling? Who’s out there?” He tried to step around me.

I place my hands on his shoulders, trying to get his attention back to me and not what’s happening outside. “Baby, I need you do me a favor,” I say as I pass him to head to my room. “I need you to watch your sister. Give me a sec, okay?” I ask over my shoulder before I enter my room and shut my door behind me. I make a quick change of my clothes, I throw on a fitted Devil’s Fury T-shirt, a pair of jeans and my sneakers. Heading back out of my room I see Ryder still where I left him.

“For how long? What’s going on? You’ve never left me alone with Rox before.”

I stop in front of him, rubbing my hands up and down his arms. “I know, that’s true, but I need you to do this for me. Just for a bit. We’ll be over at the clubhouse. We won’t be long.”

I pass by him, pulling up my still wet hair, I twist it into a messy knot while I walk. My heart’s racing. Seeing my father has scared the heck out of me. I never thought he’d make any effort to come and find me, but then again, my not being at home is showing the church that their precious leader doesn’t have a handle on his family. If he can’t handle one daughter, how can he handle the entire congregation?

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“My father’s here, and I need to speak with him, but I don’t want you guys involved. I’m certain that it’s not going to go smoothly, and I don’t want you kids to have to listen to anything that may come out of his mouth.”

“Jenni…” he groans.

When I turn around, he looks irritated. “I know, honey. You’re not a little kid, but your sister is, and I don’t want her little ears to hear anything that might put thoughts of doubt in her mind. My father…” I sigh. “My father is a difficult man, so I need you to stay here and watch your sister. Do not, by any means, allow anyone into this house. Make sure the front door is locked, and I’ll head through the back. Do not answer the door for anyone, Ryder, do you understand?”

“Yeah, yeah, lock the front door. Don’t answer it and you’re going through the back. Got it.”

“Okay.”

“Jenni?”

His voice stops me. “Yeah?”

“You–you’re not leaving, right? Is that why your dad’s here? Because he wants you to go home?”

“I am home.” I give him a wink and head towards the back.

“I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

My father’s voice booms from inside as soon as I open the metal door that leads into the main room of the clubhouse.

“Fuck, lusting in the flesh is the best part.”

Lick’s response makes me laugh. He’s not intimidated by my father and his constant spouting of his religious jargon. My father probably thinks that because he can silence the people in his congregation with his words and his tone, he can do the same here. But he’s not in his church, and he’s definitely not with his people.