Any Day Now (SWAT Generation 2.0 8)

I offered her a wink and closed it all the way, then turned to find Silas standing in my personal space.

“I know you’re a good kid,” he said.

I nodded.

“When she asked me if you could fly my helicopter, I knew that you were something to her. She would never willingly do anything like that if she didn’t have deep feelings for a man,” he continued.

“I feel the same way about her, sir,” I said softly. “I’m beginning to see a lot of things when it comes to your daughter. And I like them all.”

Silas shook his head. “She’s strong, willful.”

That I knew.

I didn’t bother agreeing or disagreeing with him, though.

I just watched as he began to pace the length of my porch.

“My daughter will do something just to spite me,” he said. “If I take her home, she’s going to do something dangerous. I’m going to leave her here, but only on one condition.”

I waited with my raised brows.

“You don’t hesitate to call if something happens,” he said. “Get her safe, then you call. I’ll handle the rest.”

“You don’t want me to call the police?” I asked curiously.

“You can call the police.” He paused. “After you call me.”

It was then I saw he was completely, one hundred percent serious.

“I can do things you wouldn’t imagine,” he said. “Response time out here? It’s seven and a half minutes. I’ve looked at all the logs for the calls out here lately. I can have people here in less than two if I need to.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll do that.”

Silas nodded once.

“Now, let’s talk about her.” He paused. “And your intentions.”

By the time that we went back inside, I had a very good understanding about how Silas’ mind worked. A healthy understanding that he would torture me—and I do mean literally—if any harm ever came to his baby at my hands. And a promise to help if I should ever need it.

It was a very enlightening, humbling experience.

I honestly thought I could hold my own out there, and it was proved to me that I had a lot to learn despite my years.

Silas Mackenzie, though? He may be shaking hands with seventy now, but the man was terrifying.

“Your mom and I will be by to drop some clothes off tomorrow,” Silas said to Amelia as he moved to the sink and placed his dirty coffee cup into it.

Before I could say a word, he washed his cup and put it in the drying rack next to the sink.

Sam followed suit, doing much the same as his father.

Amelia watched as if that was common practice.

I didn’t say a word.

Honestly, I was kind of thankful, mostly because those dishes would sit in the sink for another three or four days—until I needed a damn coffee cup—before I did them.

The moment that Sam finished, the two big men were heading for the door, but only after dropping a kiss to the top of Amelia’s head.

“Keep your head in the game, Mackenzie,” Sam called over his shoulder.

Amelia rolled her eyes. “I always do, Mackenzie.”

He shot her a grin and opened the front door of my place, heading out without another word.

Amelia followed them, and I hung back, trying to give them a bit of space.

“One more thing before you go,” Amelia said when her dad and brother were halfway down the steps.

Both stopped and turned to survey her, hesitance on each of their faces.

“Yeah?” Silas asked hesitantly as if he was ready for an invisible blow.

“Lynn suggested a job in Uncertain,” she said softly. “Is that a good place for me to go to look for one?”

Silas’ brows rose. “That would actually be perfect. It’s kind of far away, though. That kind of commute every day wouldn’t be that fun.”

“He also mentioned it’d be something that I could do from anywhere in the East Texas area. It’s not a job that I would have to do at the office,” she told him.

Silas looked intrigued. “What job is this?”

Sam crossed his arms across his chest and waited for a hit.

“A job. Crimes against children. With the FBI.”

My brows rose at that, thinking that Amelia could totally rock a job like that.

Silas was already shaking his head, and Sam’s mouth twitched as if he hadn’t expected anything less from her.

“Absolutely not.” Silas was already moving toward his bike.

“Just think about it!” she called. “Lynn said he had connections.”

“You can keep dreaming, sweetheart,” Silas said as he got on his bike and started it up.

Sam gave a two-fingered salute to the two of us and got on his bike as well, and the two of them rode out seconds later.

“So,” I said, “your dad has a problem with you working for the FBI?”

Amelia laughed and grabbed my hand, leading me back into the house.

“My father has a problem with everything I do,” she said. “It started when I was young—as young as I can remember—and it’s never ended. Anything he deems as too ‘scary’ he totally shuts down.”