Page 79 of The Reluctant Siren
Harlow could see the problem with that. “If you haul himinto a police station or FBI headquarters, Hamilton will figure out where heis. Do you honestly think he doesn’t have a way to get to Jensen inside aprison? Seriously? Are you trying to kill him?”
“It would solve so many of my problems, daughter,” her dadadmitted.
Niall huffed and shook his head. “I think we should probablypack up and find another safe house since this one is completely compromised.”
“I know how to ditch a freaking tail. I’ve been doing itsince long before you were in diapers, son,” Dad said with frown. “I’mcertainly not going to let some criminal kingpin follow me to where my daughterhas been kidnapped.”
She stared at her father. “Are you serious right now?”
“Well, you were definitely not in your right mind when youleft the safe building to go on the run while assassins are stalking you withonly two dumbass boys to watch your back. Harlow, they are not watching yourback. They are watching your boobs, and that is how they will get you killed.”
“Their eyes are going to kill me through my boobs orsomeone’s going to shoot me in the backside?” She was not following herfather’s logic. “And they have been extremely interested in my backside. Let metell you there is a whole lot of watching that part of me.”
“I did not need to know that,” her dad said, his voicetight, and even in the moonlight she could see how he’d gone faintly green.
“I think that as long as your dad has a gun, maybe we shouldavoid talking about anything that might or might not have happened earlier inthe evening.” Jensen proved he actually had some self-preservation instincts.
“Now, see, that is a story I am interested in,” Jackadmitted. “You joining the ménage life, cousin?”
“She certainly is not. Not with these two,” her dad replied.“They are a part of her ridiculous need to rebel. She went out and picked twomen she knew would set her parents off entirely.”
“You don’t even know them.” Her father was impossible.“You’ve literally met them once.”
“You think I need to meet them?” Dad asked, but at least hebrought the gun down. He frowned her way. “You think I don’t have a fulldossier on both of them?”
“And what do you object to?” Harlow asked. “Beyond Jensenbeing a dumbass in need of therapy instead of revenge. I’ll give you that, butyou should have figured out that he was trying to protect me when he left mebehind to get arrested.”
“To get the shit kicked out of you,” her dad countered.
“I did not plan on that. I assure you I will find thatfucker in jail and deal with him,” Jensen vowed.
Her dad rolled his cool blue eyes. “Like I didn’t already dothat.”
Harlow felt her jaw drop. “What did you do?”
A broad shoulder shrugged. “He’s alive. The Russian mobknows how to shank a guy and leave his ass alive. I think I’ll have it happenevery three years or so. Like regularly enough that he knows it’s going tohappen, but he doesn’t know when it’s going to happen. I want him thinkingabout it all the time. And before you yell at me for getting into the mob’spocket, I paid them. I’m betting I can get a frequent buyer discount.”
“Like a punch card.” Jensen smiled like he appreciated theidea.
“I need to point out again that I work for the FederalBureau of Investigation, and we do track mafia crimes. Including assholes whopay them to hurt people.” Jack sounded like he’d been over this more than once.
Her dad ignored him completely. “So I already took care ofJensen’s mess. Let’s talk about Niall.”
“We don’t have to,” Niall offered.
Harlow waved him off. “Oh, no. I want to hear what shit he’scome up with. Do you have a problem with his honorable military service?”
“He was in the Army.” Her dad shuddered distastefully. “Hewasn’t even Special Forces.”
“You snob.” She wasn’t taking that from him. “The Navy isnot the only military service worth doing. And what did you expect? That Iwould let you find a Navy SEAL you could sell me off to? With a dowry? So sayit. What honestly bothers you about Niall?”
“He works and lives in a crappy part of town. You’re goingto end up getting hurt. He runs a gym. Most private gyms fail. So you’re goingto end up living in a rat-infested hell hole in the middle of a criminalwarzone working two jobs to support your unemployed boyfriend and driving tothe federal prison on the weekends for visitation time with the other asshole.”
He was such a drama llama. “And how have I lost my trustfund in all of this? Or were you planning on taking it away if I don’t do whatyou want?”
Her dad seemed to deflate. “I would never, never do that toyou. I would never leave you alone like that. You think I don’t remember whatit was like? One day Ben and I were overly privileged teens and the next ourdad told us we were eighteen and the trust fund from our mom’s side of thefamily didn’t kick in until twenty-six. We went from having everything tohaving nothing. I would never do that to you.”
She took a deep breath. Her father was acting out of love,and she wasn’t going to get through to him by yelling. “Well, you should talkto Niall. He got kicked out of his house for trying to save his mom from hisabusive dad, and he was younger than you. They still don’t acknowledge he’stheir son.”
