Page 69

Chapter Seventeen

Birch

Heat from the sun warmedmy face, forcing my eyes to crack open. A delicate moan filled my ears and I looked down to find Cyprus snuggled up in my arms.

Smiling to myself, I hugged her harder, forcing her as close to my heart as I could. That was where she belonged, she's always belonged right there beside me.

I wouldn't be the man I was without her.

“Good morning,” she mumbled, her eyes half open as she yawned with a smile.

“Morning,” I said, kissing the top of her head and smiling back. “How did you sleep?”

“Actually, I slept better than I ever remember.” Swirling her finger in the center of my chest, she arched her head up. “It's weird, you'd think all of this would make it harder, but I feel a sense of relief now. There's no more questions or wondering keeping me awake.”

“That's a good thing then, I'm really happy you have some closure.” Tipping my head back, I listened to the birds chirping outside the window and the sound of cars in the distance streaming down the highway.

I was hearing things that I'd normally ignore, sounds that had once seemed unimportant. Was I different? Had I changed when the walls came down and there was nothing standing between us?

Maybe I'm better because of this.

Voices from downstairs drew my head up, my ears perked and curious about who was in our home. Glancing at the clock, it was only eight in the morning, there was no reason for anyone to be here.

“Do you here that?” Looking down at Cyprus, she nodded, tilting her head towards the door.

“Who is your dad talking to?”

“The hell if I know.” Shifting my arm free, I pushed up in the bed and looked around for my shirt.

“Are you going to go see?”

“Yeah, I want to check it out, make sure nothing is wrong.” Tossing my legs out of bed, I grabbed my shirt off the floor and pulled it on.

There was absolutely no reason for anyone to be there. My father only invited the elite few he trusted, and even then, he wouldn't have them over that early in the morning.

Standing in the doorway, I listened to my father and another man talking. I couldn't make out what they were saying, and my father didn't seem to be upset or angry at whoever had shown up.

Leaving the room, I studied the voices and tones. No one was getting loud, and my father was speaking the same way he always did. He sounded calm, not unnerved or unsure about the guest he had let in. But that didn't mean shit.

Could it be someone from Antoine's family? Did someone come here looking for them?

Word had spread like wildfire, and everyone who needed to know or cared to know, were aware that they hadn't been seen since our meeting. Most wouldn't dare to question our family about it, only the police had the generic balls needed to bring us in and tempt our freedom with shit they really had no evidence for.

But there was always the chance someone else had stepped up the ranks and would try to shake us down for answers. A new body, trying to make a name for themselves in our world.

Walking down the stairs, I called out, “Dad? Is everything alright?”

Hitting the bottom step, I turned my head to look in the living room and found my father sitting on the couch with two men in suits and a police officer over his shoulder.

My heart sank, chest constricting as I debated between running back upstairs to warn Cyprus or yelling at them to get the fuck out.

I didn't have time to choose as all the men turned my way, their faces still and expressionless.

“Birch, good, you're up. Come on in and sit for a minute.” My father waved his hand, nodding his head to the over-sized chair next to the couch.

“What the hell is going on?” Cautiously, I stepped to the chair and placed my hands on the back. I didn't want to sit down, there wasn't a bone in my body that felt relaxed enough to lounge in a chair like this was a family gathering.

“Birch, I'm Detective Jones, and this is Detective Gouff.”