Page 10 of Back to You
He had to stay where he was.He desperately wanted to confront Ronan and demand an explanation, but he was here for a reason, and he didn’t think that saying anything about his previous relationship with Ronan in front of Cam and his people was a good idea.Besides, Ronan had run from him.Why would he want to talk to him?
Fuck.
He’d thought he was over all of this, but he should have known better.He’d just never expected to see Ronan again.If he hadn’t, the pain of losing his mate would have remained dormant.As it was, it felt as fresh as it had been the day he’d come home to find the apartment empty and Ronan’s things gone.
“Do you really want to talk to the person who killed your father?”Cam asked, startling Vincent out of his thoughts.
He wasn’t sure he could focus on anything but Ronan, but he had to at least try.He didn’t want Cam to think he didn’t respect him.“I do.”
“There’s a reason he killed your father, and it’s not pretty.”
“I’m aware of what my father did.I’ve always known he wasn’t a good person, and while I didn’t expect him to be responsible for so much pain, I can’t say I’m surprised that he is.He might not have hurt me physically the way he did your shifters, but that didn’t mean he never hurt me.”
Cam stared for a moment.Maybe coming here hadn’t been a good idea, but if Vincent hadn’t, he wouldn’t have seen Ronan again.He had no idea where any of this would leave him, but he’d been waiting for years to get an explanation, and he wanted it.He didn’t care if he had to wait another few days.
“I’m sorry that he did,” Cam said.“All right.I’ll allow you into pack territory.”
Vincent blinked.He hadn’t expected that.“You don’t have to.Like I said, I came here to apologize and thank the person who killed my father.I can do so from here.”
“Well,Ican’t.It’s getting late, and it’s going to be dark soon.We can do this at my house.”
“I just don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.”
Cam smiled.He was a handsome man, but not as handsome as Ronan.He didn’t make Vincent’s heart flutter the way Ronan always had.Of course, that could be because Ronan was Vincent’s mate and Cam wasn’t.
“We’re used to being uncomfortable,” Cam said.
“Just because you’re used to it doesn’t mean you should feel that way.I’m fine here, I promise.”
“That’s why I’m inviting you in.”
Vincent was confused, but if there was one thing he knew about shifters, it was that even though he wasn’t a member of Cam’s pack, he needed to respect the alpha.Cam hadn’t ordered him to come into pack territory, but he wanted him there, and it would be disrespectful to continue refusing.
Vincent wanted Cam to trust him.He wanted to tell him about the money and what he wanted to do with it.He’d come all the way here to talk about it because he hadn’t thought anyone would hear him out on the phone, but the situation made him uncomfortable.
“Unless you’re afraid we’re going to kill you, too,” the man standing next to Cam said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“I would hope not since you don’t have a reason to kill me.”
“You could be lying.”
Vincent swallowed.“I could be, but I’m not.Fulton was my biological father, but he was never an actual father to me.My mother raised me on her own.I had nothing to do with him, and I wish things had continued that way.It would have if he hadn’t died and I hadn’t inherited some of his things.”Including an obscenely large amount of money.All of it was blood money, though, and Vincent wanted nothing to do with it.
“No one is going to die tonight,” Cam interjected.“This is Bryson, my brother.Forgive him if he’s a bit protective of me.”
Vincent nodded.“I can understand that.”He didn’t have siblings, but he loved Peter like a brother.He’d do anything to protect him.
“Come on in, then.We’ll open the gate, and you can drive until you see the houses.Park wherever you find space.I’ll lead you to my home.”
Vincent really was going to have to do this, wasn’t he?Normally, he’d be fine with it.He was curious to know the people his father had hurt so much.He wanted to see them thrive in a way he hoped he would, too, once his father’s ghost was gone.
But he was also wary.Cam looked like he’d believed him when he said he was nothing like his father, but had he?And even if he had, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t hurt Vincent.They had many reasons to hate Fulton, and even though Vincent despised the link he shared with his father, he couldn’t deny that Fulton had given him life.
Along with a ton of complications he didn’t want and a shitload of money that he wanted even less.
* * * *
RONAN WANTED TO SCREAMat Cam not to let Vincent in.At the same time, he wanted to take Vincent aside and ask him what he was doing there.He wanted to ask him if he knew what his father had done, if he’d played along and had thought nothing of hurting Ronan.
