Page 7 of Untamed Heart

“Can’t say I agree.” The words came out so cold it was a wonder icicles didn’t form in the air between us. But I couldn’t help it. “And I’m not back. I’m only here until my dad gets back on his feet, then I’m gone.”

I didn’t know where the hell I would go after this, but it wouldn’t be the first time I left this town without a plan in place. Maybe I would pay Remy another visit while I tried to figure out what came next for me.

I made good money as a cooking influencer, and I’d made sure to sock huge chunks of it away after the first time Adam hit me.

The one and only silver lining I could look back on that relationship with was that Adam had enjoyed the perks of my job well enough that he hadn’t tried to come between me and it, the way he had every friend I managed to make during my time in Colorado. He’d successfully cut me off from everyone but Remy, who refused to go away no matter what he did. If I’d been without a way to make money, I would have well and truly been screwed.

As it was, I had no doubt he was pissed as hell to come home from the bar that night and realize his cash cow had packed up and disappeared. I blocked his number and the number of every friend whose phones he tried calling from, and I had no intention of ever seeing his face again.

“Well, I know he’ll be real happy to see you.”

I knew he meant the words to be a kindness, but they lodged themselves behind my ribs like a knife.

“Let’s get one thing straight.” I didn’t recognize the voice coming out of my own mouth. “While I’m here, I don’t want to have a damn thing to do with your club, got it? I’ve got nothing to say to any of you, so you’d do best to stay the hell out of my way.”

I wasn’t sure where the hell that had come from. It was like a pressure release gage had been turned at the sight of him, and I had no control. I had to get out at least some of the animosity I’d been carrying around most of my life or I would explode.

As I stomped down the hall toward Ezra’s room, I kept my shoulders back, my chin held high, and my gaze rooted forward. I refused to look at any of Pope’s men, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t feel their eyes on me, drilling into me from all sides.

I almost stumbled on my own two feet as the scent of leather and pine mixed with something spicy invaded my senses. That long forgotten sensation of feeling Roe before I even saw him washed over me, and I knew the instant I passed him in the hall. But I refused to turn my head in that direction.

I wasn’t sure how I managed to stay on my feet, but once I reached my father’s room I sent up a silent thank you to whatever goddess looked down on me and kept me from falling flat on my face.

All the nerves and anxiety I tried to hide came rushing back at me like a tidal wave as I read and re-read the numbers posted on the wall right beside the door. When I reached for the knob, my hand started to tremble so badly I had to shake it out to get my fingers wrapped around the cold metal.

I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting when I finally opened the door, but it certainly wasn’t the man lying beneath stark white sheets.

My father had always been larger than life. A huge man I’d always thought was criminally handsome. He stood nearly six and a half feet tall and was stocky with wide shoulders and a thick chest. He’d always been strong, but looking at him just then, I could see that he’d gotten a little softer around the middle, and I could only assume that was due to age, beer, and a shitty diet that had all led to his heart attack. There was such a stark contrast between the man who used to intimidate all by boyfriends—aside from Roe—and send them running for the hills, and the man I was currently staring at.

I was struggling to put the memory of who I remembered with the picture of the one lying in the bed. He looked... frail, something I hadn’t thought possible for Ezra Riley. So much older than his sixty-eight years. His skin was sunken in and almost the same color as the sheets tucked tightly around his large frame.

But the one thing that hadn’t changed was his eyes. The same pale, sky blue as my own. As Remy’s. The squeak of the door hinge caught his attention, and as soon as his eyes opened, they locked on me.

They widened in shock before a small, tentative smile curled the corners of his mouth. “Dakota.” My name didn’t come out like a question, but almost as if it was the answer to a prayer.

“Hi, Dad.” Those two words felt rusty from disuse as they climbed their way up my throat.

His mouth dropped open as he took me in from top to toe like he thought I might be a hallucination. “I-I can’t believe you’re here.” He braced his hands in the mattress at his sides and tried to push up but the numbers on the machines by his head started rising to dangerous levels. I rushed toward him as the alarms began screaming.

“What are you doing? Are you crazy?” I flapped my hands in a panic, willing him back down. “Just... be still, okay? Lay back and relax.”

His chest rose and fell as he settled. The numbers slowly started lowering again and the blaring alarms quieted as the door swung open and a woman in blue scrubs walked in with determined strides.

“Ah ah ah, Mr. Riley. You know better than that.” Her tone was scolding but also playful, telling me this wasn’t the first time she had to come in and warn him about doing something he shouldn’t. “You trying to pop out those fancy new stints your heart just got? The doctor won’t be happy about that.”

The pout that pulled at Ezra’s face was so childish I nearly laughed. “I’m a grown-ass man. I can sit myself up if I want to.”

The nurse wasn’t fazed by his surly demeanor in the slightest. She turned from the monitor she was reading and propped a hand on her hip. “You keep being a grump, I’m going to pass you off to the mean nurse.”

His scowl grew in intensity but he didn’t say another word. I guess the mean nurse was pretty bad. She pushed a few buttons, then input the info on the iPad she was carrying. “Everything’s okay, Mr. Riley, but you need to remember you’ve recently undergone major surgery. The only way you’ll bounce back is if you take it easy and don’t put more stress on yourself. The sooner you start behaving, the sooner you’ll be out of here.”

She arched a scolding brow and stared him down until he acknowledged her order. Then she turned to me. “I’ll be back to check on him and administer his meds in an hour. Keep him in line for me. His bark is worse than his bite,” she said, then shot me a playful wink before leaving.

The click of the closing door bounced off the walls like a cannon blast. Once again, I was alone with my father, and I didn’t have the first clue what to say to him.

“How did you know I was in here. Did Roe call you?”

“What? No. No, um...” I reached up and massaged at the stiffness in my neck and shoulders. “You had me as your emergency contact.”