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Her father’s voice hardened. “Yes, it seems we do.”
I went to pin him to the wall with my words, but Eden beat me to the punch. “You don’t get to be angry at him when men are trying to gun us down because of something you’re hiding from us. Got it?”
Her mother gasped. “Eden!”
But her sister simply shrugged as she fished around for her phone. “She’s right. Dominik’s the least of our worries right now. Let me go give Jackson a call and then we can head out.”
“After we give our statements to the police,” Eden said.
I nodded. “Of course.”
When she turned to face me, the tears in her eyes tugged at my heart. She looked petrified, and for good reason. But my reaction to those tears startled me. I wanted to take her back into my arms. I wanted to scoop her up and keep her close so that I knew she’d be safe.
What in the absolute hell was happening to me?
So, instead of dwelling on why my sudden urge to hold Eden was so strong, I turned to face their father.
“They deserve answers, you know.”
His eyes grew wild. “Who in the world are you? Who the hell are you to come into my house and--?”
“Oh, can it, Clyde,” Mrs. Rochere said flatly.
A grin stretched across my face. “I’d listen to the beautiful woman if I were you.”
“You can shut up, too, as far as I’m concerned. Your voice is annoying,” she said flatly.
And just as quickly as Eden’s tears had appeared, they faded away as she barked with laughter. “Ain’t that the truth.”
“All right,” Emily said as she came back into the kitchen, “Jackson’s on his way to the office now. And I believe I saw two police cruisers pull up outside.”
I nodded. “We should go meet them out there. The less people that trample on the scene--”
“The better the evidence will be preserved,” Eden said as she finished the sentiment for me.
But her father continued to stare me down. “Seriously, who in the hell are you?”
And as annoyance crept up the back of my throat, I spat it out at him. “I’m the man trying to help save your daughter’s catering business from your past mistakes. Does the name Thaddius Beauregard ring a bell to you?”
The man’s face automatically paled. “You know that man?”
I clicked my tongue. “That’s what I thought. All of you, come with me. Now. We’ve got a meeting that needs to take place, and the only place I trust right now is my fucking office.”
“Now wait just a fucking minute,” Mr. Rochere demanded.
I whipped around and prepared myself for a fucking fist fight. I was ready to break that man’s jaw and spin his head on his shoulders. But Eden stepped in front of me. She squared off her shoulders, held her head high, and stared her father straight in his eyes.
And I swear to hell on high, she had never looked sexier.
“Either you can get on board and realize you’re no longer in control, Dad, or I’ll have you arrested myself and you can talk to the police. But something tells me that isn’t the smart route, so start playing nice or you’ll see just how mean your own daughter can get. Understood?”
Her father volleyed his gaze between the two of us before he nodded. “Understood.”
“Fan-fucking-tastic,” Eden murmured.
“So, uh, we gonna go outside and give our statements, or what?” Em asked as she thumbed over her shoulder.
I nodded. “Come on. The quicker we can get this done, the quicker we can have that conversation we all need to have.”
