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“Attention!” Kohen shouted, scaring the shit out of the kid and almost making me laugh. My oldest child was standing in his uniform, at his tallest height, and glaring down at Lana’s date, who already looked ready to run. If this wimp couldn’t take a little intimidation, he wasn’t good enough for my daughter. No one was. But Audrey had convinced me that I’d have to settle for someone someday. I didn’t know why the fuck my little girls couldn’t just stay single. But as I looked at the little pipsqueak here to pick up Lana, it was another reminder that I’d lost the fight.
“At ease, sailor,” I said gruffly, putting just enough of a smile on my face to make the kid think I was his ally. “You must be Jefferson,” I greeted. He looked relieved at my mild tone, and after throwing another furtive glance at Kohen, he took a step toward me.
“Yeah—um”—he cleared his throat and shifted his weight to his other foot—“Yes.”
“Yes,sir!” Kohen snarled in his ear, making the kid jump a foot.
It was hard not to laugh, but I managed it.
“I’m Merrick. Lana’s dad. Why don’t you come in, and we can get to know each other while she finishes getting ready?”
He nodded nervously and wiped his palms on his suit pants. “Um, okay.”
Kohen growled.
“Okay, sir,” Jefferson quickly amended.
I walked into the living room, and since he was behind me, I gave myself permission to grin when I heard him stop breathing at the sight of all the muscle in the room.Hooyah, boys.
“Don’t mind them, Jefferson,” I said in a conversational tone. “They won’t hurt you unless I tell them to.”
Cash cracked a smile, but considering he was built like a fucking tank and usually looked like he was two seconds away from killing someone, it didn’t take away from the intimidation factor.
We had to walk through the men to get to the back hallway, where I led him into my office. “Have a seat, Jefferson,” I said as I rounded my desk and lowered my large frame into the chair.
As planned, Jefferson’s eyes swept over the right wall—which displayed my gun collection—and then the left—which displayed my knife collection. He finally sat down and looked toward me, but his attention almost immediately dropped to the desktop.
“Do you know what that is?” I asked.
“A gun?” he squeaked.
I frowned, and he suddenly seemed to realize that I wasn’t his friend.Nope.
“That’s like saying you’re a person,” I grunted. Picking up the weapon, I looked at it fondly. “This is a Glock 19. Favored by Navy SEALs.” I set it back on the desk before the kid peed his pants.
“Do you know what else?”
He shook his head jerkily. “No. Um, no, sir.”
I pinned him with a deadly glare. “It’s the gun I’ll use on you if you hurt my daughter. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“YES, SIR!” Kohen snapped from right behind the kid.
Jefferson jumped so hard the chair would have tipped backward if Kohen hadn’t caught it and set it right.
“Yes, sir.”
I stood and placed my palms on the desk, leaning forward so I looked down at the boy. “If you say or do anything inappropriate, I’ll know. And”—I paused for dramatic effect because this was way too much fun—“they’ll never find your body.”
All the blood drained from his face, and I deepened my scowl to keep from laughing. “Do you know why?”
Jefferson shook his head again.
Kohen leaned down and growled directly into his face. “Because he’s that fucking good.”
* * *
