Page 65 of Knot a Tie
With shaking hands and bated breath, I wait for his answer.
It takes a long time to come.
So long that I start to panic. My stomach curls up and clenches, nearly forcing my breakfast out.
The clock on the desk ticks away.
I sweat in my denim jacket, wishing I could take it off, but I can’t move. I’m frozen in place.
Eventually, he sighs.
“They really mean that much to you that you would walk out on me to be with them?”
“That’s not fair,” I croak.
“No, I don’t mean it as a nasty thing. I’m asking you outright. You would choose them over me?”
“I don’t want to…”
“Rayne,” he says, exasperated.
“Okay, yes. I would. But I don’t want to. I don’t seewhyI should.”
“You don’t have to. I was thinking only about the small, immediate picture. You have a depth to it that I couldn’t see until you walked away from me and to them. I’m not losing you over something so ridiculous, Rayne. You deserve a pack who will love you and take care of you. Clearly, the St. Stevens pack is enamoured with you that they defied me to protect you. I could’ve had their seats for that.”
“But you won’t, because that is a dick move,” I point out, gaining some of my sass back, because he’s acting like my dad again, sort of, and not the Chief Justice.
“It is a dick move, and I try hard not to be a dick.” He smirks at me, and I relax.
We are back in familiar territory now.
“But Richard…he may be trying to change, or has changed, or whatever, but the people he has been associating with are dangerous criminals, Rayne. Canyouunderstand where I’m coming from? My job as your father is to protect you at all costs.”
“I do understand. I also know that Richard would never put me in harm’s way. None of them would.”
“Not intentionally, maybe.”
“But that’s why I’m here, Daddy. To give you my statement, so you have the information you need to make arrests.”
He nods slowly.
“You don’t need Richard to risk his life going back there and threatening him to stay away from me is cruel.”
I nail it home now he is back on my side.
“I see that now. He,they, are your future mates. Anyone with eyes can see that. Even your old dad.”
We exchange a shaky smile.
“Give the rest of your statement. As many details as you can about who, how many, where, and we will use that to take these loose, packless alphas down and clean up our streets.”
With tears in my eyes, I jump up and dart around to give him a hug. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“Are you sure they didn’t hurt you?” he whispers, pulling back. “I need to know, Ray-ray.”
“No, they didn’t. Apart from a couple of bruises, I’m fine.”
“And Richard saved you from them? The truth will come out if you aren’t being entirely honest about that.” His stern tone doesn’t scare me one bit.
