Nate

“Right.” He was glowering at me.

I sighed. “Why are you glowering at me?”

He cocked his head to the side with an extra bit of sass than was needed. “Why wasn’t I asked to go with you?”

“You kidding?”

“No. Why would I be?”

“You’re annoying me. Why are you annoying me?”

Logan sighed this time. “I don’t know, and I’m annoying myself.” A low rumble emanated from his throat. “I’m bored, and I’m antsy. And I miss having you in Boston. It’s not the same.”

“Well.” I moved the mirror. Dust was spitting up on the road behind us. “We are all older. We had to grow up at some point. Spread our wings and fly and all.”

“I know. It’s just not the same.”

The vehicle kicking up the dust was closer, close enough that I could see it was an SUV.

I nodded to the mirror. “Heads-up. They’re here.”

Logan looked back. “Fuck. I suddenly realize how shady this looks. I feel like we should have guns.”

I shot him a frustrated look. It was too late to change locations. “Think better next time.”

He grunted and smirked. “Will do.” He followed me, getting out of my vehicle.

The SUV went past and did a circle, coming up and parking a few feet away. A big security-like guy was the driver, but he remained inside. The back door opened. Duke got out, followed by who Logan had informed me earlier was his lawyer. He matched the description, and Logan went forward.

“Mathias.”

Yep. The lawyer.

He nodded to Logan. “Kade. This is, uh, an unusual place for a location.”

Logan grinned. “Really? I looked into your other clients. This seemed perfect for you.”

Duke came forward, stopping around six feet from me. He regarded me, his eyes frosty. “I received a phone call the other night. You spent the night with my daughter at the Blaque Hotel.”

Jesus. This guy.

He was pissed at me?

Red sirens were blaring.

He had a guy either at the hotel or following Quincey. That shit would stop now.

I shared a look with Logan. He had his professional mask on, so nothing was showing through it, but I knew he was surprised. I hadn’t told anyone that my relationship with Quincey had progressed.

“Quincey is no longer your concern.”

“She’s my daughter. Who she fucks, I need to know.”

A low rumble was coming from me now, and I was envisioning splattering his blood on the rocks behind him.

Logan moved forward a step, half blocking me. “Let’s all take a step back. I, for one, would like the option for safety. I’ve never seen this beast come out of Nate before, so I’m not sure what kind of mayhem I’ll need to cover up later.” He flashed them a smile before turning fully toward Mathias. “Now, Matty—”

Matty’s eyes went flat. “Are you kidding me?”

“What? I like the name Matty. There’s a certain ring to it. Just need to make sure to enunciate the tt and not make it sound like Maddie. Never mind. Second thought, you’re right. Instead of Matty, how about I-ass? That’s got a better ring to it.”

My best friend. I didn’t think the delinquent would ever grow out of him.

And I loved him all the more for it.

Duke spoke up, “I want you to stop sleeping with my daughter.”

This guy.

I inclined my head forward. I hadn’t heard that right.

“You what?”

“Speaking from personal history, Nate has a really awful time following orders. No. Really. You tell him not to sleep with someone, and that’s the person he fucks. So, save your breath. That’s not going to work.”

“Have you been tested for delusional disorder? What world do you live in that you think you can tell me to stop seeing your daughter?” I moved forward.

Logan edged me back, hissing in a way so everyone would hear. “There’s no such thing as Delusional Disorder. I looked. The closest thing he hits is Narcissistic Personality Disorder. He checks all those boxes.”

Duke looked at Logan as if he were a fly to swat away.

That pissed me off, too, but thinking of Quincey living with this man? Living under his rule?

I shook my head. “You fucked her life up.”

His eyes sharpened. “Excuse me?”

“You made her feel guilty about having a relationship with her mother, her sisters, her brother. You’re like cancer in her life. That’s why she wants nothing to do with you any longer.”

His eyes sharpened even more.

He didn’t like being insulted.

Logan made a soft sound of delight. He saw it, too.

Oh, boy.

Who was I kidding? I wanted to go in on him.

This was my kill.

“You’ve failed at being a father. You isolated your daughter. You’re the cause of any problems she had. You’re the baggage that she’s had to work through letting go, and she hasn’t even mourned losing Valerie yet. She’s too busy working on getting your demons out of her head.”

His mouth went flat. He really didn’t like the demon analogy.

“You’re the worst father I’ve ever met, and I’ve met some shitty ones. Trust me. You are the lowest of the low. Everyone you think that you’re above, you’re the dirt under their shoes. You will never have your daughter again, and you’ll for sure never have your granddaughter again. I don’t want you to ever even see Nova, and there’s not a goddamn thing you can do about any of it.” I edged forward another step.

We both had lawyers here, but I was beyond caring.

“We called this meeting because I had a call this morning.”

Logan frowned at me.

Duke didn’t. He went still, very very still.

I took a step forward. “A certain ex in jail informed me about a phone call he got, about a couple things you wanted from him.” My nostrils flared. “You fucked up, Royas. Since he was still in jail, I’m assuming you called him on their line. It was recorded. The call he made me? Blocked number. I’m betting he called on his lawyer’s phone, with his lawyer sitting across from him. Know why either is significant?” I didn’t wait. “Because if you go through with your second question to him, I’ll point everyone in that direction. Every mother fucking person I know. Judges. Police. Investigators. I will raise holy hell in my defense and all those calls are going to get put into the evidence pile. You set yourself up, and you didn’t even know it until now.”