Page 80 of The Forgotten

I think the snakes were probably the best part of it. They hissed, made her piss herself, and then bit the fuck out of her.

My lips are curled in amusement as I remember her screams when my daughter walks back out onto the patio. Just beyond it is the garden, where the flowers are still blooming, despite the incoming cooler weather of fall.

I like to think their brilliant colors are because Nancy’s ground up body parts are fertilizing them. Could be wishfulthinking, but even the gardener mentioned how much prettier the flowers were now.

There’s something ironic about this, isn’t there?

“Sorry, I’m having trouble with staffing the heat spa,” Aisling sighs, getting comfortable on the patio couch.

I made sure the cushions had enough padding to sleep if she wanted to. She works a lot of late nights. If her alphas are on a job for me, it means she can comfortably sleep outside at my house if she’s in the mood. I live twenty minutes from the city if the roads are clear, which makes her work accessible.

“What kind of staffing does a heat spa need?” I ask incredulously.

Hiding a smile, Aisling shrugs.

“Maybe staffing was the wrong word. I need alphas who want to volunteer their time at the heat spa,” she explains. “Especially older alphas.”

My daughter lets that sit with me for about a minute before my eyes widen.

“Why older?!” I ask, my voice breaking with stress. “Isn’t the Host Club at University of Lyons up to the task?”

“Dad,” Aisling giggles. “Not everyone wants to have sex during their heat with eighteen to twenty-one year olds. There are some that want?—”

“Please, please, please don’t finish that sentence,” I groan.

My daughter and I talk about just about everything, but this might be where I draw my line. Maybe. She has me wrapped around her finger.

“I have to,” she grins. “Unless you’re up for pimping out your work associates, I’m up a creek without a paddle. I have a few older betas that are willing to use a knot ring to help out, but I need others that have the stamina necessary for a heat.”

“This was not on my bingo card for conversations with my daughter,” I groan.

“I know, but you love me and all the inappropriate topics I manage to find,” she says.

“Let me think of people that I can talk into donating their sexual services” I grumble.

Aisling grins wildly, despite the heat of embarrassment in her cheeks.

“That’s being a team player!” she yells dramatically.

Chuckling under my breath, I watch as she drinks the whiskey we’ve been having outside. It’s a beautiful day, we may as well enjoy it. I’ll have one of her alphas drive her home. My daughter can be a lightweight.

“What else is going on with the heat spa?” I ask. “Are the officials finally lightening up?”

“You mean ever since they changed commissioners?” she asks. Recently, some of the more crooked politicians in Minneapolis were forcibly removed from office.

Basically, a very scary assassin decided to do a few good deeds for the city after we worked together to help her out of a bind. Isolde has a very particular sense of justice, but it worked out for us.

“Yes,” I agree, sipping my drink. The whiskey burns just enough, the perfect thing to take the edge off this conversation.

“We’re officially able to open for free to the public later this month,” Aisling says proudly. She’s been working her ass off to get this done.

While there are other heat clinics available, some of them can be shady. This spa has various amenities that the others have like a sauna, ice baths, massages, and a variety of facials.

“Is the rest of the spa, ah, staffed?” I ask delicately, making Aisling cover her face as she snorts.

“Yes, Dad, they are,” she wheezes. “We have receptionists, estheticians, spa staff, security, and all other relative positions filled by really amazing people. It’s just the, ah?—”

“The alpha dicks,” Hayes smirks, coming out with the whiskey bottle. “I promise not to eavesdrop any further. Boss, you’re starting to look constipated.”