Page 42 of Phantom
My already present smile got bigger. “It’s been a good day.”
“Glad to hear it.” I slid over to Colin’s side, and my heart leaped up into my throat when he reached out, took my hand, and kissed the back of it. It was like I was a schoolgirl again.
What the hell had happened in the last four days?
“What’s goin’ on, Squared?” Brewer greeted. “You must think you’re slick shit, puttin’ on the best MiD yet, huh?”
My dad shrugged. “Well, what can I say. I don’t do shit by halves.”
“No, you don’t,” Brewer replied.
“Well, thank you all for agreeing to meet. I won’t waste too much of your time.” My dad turned and tapped Colin’s shoulder. “Folks, I want you to meet one of our newest members, CJ. He’s gonna be joining us if it’s all right. I guess he’s been my go-to guy as of late.”
My eyes widened, and I could tell in the shocked expression on Colin’s face that he wasn’t expecting that. My dad looked at Colin with a grin. “That work for you, son?”
Colin nodded. “Yeah.”
“Good.” He motioned toward the meeting room. “Let’s get it started. If I keep Gunner from that party for too long, he might take me out.”
Gunner nodded dramatically. “That’s for damn sure.”
Everyone started to file into the meeting room, so I took the transition to pull my dad back. “Where’s Taylor?”
He looked over his shoulder at me. “Let’s just say I think some hierarchical changes are in order, so he’s out enjoying the party.” With that, he headed off to the meeting room, and Colin started to follow, pulling me with him.
When I stayed frozen in place, Colin stopped and faced me. “You okay?”
“No,” I said. “If Taylor gets out, he’s gonna kill you.”
As if he’d been summoned by the mention of his name, Taylor came striding through the door. On impulse, I dropped Colin’s hand, but Taylor didn’t even give us a second glance. He went storming into the meeting room, and I was close behind, watching as he sat down at the meeting table.
I looked at my dad, but he was unphased, maybe choosing not to deal with it while we were in the presence of the Blazing Rebels and the Raging Vipers. I walked inside and sat down in my chair, and Colin sat in the chair next to me.
Taylor eyed Colin. “What’s he—”
“All right,” my dad cut him off. “Let’s get started.”
Chapter Fifteen
Phantom
It wasn’t difficult for everyone at the table to tell that there was tension between Taylor, Nick, Tess, and me. Taylor was glaring at me like he wanted to take my head off my shoulders.
Nick and I had been together for most of the day. He claimed that it was just because I was the one who’d been overseeing the desert while MiD was in planning, but all throughout the day, it was more like he was a dad breaking in his future son-in-law. We enjoyed the different food stalls, played a couple of games, and spent some time talking and listening to live music. Nick asked me flat out if I was in love with his daughter, and I had to tell him the truth.
I was in love with her now, and I always had been.
Even though it was more foreboding for me, it made Nick happy, and the somber mood he’d had ever since Taylor killed Adley started to slowly evaporate. We bumped into Taylor more than once, and Nick had even asked him to join us, but Taylor refused, always glaring at me before walking away.
Needless to say, Taylor and I wouldn’t be making each other friendship bracelets anytime soon.
Still, part of me had to wonder if Nick was intentionally pitting us against each other or if he was just exploring, through me, the father-son relationship he’d missed out on with Taylor. Whatever it was, he wasn’t improving the situation. Inviting me into a high-officer-only meeting with Taylor, who saw that Nick was about to commence the meeting without him, wasn’t a good thing. Tess’ fears were valid, despite that they didn’t frighten me.
For the first time in my life, I had something for myself I wanted to hang on to. My relationship with Nick, having someone around who felt like an actual dad who wanted me to succeed, I didn’t realize how much I was missing it until I had it. Being with Tess, someone who continued to care for me despite all the baggage I came with and who gave me multiple chances when my multitude of emotional issues got in the way, was amazing. I wasn’t about to let some petulant kid with several screws loose come in and take it from me. If he wanted to fight, he knew where to find me, and until then, I would enjoy my new life without fear. I’d protect it.
“I want to thank you all again for meeting with us,” Nick said, starting the meeting off finally. “Tess, Taylor, and I have been speaking at length about the Unchained Dogs’ silence as of late. As you all well know, groups like them are only quiet when they’re about to bark, and my fear is that they’re planning a raid. I wanted to get through MiD, but I plan to send some spies into Rumble. We don’t just want to be sitting ducks.”
Goosebumps covered my skin as Nick said the words. It was a terrible idea.
