Page 119 of Wicked Promises (Fallen Royals 3)

And Caleb… he’s white as a ghost.

I squint at him, but he seems like he’s in a trance. Finally, he blinks and reaches out, clasping Dad’s hand. The two stare at each other for a moment, the handshake suspended between them.

Maybe this is how Dad would’ve reacted to all of my boyfriends, if we had managed to stay a family long enough for me to get there.

Maybe I never would’ve had a boyfriend—just Caleb.

That thought warms my cheeks, and I quickly push it away. No use pondering what might’ve been.

“You taking care of my daughter, Caleb?”

Caleb winces. “I’m trying to now, Mr. Wolfe.”

Dad releases his hand and barks out a laugh. “‘Mr. Wolfe?’” he repeats. “Jesus. You never called me that.”

“Well, we never figured on being here, so…”

I snort. “Can we sit?”

Around us, everyone else has settled down. We’re the only ones still standing, and the guards are eyeing us.

Dad motions to the table, and we all take our seats.

“Margo, a detective came to see me after you left. Said—”

I take a deep breath. “Yeah, we have some… explaining to do.”

He motions for me to continue, and I tell him what happened. The quick version, anyway: car accident, abduction, Caleb finding me and taking me to the hospital, his interrogation.

Dad is gripping the edge of the table by the end of it. His gaze goes to the scar on my forehead. “Is that…?”

“Glass from the accident, I think,” I say. “And I still get headaches from the concussion…”

Caleb grunts. “Same.”

Dad raises his eyebrows.

“Caleb’s uncle hit him in the back of the head for standing up to him,” I tell him. “I found him in a room… which actually brings us to our visit. We’ve been uncovering some strange things.”

He rubs at his face. He’s sporting a bit more scruff than I remember, and while the hair on top of his head is still dark, the beard is peppered with gray.

“They don’t have any leads?” he asks through his hands.

“They don’t,” Caleb answers.

Dad drops his arms and glares at him. “What the fuck does that mean?” His gaze goes to me. “Tell me you haven’t been pulling any cowboy shit.”

I shift. “Well…”

“We have.” Caleb pats my leg under the table. “And we found something which led us here.”

Dad’s eyebrow goes up. “I’m almost tempted to walk away, just because you put my daughter in danger—”

“Caleb saved me, Dad.” I reach out, taking his hand. “He found me.”

Dad touches the bracelet on my wrist. “I didn’t recognize this the last time you were here, but this is the one you made, isn’t it? One for each…”

Caleb shows him the bracelet on his own wrist.