CHAPTER FOUR

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- NOW -

"OOPS.” I GIGGLED, SWAYING a little on my feet as I climbed the porch steps and fumbled with my keys to find the right one. I felt a hand on my ass as I swayed again. "Hey!" I said indignantly.

Axel blinked innocently back at me, but his mouth was curling up into a grin. Even if he hadn't heard my exclamation, the look in my eyes was easy to decipher. ‘I was just trying to help steady you,’ he signed, his hands moving sloppily.

‘You… you opportunist,’ I signed, dropping my keys in the process.

Finding the right key was a struggle. Once I found it, I shoved it into the keyhole, almost falling over when the door unexpectedly swung open from inside.

Dad stood in front of us, arms crossed over his chest.

“Hey, daddy.” I blinked, wide-eyed.

He shook his head. “What am I going to do with you?” He looked over my shoulder at Axel, pursing his lips at whatever Axel was signing. “Come inside, you two, and drink some water. It’ll help lessen the hangover you’ll have in the morning.”

We followed him into the kitchen obediently.

To my dismay, Kellan was there, shuffling some papers together.

“Thanks,” I said as Dad handed me a glass of water. I hadn’t realized I was thirsty until the water touched my lips. I gulped it down.

Axel didn’t drink his water, his gaze fixed on the papers in Kellan’s hand. ‘It’s the creep from the club,’ he signed.

“What creep?” I said, going over to look. Kellan shot us both an annoyed glance as he shoved the papers into a folder. He wasn’t quick enough, and I blinked as I recognized the guy in the photograph. It was the weirdo from the club. He looked less thin in the picture, a little less gaunt, but it was unmistakably him. “Hey, I saw him!”

“Saw who?” Dad said sharply.

“The guy in that picture,” I told him, pointing at it. “He knew my name,” I said stupidly.

Kellan shot Dad a sharp, fleeting glance that I would have missed if I hadn’t already been looking at him.

“Are you sure it was him?” Kellan demanded, looking between Axel and me. He shuffled through the folder for the photograph, and then shoved it right under my nose.

I stepped away from him, irritated. “Yeah.” I looked between Dad and Kellan. “Who is he?”

They exchanged a glance, before Dad turned to me. “His name is Archie Chambers. I sent him to prison four years ago.”

"What?" I said, reeling backwards. "How does he know who I am?"

"Now that is a very good question," Kellan said, his eyes glittering dangerously as he stared out of the window. A muscle ticked in his jaw, and it looked like it was taking everything in him to not jump up and head out the door. He was poised for action.

“He must have done some research of his own.” Dad was frowning as he rubbed the back of his head. When Axel did that, his hair became tussled in the most adorable way, but Dad’s dark hair, peppered with a little grey, was shaved closed to his head in a military haircut.

When he looked at me, his green eyes filled with fear. For the first time, I noticed how prominent the little lines at the corner of his eyes had become, and wondered how I hadn’t noticed before. He was getting older. It was a frightening thought.

“I’m okay. He just said hello. He didn’t try anything,” I told Dad, feeling more sober. The trepidation didn’t leave his eyes as he wrapped an arm around me.

“Anything could have happened…” he said, his voice trailing off.

“It’s wasn’t a coincidence that Archie was at the same club as her tonight.” Kellan looked away from the window, his eyes lingering on me for a second before he looked at Dad. “He knows who she is.”

“Why would he even take the time to track me down?” I asked, a shiver working its way down my spine. Dad rubbed my back, his whole face tight with worry.

“Revenge,” Kellan said softly.

“Revenge?” I said, my voice raising a few octaves. It wasn’t uncommon for criminals to want to get their own back after being thrown in jail, but the thought of Dad being at the receiving end of that kind of vengeance scared me to death. He was the only family I had left in this world, and I didn’t know what I’d ever do without him. I never wanted to find out.

“Thanks for that, Kellan,” Dad said, his face turning hard. Kellan’s own face was lined with regret. “It’s been a long night. Why don’t you head up to bed, sweetheart?”

“No. I think I should hear about this,” I said, concern making me more alert. “This guy wants revenge because you sent him to prison, and you’re still trying to track him down? It was him you were looking for in the club, wasn’t it? Why would you search him out if your life might be in danger?” My voice grew louder with each passing word, and I was in near panic by the end.

“April. April!” Dad put his hand on my chin and tilted it up so that I was looking up at him. “My life isn’t in danger. I know how to take care of myself, and some thug making idle threats isn’t going to scare me.”

“Why are you tracking him down, then?” I said.

“He skipped bail,” Dad said simply. “I did send him to prison before. Years ago. He got released last year, ended up getting arrested for something else, and then jumped bail once it was posted. When the case came up, I was more than eager to take it. Putting him back where he belongs would be a pleasure. There’s nothing to worry about.”

I shivered, remembering his manic smile and the disturbed look in his sunken eyes. “How did he know that I’d be at the club?”

"We can only guess. It’s likely that he’s keeping an eye on the house,” Kellan said, tapping his finger against his leg in agitation.

"An eye on the house?" Axel echoed, making me jump. He’d been so silent, I’d almost forgotten that he was there. He shot me a wide-eyed look that told me he’d followed the entire conversation.

"It's nothing we can't deal with," Kellan said, looking annoyed. "The only reason he escaped tonight was because we had to get you two drunken idiots out of the club. It won't happen again."

"Is April in danger?” Axel demanded, ignoring Kellan. I swayed a little on my feet. Had that creep really been following me tonight?

“Not if we have anything to do with it,” Kellan said with determination, taking in my sudden paleness.

Seeing my face, Dad added, "You have nothing to worry about, sweetheart. The security system in this house is top notch. There’s no way he’ll lay a finger on you. I won’t allow it. Besides, it’s me he wants to get to. We'll sort this out soon enough."

I didn’t feel at all reassured. In fact, I was more alarmed than ever. Dad was good at his job. Better than good; he was brilliant. But I’d seen the sinister look in this Archie guy’s eyes. He was out for blood. It made more sense to me that Dad should stay far far away from him – not track him down.

"Now, why don't you head up to bed? It’s late,” Dad said, face turning inscrutable.

"Okay," I said, realizing I’d gotten all I was going to out of them. 'Stay?' I signed to Axel. It had gotten really late, and he was probably still a little drunk.

His Mom would not be happy if he went back to her place and woke her up. Plus, from what I understood, she had a new boyfriend that had recently moved in – one that Axel wasn't all that fond of. He shouldn't have to deal with any hassle from them on his birthday.

Or the day after his birthday, I thought, catching sight of the clock on the wall. The sun would be getting up soon.

Axel nodded, getting up from where he’d been following most of the conversation with his mouth ajar. His brows were furrowed, and he looked deep in thought as he followed me upstairs.

I rifled through my dresser, pretty sure that I had an old t-shirt of Axel's lying around somewhere. It would be more comfortable than the fitted button-down he had on. Finding it, I handed it over to him, and stepped out into the hall.

I stopped short when I saw Kellan climbing up the stairs at the end of the hallway.

"What are you doing up here?" I asked him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I'm spending the night, princess," Kellan said, the tiredness on his face fading into a smirk. I hated it when the dimple on his left cheek made an appearance. It had always done something funny to my stomach.

“Why?” I hadn’t slept under the same roof as him in years. Having him up here unsettled me.

“Does there have to be a reason? Can’t I just stay the night for old time’s sake?”

"We don't have enough space," I told him truthfully. “Axel’s taking the guest room.”

Dad came up the stairs behind Kellan. "Kellan can take the couch,” he said, obviously having overheard me.

"We don't have a spare duvet, or even a blanket. He’d be really uncomfortable on the leather sofa," I told Dad. Spare bedding was on my list of things that I still needed to get for the house.

Dad sighed, looking worn out as he rubbed the back of his head. “We have an early start tomorrow – well, today. We need to be up in a few hours.”

Damn. That was harsh. I sighed. “Kellan can take the spare room then, and Axel can room with me," I said.

Kellan snorted. "Why don't I room with you instead?"

"Why don't you just go home?" I shot back. I hated it when he said things like that. He'd known that I’d had a crush on him, he’d have been stupid not to. So any innuendoes just made me feel like he was mocking me.

"Why don't the two of you just knock it off?" Dad shook his head, exasperated. "It’s sorted. Axel’s in your room. Kellan’s taking the guest bed. Just... I don't know... leave your door open," he said. And despite his evident exhaustion, he smiled a little. He knew he had nothing to worry about with Axel. He'd spent the night plenty of times before when he was having trouble with his mom.

"Goodnight, Dad," I said, standing on my tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Night, sweetheart." Dad smiled before he disappeared into his room.

"Tell your boyfriend to keep it down, will you?" Kellan said, walking towards the guestroom. "I'll be in the room next door and could do without any headboard banging."

My mouth dropped open. He was such a dick. A simple goodnight was just too much for him.

"Don't worry. I will." I walked into the bathroom, and slammed the door shut behind me. I heard him chuckle, and was annoyed that I’d given him a reaction.

I didn’t know why I always let him get to me. I think it was a mixture of the crush I’d once had on him and the fact that he spent so much time with Dad when most days I barely saw him.

After removing my makeup, and brushing my teeth, I opened the bathroom door. Just as I moved into the hallway, Kellan stepped out of the guestroom. He was dressed in just his boxers, his abs on perfect display, as were the hard ridges at his waist that formed a V-shape leading into his boxers.

I glanced away, not saying anything as I headed to my bedroom. That image of Kellan, however, plagued me for the rest of the night.