Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39161 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39161 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
“They do not.” Wrath sounded scandalized, even gave Holly a fierce scowl like she’d affronted his dadhood or something.
“Hate to break it to you, honey,” Celeste chimed in. “But she’s right. I tried to tell you early on, but you wouldn’t listen.”
Wrath narrowed his gaze, looking from one of them to the other. Several times. Slowly, his face morphed from irritated, to confused, to stunned realization. “Well, I’ll be Goddamned.”
“Yep.” Celeste urged Holly closer to Wrath and steered them toward the front of the plane. Obviously, she didn’t want any issue with Andrea or Alistair and likely knew exactly what Wrath knew. I was sure Wrath was very aware of what his wife was doing. In fact, I’d bet that whole conversation had been staged to lead her in the direction her parents wanted her to go, both physically and mentally. Keep her distracted and she’d be less likely to panic. Just like when she was a kid.
I let Celeste lead Holly away, knowing I needed to meet with El Diablo and Shotgun to decide what was going to happen next. Wrath stayed. Probably because he wasn’t sitting by and let everyone else punish the people who’d hurt his daughter. Everything inside me told me to follow Holly, but I knew she’d be safe with her mother until I could get this straightened out. Hell, she probably needed time with her mother to get a better perspective on… well, many things. But most of all, me. Above all, I had to have the blessing of her mother and father to make my claim valid. That was going to take them being certain I was who Holly wanted.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” El Diablo marched toward me, a look of utter fury on his face. Wrath closed in on the other side of me. Same look.
“El Diablo…” My dad, Fury, stepped between me and our president. I think it was pure instinct on his part and, even though I trusted El Diablo with my life, and, more importantly, Holly’s life. If he and Wrath were getting ready to throw me a beating, I wanted to know what I’d done to screw up. You know. So I didn’t make the same fuckup again.
“What’d I do?” I was a grown-ass man in my thirties, but I felt like a green prospect under El Diablo’s displeasure.
“Get your ass inside the clubhouse and get my Holly Sweetness settled, asshole,” he snapped, using Holly’s nickname for me, likely on purpose. El Diablo could certainly come up with more creative derogatory names to call me than asshole.
“I wanted to check in with you and Shotgun first. Once I shut myself in a room with Holly, I don’t intend to leave it until we have a plan firmly in place for the two of us. She has more grieving to do, and I intend to let her get it all out. No matter how long it takes. She knows I won’t be long.” Now that I knew what the problem was, I was totally throwing both him and Wrath under the bus. “Unlike some people on this aircraft, I’ve been as straightforward with my woman as I can be about my activities and why and how long I intend on being away from her. Only misunderstanding we’ve had was in me not recognizing how my feelings for her changed over the years. She didn’t realize I no longer saw her as a kid sister, and I didn’t explain because I wasn’t sure she was ready.”
El Diablo glared at me for long moments. “Show-off.” Was it possible for him to sound equal parts disgruntled and proud?
“Yeah. Agreed.” Wrath gave me a sheepish grin as he scrubbed the back of his neck. “I’d tell you not to tell Celeste what happened, but I know you well enough to know that’s a futile request.”
I chuckled. “Hey. I may be an asshole, but I’m not a dumbass. I learned from your and El Diablo’s mistakes. Mainly because I make enough of my own without repeating someone else’s. Your secret’s safe with me. You know. Unless I need leverage.” There was no way to keep the grin off my face.
“That’s my boy.” Fury clapped me on the shoulder, sharing a proud smile with me. I’d only gotten to know my dad over the last eight or so years but I kinda felt like this one moment was when me and my dad finally came together as father and son.
He met my gaze. I was fairly certain I saw a sheen of tears in his eyes. I grinned. “Rotor dust can be a bitch when it gets into your eyes, old man.”
“Fuckin’ allergies,” Fury grumbled, but still smiled at me like the proud father I’d been determined to make him when I first came here to live with him after my mother died.