Christian took a seat and rested his left arm on the table, drumming his fingers and watching with interest. “I’ll have a scotch.”
Crush returned and put an orange soda in front of him. When he sat down, he popped the lid off his own bottle and took a long drink. Christian could hear the fizz bubbling in Crush’s throat with every gulp, so he focused on tuning out all the little sounds that were becoming an unwanted distraction.
“Raven doesn’t know I know,” Crush began, setting the bottle on the table.
“If you knew about Vampires all along, why didn’t you tell her?”
“She looked torn, and I didn’t want anything holding her back from moving on if that’s what she needs. There would have been more explaining to do, and one quick visit isn’t enough to fill in all the gaps.”
“The gaps being that she finds out you’re a liar.”
“I’m her old man, and a father will do anything to keep his kid from hurting. But you wouldn’t know anything about that.”
“You’re right.” Christian flicked his thumb, and the lid popped off his soda and flew across the room. “How much do you know?”
Crush scratched his jaw. “Enough to know that her eyes should be coal black. Enough to know that her skin doesn’t look like a Vampire’s even though she has fangs.”
Christian took a swig and grimaced at the sharp bite of the carbonated drink. He might as well learn what he could about Crush since he was going to scrub it all away anyhow. “Raven’s… special.”
“Of course she’s special. She’s got her mama’s blood running in her veins.”
“What I mean is, she’s not entirely Vampire.”
Crush rested his right arm on the table and leaned forward. “Now you’ve got my attention.”
“She’s half Mage.”
“You’re shittin’ me.”
Christian stared directly at Crush, who was avoiding eye contact.
How intriguing.
He could easily imagine this guy wearing one of those black skullcaps that tie in the back, sitting on his Harley and spitting against the wind. The last guy he would have expected to know about the Breed world. His goatee and hair was mostly salt with a little pepper, and though his blue eyes weren’t as light as Raven’s, there was something familiar about them he couldn’t put his finger on that reminded him of Raven. She hadn’t inherited his big nose or rough skin, but she’d certainly acquired his straightforward personality and tough demeanor.
“How exactly did my daughter wind up a mutant?”
“I believe crossbreed is the word you’re looking for.” Christian waved his hand when Crush rinsed him with a cold stare. “I wasn’t there. What happened to her is like hitting the genetic jackpot.”
“And you’re protecting her?”
Christian gave a throaty chuckle. “She does a fine job protecting herself.”
“As a… bounty hunter,” Crush said, making an educated guess.
“Not exactly. Think of it as bounty hunting on a larger scale without all the rules.”
“She looks sick.”
“That’s only temporary. Raven helped bring down a murderer last night, and she saved a baby’s life. She’s all tuckered out.”
Crush’s chest swelled with pride, and he leaned back in his chair. “Then she’s doing something that matters. I always knew she was better than just selling dresses at some fancy department store or being somebody’s old lady.”
Christian cocked his eyebrow. “So you’re proud your baby girl’s a killer?”
“Did you know that female lions do most of the hunting in a pride? Your first mistake is assuming that women are the weaker sex.” Crush took a long drink until his bottle emptied. “You think your bluntness will shock me, but you’re just a peckerhead in a Matrix coat. Did you ever see that movie? No, of course you haven’t. That’s why guys like you are still asleep. Even though half my buddies are Breed, I kept Raven away from the truth. They knew my rules and respected them. She didn’t lead a conventional life, but I figured the last thing she’d want to know was that we were friends with Shifters, Relics, and a few others. I wanted her to have a normal life, because you and I know just how dark this world can be. Little did I know that when given the choice, she’d pick the red pill. I should have known. After all, she has my blood running through her.”
Christian pretended to know what he was talking about and made a mental note to watch The Matrix. He studied Crush’s tattoos. A skeleton riding a bike with flames behind him, and a dagger on his forearm with the name Cookie written across a banner in front.
“You like ’em?” Crush asked, turning his arms to show them off. Then he pulled his shirt up and revealed another one across his chest. The heart tattoo had flames on one side and a coy bluebird on the other. The banner across it had the name Bonnie. It was well done, shaded and given dimension. Crush stroked his finger over it. “It used to just be the bluebird. That was for Raven’s mother.”
“But you weren’t married,” Christian pointed out, remembering Raven’s version of the story.
Crush laughed and pulled down his tight shirt, some of his belly sticking out. “A piece of jewelry doesn’t prove your devotion. You can take off a ring, slip it into your pocket, and pretend it never happened. But this,” he said, pointing at the tattoo. “This is my heart on my sleeve. Forever. I got the bird first because I called her Bonnie Bluebird. I got the rest after she died.”
Christian put his hands in his lap and laced his fingers together. “I’m surprised Raven isn’t covered in tattoos.”
Crush tugged on his earlobe. “That was never her thing. But I have a pink unicorn on my ankle thanks to that girl. I passed out drunk, so she decided to teach me a lesson by having my buddy give me something extra,” he said with a chuckle. “She has a sense of humor few men can appreciate.”
“I know a little something about that.”
“She also gives people what they deserve.”
“I’m guessing that’s why she never married.”
Crush shook his head. “None of the bozos she dated were serious enough. They were also too clean-cut. One thing I know about that girl is Raven’ll never give her whole heart to a man who doesn’t ink himself for her. She grew up around that kind of devotion, so it’s all she knows. You got any ink?”
“None that I’d like to share.”
Crush squared his eyes on Christian and glowered. “Let’s cut the bullshit. What kind of relationship do you have with my daughter?”
Christian felt himself blink more times than he should have. “We’re partners.”
“Uh-huh. I can tell you’re not fucking her, but you’ve got some feelings for her, don’t you?”
Awkward wasn’t even the word. Christian peered out the window behind him and changed the subject. “You should get yourself a decent home with all that money you’re hoarding.”
“The first time I met Raven’s mother, she slapped me in the face,” Crush said, not letting Christian steer the conversation. “I deserved it for calling her a tramp when she didn’t talk to me. I liked her, and men do dumb shit when they like a woman. I made it up to her later by treating her like a lady and taking her out. We used to live together, but when I knocked her up, she got serious about our relationship and wanted me to change my ways. You see, I had a demon called alcohol on my back. I loved alcohol more than Bonnie, and I wasn’t willing to give it up. She threw me out, but we still loved each other. I took care of her financially and was a father to my kid. Bonnie never stopped me from being a part of Raven’s life. But the booze… Sometimes we try to fool ourselves that we can be a better man when, deep down, we know we’re not. Even after she died, I couldn’t give up the booze. When I almost lost Raven because of it, I cleaned up my act.”
“I don’t think this is something I need to hear. Raven and I live in the present.”
Crush’s knee bounced up and down. “Your present just shit all over my life, so don’t tell me the past doesn’t matter. Don’t think I didn’t notice the way you were looking at her. She’s a good girl, and good girls have no business with men like us. We’re the hurricane that ruins their lives because we love something more. Maybe your demon is your own ego, or maybe it’s something else. Love is easy. Commitment is a bitch. Commitment requires you to make sacrifices. So do me a favor and don’t play with her heart. She’s been through enough trauma in her life. She deserves a real man who isn’t afraid to show his cards and be the love of her life.”
Christian could feel the blood heating his face. He didn’t like anyone holding a mirror up to him; he didn’t like being transparent. But after meeting this brassy, uncouth man, it gave him a better understanding of Raven.
Crush sighed, his voice calmer. “You’re her partner. Watch over and protect her since I’m not there to do it. She’s always been tough with a mind of her own, but sometimes she doesn’t know right from wrong. That’s my fault. I didn’t do a good enough job raising her like her mama would have. I fucked up—made mistakes. Getting clean wasn’t good enough.”