Entwined Realms Volume One(67)

“Red running lingerie.”

The out-of-the-blue statement jarred her. “What are you talking about?” she asked, the volume lower than before.

“The woman in red running lingerie, that’s what you said you saw at the park. Except how could you have seen the woman who had barely started her run when she was grabbed by the orcs if you weren’t there at the same time? And where is your car? Shall I tell you what lot it’s in and what the current shape is, because I made a point to find it when I realized it disappeared the same day as the attack!”

He tried to tower over her but she wasn’t having it, stepping forward to make him break away. “What orc attack, Michael? The orc attack that was never reported on the news and there is no police record of? You might be on the force, but being the chief of police’s daughter has its own set of advantages. Don’t think I can’t find things out.”

“Why the hell did you go behind my back?”

“That’s all you have to say to me? You come here full of righteous indignation while you are hiding all sorts of crap from me, and when called on it you get huffy because I was a little underhanded in finding things out? I’m not playing that. You either come clean or you can get out.”

He raked his hand through his hair, creating chaos in the formerly smooth strands. “This isn’t about me.”

Really? He thought he could play that with her? “It sure as hell is about you! It’s about the fact that I don’t know what’s what in this world anymore, and even those closest to me have secrets I would never have imagined. So you tell me, Michael – does Dad know? Whatever you’re involved in, does he know about it?”

Muscles ticked in his jaw as he contemplated her, anger still within easy reach but banked at the moment. “Are we coming clean with each other?”

She sat on the couch in front of him, crossing her arms. “You tell me.”

The drumming of his fingers made a staccato against his jean-clad leg. He lowered his head as if in defeat. When he brought it up all heat was gone from his gaze. “I wasn’t in the military, not like you think.”

The world shifted beneath her feet, a roller-coaster sensation she didn’t expect and didn’t want. “That isn’t funny.”

“Not meant to be.” He shook his head, coming to sit beside her on the couch. “In basic training, I was recruited for a Special Forces-type team.”

“You mean like the SEALS?”

“I mean…” He trailed off. The late afternoon sun came through the window, casting half of him in shadow and making his features a little starker, a little harsher. “There are a lot of dangers in this world. Humans can’t completely place our protection under the control of members of other races. We need to keep a hand in things ourselves.”

“The Seven Houses,” she muttered, and was rewarded with his surprised jump.

“You really do know a lot of things.” He picked at his pants leg. “We’re not enemies and this isn’t about trying to start trouble, but yeah, we can’t leave things entirely to the Seven Houses or the other races’ governments. We need to remain strong on our own, and I was part of a group whose job is to protect us.”

“Why are you telling this to me now?”

He took a deep breath, his face filling with sorrow. “I’ve never left it. I’m still part of that Special Forces team.”

She jumped up, away from him. If he slapped her it would have shocked her less. “You’re a cop, Michael. You’re a cop with Dad and the bros.”

“I came back because it was part of my cover.” He looked up at her, his eyes tired, haunted. “I’m not a cop, I’m undercover. I’m sorry, Ris.”

Her father… “Does Daddy know?”

Michael shook his head, his eyes breaking away from hers.

“This would kill him.” She rubbed her hand against her upper arm, trying to warm herself against this sudden cold. “He’d never recover from this.”

“I know.” Flat, blunt, taking full responsibility for the damage.

“Then why?”

He stood then, his posture not showing any further apology. “Same reason you’re keeping secrets now. To protect him. To protect all of us. All I ever wanted is my family to be safe. Dad buries his head in the sand. I don’t blame him, and I never want to force him to do otherwise, but I knew I had to do things differently.”

When put like that, she couldn’t argue. Everything he said was true, and wasn’t that why she had gone against what she knew her father would have wanted? Having your own thoughts spoken aloud by someone else made it really hard to remain mad at them.