Page 104 of Sweet Deception

Our suites are on opposite ends of the third floor. His is also three times the size of the other enforcer suites. It’s essentially a full apartment condo. Multiple rooms, a full kitchen, and furnishings older than I am because he’s lived up here for decades. I did most of my growing up in this place, but ever since my mom left, I don’t stop by much.

Even my father’s surprised to see me as he waves me inside with raised eyebrows. I navigate to the living room and sit down. He trails behind, bemusement on his worn face.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?”

It takes a lot of effort to resist rolling my eyes. “You said you wanted the mission play-by-play.”

My father lowers into his favorite leather armchair, settling in directly across from me. “And you decided to make a house call?”

Ignoring his brand of sarcasm, I launch into a retelling of how the mission went. At first, I’m just stalling, but then this approach begins to make sense. I’ll start with our success and illustrate what a great job Nika did holding up her end of the bargain even though she’s a total beginner who could’ve died.

Once I’ve laid that groundwork, I’ll bring up the matter of extracting the women. That’s what I’m thinking when my father lifts up a finger to stop me halfway through.

“You were captured?” He cocks a single eyebrow.

Fucking hell. “I had a run-in with that orange-headed dipshit. Not a big deal.”

“You’ve never been captured behind enemy lines before.”

“I wouldn’t call itcaptured.”I crack my knuckles. “I’m sitting here, aren’t I? It was just an altercation.”

“And where was Veronika in all this?”

“She was in the server room completing her part of the mission.”

“So the two of you were separated.”

Why is he making a big deal out of this? “That was the plan. You know this. I set the fuses and kept watch. She went ahead to the server room and?—”

“She wentahead?” Donal pushes.

“What are you asking me?” I struggle to keep my tone level. Otherwise, he’ll think I’m being evasive.

“I’m just trying to figure out how you got captured, but she didn’t. That’s all.” My father lights up a cigarette but doesn’t offer me one even though he knows I could use a drag.

Sometimes, I really hate him.

“An untrained woman, alone, in that situation?” His skepticism becomes clear. “That doesn’t strike you as suspicious, son?”

He’s starting to piss me off. “Not only did she get the job done, she helped me give Troy and his boys the slip. She shut off the electricity without compromising the system, which allowed us to escape.”

She also pointed out the ventilation shaft before I even thought of it.

“I concede that she served her purpose as an asset to the family.” He crosses his legs. “This time.”

This is as good as it gets with him. If I’m going to ask for his aid, this is my best chance.

“All we have to do now is convince Shane to extract the women safely.”

My father tilts his head, giving me a curious look. “You’re taking up a cause all of a sudden?”

He’s partially right. But if I’m being honest with myself, I’m also asking about this for personal reasons. “Don’t you ever think about Mom?”

The tension appears in my father’s jaw instantly.

“Don’t you ever wonder what came of her?”

He nods, silently acknowledging his regrets over what happened with my mother. And in this moment, we share the weight of everything we’ve never said. I know my dad loved her, just like I did.