Page 147 of Unexpected Redemption

Curiosity gets me after the silence lingers. “What makes you think you failed him?”

“Because he should have known he could come to me with the truth about you years ago. Even if he hid it at first. I would have forgiven him.”

Fair.

“What would you have done differently to prevent him from thinking he couldn’t tell you?”

A humorless laugh rattles his broad chest. “I’d have done a lot of things differently, kid.”

I arch a brow at him. “That’s a cop-out.”

“Busted.” He quirks the slightest grin. “It’s between him and me.”

“I can respect that.” Even if I don’t like it because I’m nosy as all get out. You can take the girl out of the small town, but you can’t take the small town out of the girl.

With the next turn, the SUV jostles us around. Pothole after pothole on this road. Definitely in the rougher part of town.

Grabbing theoh shithandle, I brace my other hand on the console as we bounce along. My thoughts mimic the jarring motion, traversing the many revelations from this short drive.

One particular thought garners more attention than the rest until I finally blurt out, “It wasn’t your fault. What happened to me. It wasn’t.”

His throat bobs, and he blinks rapidly.

“I mean it,” I insist, my chin raising proudly. “No one has the right to hurt us or those we love. Redleg’s fight against the mafia to help people like Valerie Franco and Kri Dayton is the right thing to do. Saving them doesn’t make you guilty of sacrificing me. I’m sorry I said that earlier—the thing about being collateral damage. That was my broken filter talking. It wasn’t fair of me to say that.”

He clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “You weren’t wrong. If it wasn’t for our involvement with Lenkov, you wouldn’t have been taken.”

“And if I didn’t love to sing, I wouldn’t have insisted on staying for the singing contest.”

I purse my lips and widen my eyes at him, waiting for him to glance from the road to see the sarcasm dripping from my face.

He finally does, then gives his eyes a glorious roll around his head, drawing a chuckle from me.

“I’m serious, Boss Dad. There are a million things I could have done differently to change the outcome. I could beat myself up over it from now until the end of time. And it would all be pointless because they would’ve come after me regardless. One way or another, they’d have gotten me. And so, to you, I say the same thing my therapist said to me.Nothing you did caused it. Nothing you did gave them the right to do what they did. Period.” I nod my head, giving my statement some razzle-dazzle. “The blame lies on the man who’s likely covered with a blood-stained sheet, lying on the cold concrete. He’s the reason I washurt. Not me. Not you. Not Tomer nor Redleg. Viktor Lenkov wanted me to suffer.”

My father’s broad shoulders rise to his ears as he sucks in a massive swell of oxygen. When he releases it, the tension seems to seep from him. “Thank you, Lettie. I needed to hear that.”

Unable to resist the urge to comfort him, I grab his forearm and pulse it twice. He takes his left hand off the wheel, tapping my hand. A powerful thank you conveyed with a simple touch.

When he breaks at a four-way stop sign, he hits me with the full force of his compassionate eyes. The ambient light from the SUV’s console makes them twinkle.

“You’re welcome. I meant every word.”

His returning grin reminds me of mine.

Minus the beard and wrinkles, of course.

“You know, you’re going to be a great mother.”

Gulp.

The elephant in the room has finally been called out.

We remain silent as he resumes driving.

Silence and I aren’t besties, though. “Aren’t you glad I was born stubborn as a mule?” I tease him, aiming to break the seriousness of the moment. “If I were compliant, you’d have left headquarters alone, thinking I blamed you for what happened to me. And I’d have gone to sleep tonight assuming you would’ve chosen Viktor over me.” I click my tongue and add, “Some might call my pigheadedness a flaw. But I’ve always known it was a gift.”

He laughs in a warm, vibrato tone.

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