Luc is seated at a table on the patio when I arrive. He knows I’m a stickler for punctuality, so I admire the fact that he’s fifteen minutes early. It also irritates me because I like to arrive first, even for informal meetings such as this. No doubt the whelp did it on purpose. “Morning,” I say as I take a seat across from him. A nearby server hurries over to fill my coffee cup, and I flash her a smile of thanks. Caffeine is one of my few vices. Although I can do without it, I enjoy the kick of energy in the morning.

Luc gives me a look of amusement before asking, “So is this a male bonding thing or is there a reason for this last-minute meeting? Your daughter was a little offended she wasn’t invited until I assured her that you probably needed some sexual advice.” I choke on a drink of hot liquid and scowl as I grab a napkin to blot my expensive dress shirt. He continues as if oblivious. “She turned a rather sickly shade of green before walking away. Actually, it was more like running, but you get the idea.”

He’s so close to the truth that I wonder if I’m doing something as insane as blushing for the first time. This may have seemed like a good idea last night after a few drinks, but in the light of day, it feels wrong. I need to abort this plan and come up with something else, fast. “Considering Lia has been married to you for a few years now, I’m certain she’s quite aware that you’re not an expert in that area. I believe if I had that need, I’d turn to Google first.”

“Touché.” He smirks as he raises his cup to his mouth. He places it on the table before prompting me once again. “I’m sure you’d benefit greatly from a few pointers. Things are done differently now than they were back in your day. You can use this thing called email or send a text from phones that you carry around with you. Plus, there’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.” He snaps his fingers together. “Why don’t we walk to the bookstore and pick up some of those instructional books. Don’t be offended that most of the titles end with ‘for dummies.’ They’re not talking about you personally, it’s just a generalization.”

“Fuck off,” I say, but my words contain no anger. In fact, I’m amused by Luc’s humor as I almost always am. I try not to dwell on the fact that my daughter married a younger version of me—with a few key differences, of course. Luc has experienced his moments of darkness. Most at the hands of his psychotic ex-fiancée. Luckily, she did the world a favor and died in a final fit of insanity while attempting to kill Lia. He has also beaten a long-term cocaine addiction, which I doubt very seriously he would have even attempted to stop had he not fallen in love with my daughter. His nature doesn’t run to the extremes that mine is capable of, but I know that if pushed, he would do whatever necessary to protect his family. Most believe that all men are capable of violence in the right circumstances, but that is simply not true. There are those who would sacrifice a wife or a child to protect themselves. But it’s only by their gender that they’re considered a man. In all other senses of the word, they’re complete failures to what their sex should be—the protector. The head of the household. I’m all for equality, but in times of danger, a man should be the protector. There should never be a question about that.

He laughs off my response as we place our order. We both opt for eggs, bacon, and fruit along with a refill of coffee. “There’s still nothing on Liza,” he offers, assuming that’s what I want to discuss. Rolling his eyes, he adds, “Our investigator is intrigued. He said he’s never seen so many dead ends before. Just when he thinks he’s onto something, the trail stops, and he has to consider something else. He says whoever set the whole thing up is a mastermind.” Luc shakes his head ruefully. “I swear, I think he wants to find out who it is so he can either get their fucking autograph or marry them. At this point, I’m not sure if it even matters if it’s a man or a woman.”

This should make me feel better about the fool, but it doesn’t. I pay him enough to be better than the best, and just because someone else can’t find the answers either doesn’t mean jack shit. Incompetence is simply that. I drain my cup once again as I process his words. Finally, I admit, “I never would have guessed that Liza, of all people, would be at the center of such an elaborate cover-up. Not once did I suspect that she was anything other than a dedicated employee.” And the woman I’ve been dying to fuck. I don’t bother to verbalize the last part. Luc has probably guessed as much anyway.

“You and I both know that things aren’t always as they appear.” He nods. I know he’s referring to Lia and the life she once led. Will I ever get over the fact that she was forced to make a living as an escort to pay for her schooling? Even though it appalls me that it was necessary, it also makes me absurdly proud of her. How many could survive an abusive home for years and still have the determination to do whatever necessary to make their dreams come true? Again, I marvel at what an amazing woman she is and feel a lump in my throat. I love her more than I ever thought possible. I’d give everything that I own to have those lost years back with her. To save her from what she suffered, but I can’t. The only thing I can do is make sure that neither she nor my granddaughter ever want for anything again. Of course, with Quinn for a husband, I imagine there is little extra they’ll need. He’s fiercely in love with and overprotective of his wife and daughter. A fact that makes me like him as much as I can any man who’s sleeping with my daughter.

“I’m aware of that,” I agree. “But I also know that where there’s smoke there’s a fucking fire. And is there ever a good enough reason to deceive someone?” He opens his mouth to answer, but I wave him off before adding, “A deception that requires that many perfectly placed layers and roadblocks? That’s what bothers me the most. I can possibly buy into a different scenario that doesn’t make Liza into a traitorous bitch if not for the intrigue surrounding her. This isn’t small-time shit. It’s elaborate, which tells me that someone has put a great deal of time and money into hiding her intentions and more than likely her identity.”

“All true,” Lucian concedes. “So what do we know about Hunter Wrenn? If he’s at the center of this, she may well be the pawn and he the mastermind.”

I shrug. “He’s nothing to me, so I haven’t tracked him through the years. I took over a company his father founded years ago for Victor and Draco. It was a seamless process, and in the scheme of things, it was almost cordial. After that, I didn’t look back.”

“You and I both know that there’s no time limit on the thirst for revenge. It may have been an ordinary day for you, but perhaps, it stayed with Wrenn well after the fact.” He takes a bite of his food, chewing thoughtfully before asking, “Are you thinking that there’s a romantic connection between him and Liza?”

“Meaning has he fucked her into stupidly doing his bidding?” I ask harshly, not bothering to hide the revulsion I feel at that very thought. He’s fucking thirty years older than Liza.

“Stranger things happen every day,” Lucian says wryly. “We need to also look at the family angle. She could be a wife, daughter, or some other blood connection. I think we should shift our focus to him for the moment and go from there.”

“I concur. I’d like to go demand answers, but I don’t want to panic him into running.” I don’t mention that I implied threats to Liza to get her to return to Falco. For all I know, she could disappear along with Wrenn at any time. But my gut tells me otherwise. This whole thing was too well organized for them to flee at the first sign of trouble. I think Wrenn is probably thrilled that Liza is back. Maybe she’ll try to do whatever the hell she was supposed to do before she left. Before I pushed her away.

“It’s not like you to wine and dine me for a little chitchat, and you certainly don’t need me to confirm what you already know. What gives?”

“Maybe I simply wanted to spend some quality time with my son-in-law.” I smirk. My repeated delay in answering his question is annoying the hell out of him. Fuck, he really is too much like me.

He settles back in his chair and eyes me curiously. “If that’s true, then I’m either dying and I’m the last to know or this is something that you find embarrassing—and if that’s the case, I’ll make it doubly painful for this fishing expedition you’re taking me on.”

Fuck. I have a business to run, and I’m behind schedule. “Unfortunately, I’ve heard no news of your impending departure from the world, but I’d be happy to change that for you if you’d like.” He grins, not looking in the least intimidated. I release a long-suffering sigh, then prepare to be laughed at for the first time in my fucking life. Hell, I can’t even kick his ass for it without my daughter’s wrath coming down on me. “I have a backup plan in mind where Liza’s concerned.” I pinch the bridge of my nose before adding, “I thought I’d… get her to fall for me and hopefully confess in the process.”

Lucian studies me for a moment. “I guess the added advantage of getting her away from Wrenn never figured into it. All right, before you pull me over the table and cause a scene at one of my favorite restaurants, what do you need me for if you have this all figured out?”

Fuck, this is going to hurt. I brace myself for his amusement. “I—um, might need a few pointers in that area.”

He gives me a blank look. “You’re not asking for advice on sex. Because if you are, then your reputation is certainly a lie. And porn is pretty much an instructional video, so you should start there, and we’ll pretend we never had this conversation.”

“I don’t need you to tell me how to fuck,” I snap, then lower my voice as a table of women nearby turn to stare in our direction. “I meant with the whole romance thing. I’ve never had to put that kind of effort into it before. And I want it to appear genuine.”

He smiles, giving me a look of commiseration. “I was about as experienced as you in that area before I met Lia. I’m still not great at it, I’m sure, but the mushy stuff comes more naturally when you’re in love with someone.”

Exasperated, I say, “Well, since I’m not, I’ll need a little more insight here.”

“You realize you could have saved yourself a lot of embarrassment by googling this shit? You do use the internet. You see, there’s this icon of a big G on your desktop. You click on that and—”

“You have no idea how badly I want to hurt you right now. Be glad I walked here. Otherwise, you’d end up on the bumper of my car.”

He clicks his tongue. “You should really talk to someone about these violent tendencies. You can’t solve all your problems that way. Plus, if you touch me, I’ll tell your daughter.” I get to my feet, ready to put an end to what was clearly a mistake. I’ve had enough heckling for one morning. “You have no sense of humor,” he deadpans. “I’ll attempt to rein it in, if you’ll have a seat. I mean, you must give me a few here. You certainly would have a little fun with me if the positions were reversed.”

“Without a doubt.” I grin. Asshole. I hate to admit even to myself how much I like him, though. I couldn’t have chosen anyone better for my daughter. His arrogant self doesn’t need to know that, though. I take my seat once again. “Can we get back to it then, or do you have any other smart remarks to add first?”

He holds his hands up in a sign of surrender. “I’d suggest that you toss her on the desk and go for it, but I wouldn’t want you to throw your back out. So possibly something a bit more PG-rated first. Some lingering looks. A touch that lasts longer than necessary. Compliments are also generally appreciated. In other words, go in the complete opposite direction from what you’ve been doing for two years. Because that doesn’t appear to have gotten you anywhere. You can ask her out to dinner, but I’d also invite her over to your place. That’s more intimate than a crowded restaurant.” He gives me a knowing smile before adding, “Don’t leave her alone with the silver or your checkbook. We could be giving her too much credit. She may simply be your regular type of criminal. Old Hunter might be broke and in need of some cash.”

“I wish it were that simple,” I say truthfully. Hell, I’d rather her be a thief any day than a traitor. A large amount of those types of crimes were of necessity—and that was something that I understood.

“So do I. I’d ask that you go easy on her, but in your position, I’d have a hard time doing that. I’ll simply say that when you do finally have your answers, listen to her side of the story as well. Make certain she isn’t being forced.”

“If that were the case, why wouldn’t she come to me? She knows I’m more than capable of protecting her.”

Lucian takes his wallet from his suit pocket and peels off some bills before tossing them onto the table. Then he levels a serious look my way. “When your back’s against the wall, your judgment can become impaired. It isn’t always easy to determine who’s your savior and who’s your executioner.” And that’s why I called Luc.

“In my experience, they’re often one in the same,” I say solemnly as we part company on the busy sidewalk. I turn toward Falco, and Lucian goes in the opposite direction where Quinn Software is located. I have an uneasy feeling that before this is over, that statement will describe me perfectly to Liza. And I wish to fuck I didn’t care. That I could shut down as easily as I always have. No emotions—no feelings—no regrets. That mantra has never been harder to achieve than it is now.