Page 111 of The Best of Us

At least that memory had distracted him from the guilt and worry—two things I never wanted my son to carry.

He grimaced at the bloodstains on the NYU shirt. “I should change before I meet his family. Think the blood will come out?”

“While your father probably has experience with getting blood out of clothes, I’m also a nurse, remember? I’ve got it covered. Just bring it down when you’re done with the call.” I patted his shoulder, then hesitantly left, shutting the door behind me.

Since I’d already packed and changed, this was my chance to talk to Constantine alone.

When we returned, he’d disappeared into his office, and I doubted it’d been to throw back whiskey. Not that I’d blame him.

I peeked inside, unsurprised to find the two bookshelves parted, revealing a hidden room.

Curious, I smoothed my fingers over one of the shelves. “Did this come with the house, or was it an add-on?”

“Add-on.” Constantine glanced up, a rifle in his hands. Not pointed at me, of course.

“I was kidding.” I chewed my lip, unsure of the appropriate response here. Smile?

“Ah. Right. Of course.” He set the rifle aside, hands bracing on the metal table before him.

I took in the room, from the walls lined with monitors to the weapons meticulously organized.

“How’s Colin?”

I folded my arms, leaning against the wall near the entrance. “He’s okay, I guess.” Not the most reassuring answer, but I was still struggling to process everything. “He wanted to talk to Lennon before we leave, so he’s on the phone with her now.”

He locked the rifle inside a case. “Colin’s a tough kid. He’ll be fine. I’m more worried about you.”

He circled the table, passing enough weapons to fortify a small army. And who were we going to war with? Well,wewasn’t the right word. I knew this man well enough now to know there’d be nowewhen it came to keeping us safe.

“You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Your worry for me won’t cancel out my worry for you, just so you know.” His voice firm. “We’re not in the handshake-and-deals territory. Not when it comes to protecting you.”

“Oh?” My arms remained crossed, nails digging into my sleeves. “And what about when it comes to protecting you?” I met his gaze, unflinching. “What if I asked you to never try and take a bullet for me again?”

His answer was immediate. “Decline.” He pushed off the table, closing the space between us. A shiver ran through me, goose bumps rising along my skin. “And not even politely.”

“Because this is what you do?” I echoed his words from the car.

His gaze dropped to the floor. “Do you want me to stop being this person?”

My stomach roiled at not just what he was asking but how he was asking it. “Do you need to be that person to protect our son from whatever trouble he’s in?”

Slowly, he lifted his eyes to mine. “I do.”

It took effort to swallow past the lump in my throat. “Then you have your answer.” I let my arms fall, prepared to leave, but he caught my wrist, spinning me back to face him.

“Now,” he said, voice tight. “The time to tell you everything is now.”

A shudder ran through me as those goose bumps multiplied. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he repeated, keeping hold of my wrist as he led me back to his office desk and out of the hidden room.

He gestured for me to sit in the leather swivel chair, and I rested my hands on my thighs in preparation for whatever was coming.

He removed his hat, tossing it onto the desk. “Colin was supposed to steal something from the Sicilian mafia at the rave. Something for Lennon’s brother. I showed up and ruined the plan.”

A week ago, that revelation would have floored me. But after the last thirty-six hours, I barely blinked. My pulse did pound up into my ears, though, as I waited for him to continue.

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