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“Uh-huh. I hate to break it to you, kid, but no one in our neighborhood will ever think you’re pure and innocent again.”
“Youmonster. You’re lucky no one called child protective services on you.”
“They can have you,” Dad said. “No refunds.”
“Bullshit,” Nick growled. “You’d miss me too much. You need me to take care of you.”
Dad softened as he stood, taking a step back. “Yeah, I suppose I do, huh?”
“You’re not getting any younger,” Nick reminded him. “You gotta watch your cholesterol levels. Don’t make me call your doctor again.”
“I still can’t believe you did that,” Dad muttered. “Can you make me a promise?”
And because he loved his father, Nick said, “Anything.”
Dad looked down at him for a moment before nodding slowly. “Stay away from Simon Burke, okay? I don’t want you having anything to do with him.”
Nick said, “He pickedmeup. Why would I—”
“Promise me,” Dad said. “This is important, kid. Given allthat’s happened between you and Seth and Owen, we don’t know what Burke wants. And until we find out, I want you to be careful. Can you do that for me?”
Nick hesitated, warming slightly at Dad’s use of the wordwe. It meant they were a team. Of course he wouldn’t have anything to do with Simon Burke. Why would he? Owen had made terrible choices, but how much of it was because of his father?
“What happened between you?” he asked finally. “What did he do that—”
Dad turned toward the microwave, but not before Nick saw his jaw set. “It’s in the past, Nicky. Do what I’m asking, okay? And keep this between us. Don’t tell the others about Burke or what he said. I don’t want it being blown out of proportion.”
“Okay,” Nick said quietly, knowing the conversation was over. But he still had to try. “You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”
“I would. Let’s eat. We’ll choke down the lasagna together in front of the TV. Sound good?”
It did.
It wouldn’t be until later—much later, when everything had changed—that Nick would realize how neatly his father had deflected.
Dad went to bed earlier than usual after telling Nick not to stay up too late. Nick followed shortly after, trudging up the stairs to his room. He thought about trying to work on a new chapter of his fic, but when he sat down at his desk and opened his laptop, he found himself researching the best ways to launch a new brand. He wasn’t surprised when he ended up onCosmoagain, reading an article aboutTEN CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS IN LAUNCHING A NEW BRAND IDENTITY FOR BUSINESSWOMEN. Damn his luck for being born male. He’d make an awesome businesswoman.
He’d only made it partially through the list, when he heard a tap at his bedroom window.
His window on the second floor.
He looked over slowly, heart rabbiting in his chest. The window was dark. Snow fell past it, catching the low light from the streetlamps below.A bird, he told himself. It was just a bird. Or flecks of ice. He turned back toward his laptop, trying to calm himself. Screw Simon Burke for messing with his head. He was making Nick paranoid.
The tapping came again.
Nick reached into his backpack, grimacing as his fingers slid through the remains of an exploded lip balm before finding what he was looking for, fingers closing around a cold metal canister. He hadn’t yet had an opportunity to use the Mace, but if there was a villain outside his window, Nick was going to make them wish they’d never been born. And then he’d scream for his dad to save him. Solid plan.
He pressed himself against the wall with the window, inching over slowly. He stopped next to the window, just out of sight. He brought the Mace up, kissed the top of the canister, and said, “It’s time to take out the trash.”
Nick spun in front of the window, jerking it open with one hand, cold air washing over him as he thrust the Mace outside.
Nothing. There was no one there.
He leaned his head out the window, looking down at the street below. The sidewalk in front of his house was empty. He shivered as snow fell onto his hair.
“Yeah,” a voice said from above him. “I knew it’d be a good idea to not stay in front of the window.”
Nick yelped as he bumped his head hard against the windowsill. Frowning, he leaned back out the window, twisting at an awkward angle to look up. There, sitting on the edge of the roof, was a sight that set Nick’s heart racing again.
