Page 74 of Save Me
“I know it’s been a fucked-up ride,” he says finally. “But you’re my daughter and I’ve always loved you, even when I wasn’t around to show it. That’s never been in doubt.”
His admission hits me like a freight train, and for a moment, I can’t speak. The tough shell we both carry around us cracks just a bit. “Alright,” I say, blinking rapidly to push back the unexpected tears. “Then let me help, let me do more. Not with you but with them. Cal said about Crestmont coming back under the thumb. They need me there. I’m going back, full time.”
If I expect a raging fight, I’ll be disappointed. He nods slowly, eyes calculating and cold.
“It was always the intention to send you back there, as a TA. Straddling the line between staff and student. The connections you’ll make will be invaluable.”
“Then let me do it now. I assume you have a say over this with the university?”
He smiles. “I do. The position is already yours. I just wanted you a bit more trained up first.”
“I can still train. I can train twice as hard. Just there, not here.”
He exhales a long breath, a mix of resignation and respect flickering in his gaze. “Fine,” he concedes gruffly. “But we tighten security around you. No arguments, Vogue. You’re too valuable to risk.”
My heart leaps at his agreement, but I nod sternly, unwilling to compromise on my safety—or theirs. “Understood,” I agree.
“Good.” Dad shuffles in his chair with a grimace, and for a second, I see the pain he’s hiding. “I’ll make the arrangements. But for now, rest. You’ve been through hell today.”
I want to argue that I don’t need rest, that I’m not some fragile doll to be wrapped in cotton wool. But the look in his eyes stops me—it’s the same protectiveness I saw when he took that bullet for me. So instead, I cross over to him and kiss his forehead.
“Don’t overdo it,” I say quietly before turning to leave.
As I close the door behind me, Callum is waiting, his expression questioning. Without words, I let him see my decision in my eyes. He nods slowly, understanding without needing a verbal confirmation.
“Welcome back,” he says with a smile. “Are we moving again or staying here?”
“Staying here. I cannot move again so soon. Besides. It’s my place now.”
He nods, understanding me completely. “Thayer and Harry are back.”
“Are they okay?”
“Always.” He takes my hand and leads me into the living room where the guys are strewn about on the couches, laughing like this day wasn’t made from nightmares.
“You are a little shit,” I grit out, pointing at Thayer. “That wasmyheist as much as yours.”
He grins. “Oh, there’ll be plenty more, sweetheart. Don’t worry about that.”
“Not the point. But I’ll let this go for now because we all have classes tomorrow and I have a shit ton of making up to do.”
“You?” Harry sits forward.
“Yeah, I’m going back. You guys are going to need all the help you can get, and who better than a new TA to learn all the goss from the staff room?”
“Oh, look at you,” Harry says with a laugh. “But you’re right. This will be a big coup for us.”
“Hence why Dad wanted me in this position.”
Callum’s eyes gleam with a mix of pride and mischief as he leans back on the couch, arms crossed. “You’re going to be in deep, Vogue. You sure you’re up for it?”
I nod, my jaw set. “Born ready,” I say. “Apparently.” My past was riddled with hurdles, and this is just another one I’ll have to leap over. Or bulldoze through. Whatever works.
Quentin raises an eyebrow from where he’s sprawled across an armchair, his keen eyes assessing me. “We’ll be backing you up. Every step of the way.”
His assurance is like a steel spine straightening my resolve. I glance at each of them, my partners in crime and passion, and my pulse kicks up a notch. They believe in me, and that’s all the fuel I need.
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