“We’ll see about that. That’s not my priority because this trip is all about our time together before we have to enter into the real world,” I said breathily, trying to pull my head out of the gutter and put myself together enough not to give away my secret desires. The real world sounded rather terrifying if I were being honest with myself. My father had moved and shifted every area of my life since I was a little girl, and now I would soon be on my own.
An odd sense of relief raced through me, decimating the lingering fear. Where my father went after terrorists and horrible men in his practice, I wanted to do something totally different. I wanted to help bring justice to those who were hurt by an abusive parent or spouse, or maybe help set up protection for those who couldn’t do it themselves. Being in the legal system with my degree and my father’s last name was going to get me far in life, but not in the way he wanted it to.
Where he was focused on rising to the top and stomping out crime, I wanted to offer my services to those that needed it the most but rarely had the ability to find it. He was going to shit bricks when the time came for us finally to sit down and talk about my future plans. No matter what though, I was heading in the direction of my heart. Money be damned.
“Hey. You still with me?” Libby gave me a quirky smile.
“Hmm? Oh yeah. Just thinking about our trip.” I ran my fingers through my hair and forced myself to focus back on her. “We’re going to go sight seeing right?”
“Yes. Tons of that as well! I bought a polaroid camera to bring with us since neither one of us plan on using our phones, right?”
“Right,” I said, nodding. “No Facebook, Twitter, or Instagramming our moments in Madrid. We are there to enjoy it. We’ll create memories in our minds.”
“You got it,” Libby said. “Now, let’s—”
My cell phone buzzed on the table between us, interrupting Libby. I glanced down at the caller ID. Groaning at the number, I looked back up at Libby apologetically. “I’m sorry, Libs. I’ve got to take this. You know how my Dad gets if I don’t.”
“I know. He freaks out.” Libby rolled her eyes with a sigh. “I think he’s where you got all your paranoia.”
I rose from our table with my phone in hand. “Just give me a minute. Order a chicken salad with no croutons and dressing on the side for me if our waiter comes before I’m back.”
The small restaurant and patio were packed, but I managed to somehow squeeze my way out past the hostess station. While it was tempting to let my Dad’s call go straight to voicemail, I knew that he’d repeatedly call until I answered, or better yet, he’d send someone to look for me. That was always a fun encounter seeing that I was in my early twenties now. Everything suffered due to my Dad’s overprotective attitude. Especially my pathetic love life.
“Hi, Dad,” I said, leaning up against a light pole. “What’s up? I’m out eating lunch with Libby right now, so—”
“I’m glad I caught you both then,” he said, smoothly. “I need you to come into the office today. There is something that we need to talk about.”
Suspicion filled me as chill bumps raced across my skin. Nothing ever good came from my Dad wanting to see me at his office. “About what?”
“We’ll talk about it once you are here. Where are you exactly?” His tone was filled with a tension I’d become quite accustomed to.
I rattled off the furthest restaurant I knew from my Dad’s office in Manhattan to spare myself some time with Libby.
“I’ll expect you in an hour then,” he said. “See you in an hour.”
Not phased by his shortness, I slid my phone back into the pocket of my pants. My Dad was never the type of person to waste any time on the phone with chit chat. His job made him curt and cold at times, but I knew my Dad loved both my Mom and I more than anything in the world. The money he spent on our protection was one of the many signs.
I had no idea what my Dad wanted, but I didn’t plan on rushing over there to find out. I didn’t want to think about the dread growing in my stomach either.
“What’d your Dad want?” Libby asked when I sat back down across from her.
“I have no idea.?
?? I shrugged and grabbed my water glass, taking a quick sip before pulling myself back up to the table. “I told him I was across Manhattan, so we have an hour to do some shopping after lunch.”
Libby grinned at me. “See,” she said, swatting my hand playfully. “You’re going to do fine over in Spain. You know how to keep certain things a secret.”
“I’ve had a friend to teach me a thing or two,” I replied with a grin on my face.
We spent the next hour finishing up our lunch before hitting two stores. Libby hugged me goodbye through the shopping bags on her arm before hopping into her own cab. I told the cab driver to take the long way to Carter & Law. I needed the time to prepare for what my Dad wanted to talk to me about in the middle of the afternoon. He never called during the work days unless it was an emergency.
Whatever it was, it wasn’t good, and I had a gut feeling the conversation wouldn’t end happily either.
But at least I had my trip to Spain to look forward to, and nothing could get in the way of that.
CHAPTER TWO - HARLEY
It still felt fucked up to be in a crowd full of people going about their work days. After four months of retirement, I still couldn’t shake off the surreal feeling that it was over. All of those years being a killer, a death-dealer when needed, and here I was - a free man. Funny enough, being back in the real world left me feeling like a shit-storm was going to smack into me any minute. I felt like I was completely out of place.