Page 33 of Off Limits
‘It’s me, Dad.’
‘Where you been all day?’
‘A fancy wedding. I told you, remember? I brought you some food.’
I go directly to the kitchen and fetch him a plate. I unwrap the paper napkin and empty the contents into the middle. Some of the food from the buffet table got crushed on my way home, and the ones that were warm are now cold. I put it all in the microwave and go to the fridge to pour him a glass of milk. Then I deliver everything to the couch. He’s watching baseball again with his feet up.
‘Thank you, sweet pea,’ he murmurs as I crouch down next to him. ‘You at Surly’s tonight?’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘Again? When was the last time they gave you the night off?’
‘We talked about this. Sooner I pay back the debt, sooner I can be done with it.’
He bows his head. ‘I hate that you have to dance there ’cause of me. I hate goddamn Kale McCoy.’
I lean forward, kissing his forehead. We don’t talk about the particulars. What I must do for tips to pay off his debt. ‘Well, I couldn’t bear the alternative.’
‘I’m grateful to you, sweetheart. Promise you’re still being careful out there…’
‘I am, Daddy. I can handle myself. How’s the breathing today?’
Around the same time Momma left, Dad started having trouble breathing. He was diagnosed with emphysema. It was just another reason I couldn’t leave.
‘It was okay, sugar pie. I should be the one taking care of you. Not the other way around.’ He eats another one of the hors d’oeuvres, his gaze drifting back to the baseball. ‘How fancy was the wedding?’
‘Country Club fancy.’
‘Who all was getting married?’
My stomach performs a somersault. ‘Brody Conway. You know, as in the Mutineer Conways?’
He shakes his head. ‘I know ’em. More money than sense.’
I need to get moving. ‘Don’t wait up for me, okay?’
Upstairs, while I change outta my dress, my phone pings. I unlock the screen to find an unknown number has sent me a message.
I open it up. It’s a screenshot of my official photograph from the CMC, the one that’s on the website. With a single message beneath.
When it comes to the Mutineers, I have the highest security clearance. Every employee. Everything I need to know is at my fingertips.
My throat goes dry. It’s him.
And he’s making a point.
Brody Conway’s not gonna leave me alone in a hurry.
Chapter Ten
Jake
Monday afternoon, I check my watch. It’s three forty-five. Sweat dapples my brow. I’ve come straight from cone drills and traffic across town has been a bitch. I just pray I haven’t missed her.
When I pull up in the parking lot at The Bounty, it’s five minutes before four. I swing open the door to find the diner bursting at the seams with customers. I search the room. My gaze falls on Serenity and I breathe a sigh of relief. She’s still here.
There are no free tables, so I take a seat at the bar. I look over at her. She’s rushed off her feet. I pick up a menu, though instead of deciding what to order, I watch her out the corner of my eye. Even her fake smiles are cute.
