Page 130 of Property of Fang
“Daddy!”Molly launches herself off the seat, abandoning the small bowl of ice cream the cook gave her to help distract from the aftermath, and runs toward Fang.
He scoops her up mid-stride and deposits her on his hip…critical gaze fixed on me as he crosses the room.What the fuck did I do now?
The sheriff arrived while he was gone. Rocked up looking as though he was pissed to be interrupted mid-meal, and instructed his two deputies to take witness reports from the people still here. Some of the patrons already left—the uninjured ones. Some stuck around to help. In a town this size, the news will be through the grapevine come morning. I really don’t know how the newspapers stay in business.
“Did you find them?” I ache to get to my feet so I don’t feel so small before Fang, but he stands close enough to me that there’s no room to get out of the booth anymore.
“One.” He glances at Marty. “Has he talked to you yet?”
“No.”
Molly eyes the unfinished ice cream on the table. I hand her the bowl. Fang receives it instead, cupping it in his palm so shecan spoon the contents with one hand whilst holding onto him with the other.
“Saving the best for last, I suppose.” He mutters the statement while searching the crowd, presumably for Loki.
I don’t know where he went.
“My father called.” As inappropriate as it feels to talk about this now, it also feels important toward regaining Fang’s trust.Why that matters, I’m not sure anymore.Not when he’s the one who’s continuing to test mine.
“What did he say?”
“He confirmed this was the Devil’s Breed’s doing. Acid sent him a taunt before they struck: a picture of me.” I swallow, a little put-off by the cool look in his eye. “They knew who I was,” I reveal. “The whole time. They always knew.”
His residual anger softens, giving way to surprise. “What are you saying, Freckles?”
“That I think they took me on purpose.” I glance to Molly, reluctant to get into the weeds of it with her in earshot. “He knew.” My throat closes. “My father knew that they knew. All along.”
Nothing needs to be said. Understanding hangs in the air between us, a heavy truth that can’t be lightened with well-meaning sentiment.
My father knew the Devil’s Breed would recognize me, and he put me right under their fucking noses, assuring me I’d be safe. He knew, and he didn’t care. Didn’t care enough about me to let his stupid grievances go. Makes me wonder if there even is a debt to be paid, or if it was all bullshit, spun up to get me into a situation I would otherwise have backed away from.
Fang fidgets, seemingly unsure what to say or do. He glances to Molly, who’s busy scraping out the bowl. “You won’t sleep tonight if you have too much sugar.”
“Oh well.”
The candor is hilarious, but I don’t dare laugh. In two words, she’s summed up the general vibe of the night.Oh well.Knew the Devil’s Breed would be angry about stolen stock.Oh well.Figured they’d retaliate sometime.Oh well.Guess this starts a proper war, now.Oh well.
Why the hell is everyone so blasé about this? I haven’t seen or heard any indication that they gear up to ride out and retaliate. No sign of rallying everyone together. They’re just treating this like an isolated incident.
“What happens next?” I ask.
“We’ll discuss that when we’re all back at the club.” Fang holds my eye and adds, “You’ll be told what you need to know.”
The hairs on the back of my neck bristle. “You still don’t trust me,” I say. “Even after everything I’ve told you, everything I’ve done, you still treat me like one of them.”
“Because you are,” he says softly. “Maybe you never had a choice, but your allegiance was made the minute you were born.”
Rage coils tighter with each bullshit word he speaks, tension building inside me until I’m forced to move in my seat to expel some of the pressure. “They knew I was here, Fang, and they did it anyway. What does that tell you about my place with them, huh? They knew Flinch’s daughter sat at the table, and they attacked anyway.”
“War doesn’t ask what’s right or what’s fair, Freckles. Losing you was a hit they were willing to take.”
I feel like I’m going to be sick.There’s honestly nothing I can do to separate myself from my heritage. Absolutely nothing. I’m spoiled by the half of my DNA that chose to join a fucking one percent club in another state, defined by something I can’t change.
“I can’t believe after this,” I say, gesturing to the mess, “you’d still let your prejudice get in the way of the truth.”
“How did they know this was where we were, Freckles?” Fang takes the empty bowl from Molly and sets it on the table. “That’s the part of the so-called truth I can’t work out. How did they know this is exactly where we sat?”
“You thinkIhad something to do with this?”
