Page 10 of Critical Doubt

A gleam flickered in his eyes. It almost felt like approval, but that was a foolish thought.

She'd been searching for her dad's approval most of her life, and she'd never gotten it. Now, she no longer needed it. She'd finally stopped trying to hold on to a relationship that had never been what she wanted and never would be.

"You still working for the bureau?" he asked. "Or did you quit that, like you quit everything else?"

"You know, we don't need to talk. Good things don't happen when we speak."

He frowned. "I shouldn't have said that."

She was shocked at his words. "That might be a first. An apology. And, yes, I'm still working for the bureau."

"I'm glad you're settled."

"Settled? I didn't settle for my job; I chose it."

"I just meant I'm glad you're sticking to something."

"Why would you care? It's not like you've ever worried about me."

"That's not true, Savannah. I've worried about you a lot over the years. I know I made some mistakes, but I tried to do right by you."

She was completely enraged by his comment. She told herself to calm down. Getting into a fight with him wasn't worth it. But she couldn't stop the words from bursting out. "Is that the story you tell yourself? Come on, Dad. Even you can't believe that lie. You got rid of me as soon as you could."

"I didn't get rid of you." Shadows filled his eyes. "I just didn't know what to do with you after your mom passed. And my career took me away for long periods of time. It made sense for you to live with your aunt and uncle."

"I was thirteen years old. You made me leave my home, my friends, my school—you."

"It was the best place for you to go. And you got to grow up with your cousin, with a family. It wasn't bad. They treated you well. You just couldn't let yourself be happy. You always had to make trouble for everyone. I know you were probably trying to get my attention, but that wasn't the way to do it."

"There was no way to do it," she said wearily. "And this conversation is pointless. Let's say good-bye."

He stared back at her with irritation, but then, her dad preferred to be the one who called the shots, who started conversations and ended them when he was done. "I didn’t come here to fight with you."

"Whatever."

"Wait," he said again, his jaw tightening.

"What now?"

He took a moment to answer. "You look like your mom today. Seeing you…it's like seeing her. She wasn't much older than you are now when she passed."

As pain entered his eyes, she softened a little. Her father might not have loved her, but he had loved her mother. She'd never doubted that. "I'm glad I look like her. It's all I have left."

"She was always better with you than I was. You two had your own secret language."

"We would have shared it with you, if you'd wanted to share."

"I didn't know how to do that. And after she died, I knew I wouldn't be a good father to you. You needed a woman in your life. Stephanie was good to you."

"But she wasn't one of my parents. It wasn't her job to raise me. It was yours. You always speak about duty, but where was your duty to me?"

"I did my duty. I made sure you had what you needed."

"As long as what I needed wasn't love."

"Are you going to carry this grudge forever?"

"It feels like it." When he didn't answer, she realized his attention had wandered away from her. Why was she surprised? Following his gaze, she realized he was now looking at Ryker.