If that sounded grim, then so be it.
My father had dumped me like I was trash just so that he could hop, skip, and jump his way into the White House.
When the last President had been impeached, there’d been a power vacuum at the top of his party, and Dad had managed to score himself a ride to the most famous house in the world.
“I need to speak with you.”
“Then speak.”
“Not over the phone. Anyone could be listening in.”
I shuffled away from the kitchen and headed toward the other end that was loaded with Jake’s toys now. It meant I was as far away from Finn as was manageable, because if he knew I was talking to my father, he’d be furious.
Not at me, but at Dad.
Finn knew how much it had hurt for me to be cut out and cast away like I meant nothing. If he learned I was giving my father the time of day, I knew he’d be outraged.
“You mean the Sparrows could be listening in?” I countered, not letting him throw me any BS.
“Yes,” he admitted.
“I told you before, you don’t have to worry about me…” If he really thought the Sparrows were listening in, then I was careful with what I said next, “I’m a woman of my word. Unlike some people.”
I’d gone above and beyond to protect him and his reputation. His loyalty wasn’t as strong as mine.
Dad hissed under his breath then took a second before muttering, “I deserved that.”
“Yes. You did.” My voice was without rancor. “I don’t have time for this. I have a friend coming over for dinner, and I don’t think this is a phone call where you wish me a ‘Happy New Year.’ So what do you want?”
“I’m sorry, Aoife.”
“Sorry? What are you sorry for?” I rasped when he stayed quiet, to the point where I actually thought he’d cut the line.
It was hard not tacking on ‘Dad,’ but I’d never wanted to hurt him. Even after he’d hurt me.
“For everything,” he said on a sigh.
My eyes narrowed, and with my toe, I kicked a soft plushie to the side where Jake had a small gathering of them. “Nice and specific.”
“You know I have to watch my words.”
I grunted. “Well, I don’t need your apologies. Actions speak louder than words, and I know the Resolute desk is exactly where you want to be, not here visiting with me.
“So, I repeat, what do you want?”
He hesitated a second before explaining, “My approval rating has never been higher.”
“You’ve been focused on taking down the Sparrows,” I inserted. “People are outraged by the corruption and you’re taking a hard-line stance. It makes sense that you’d be popular with the masses.”
“Yes, it does… but that comes with problems of its own.”
“Meaning the Sparrows are out to get you?” Why did that sound as childish as me catcalling, ‘The boogeyman is out to get you?’
Truth was, though, that the Sparrows were like boogeymen.
If they could pull the wool over the eyes of Five Pointers, then I didn’t think the government had a chance at staying out of things.
“Yes, it means my family and I are targets,” he said carefully. Carefully enough that I knew he was including me in that sentence.
That was probably the first time he’d ever been so inclusive, and it was because I was potentially in danger.
He should totally win the ‘Dad of the Year’ award.
“I’m safe. I have guards of my own,” I told him stonily.
A sudden ache inside me bloomed to life.
God, I missed my mom so bad.
Why had she been taken from me when I’d been granted not one, but two deadbeat dads?
“You need to check their affiliations.”
“I think Finn’s seen to that,” I drawled. “He’s more concerned about my safety than you ever were.”
“That’s not fair,” he spat.
“Isn’t it? Seems pretty accurate to me. Look, if you’re calling to give me a heads up, I appreciate it. I’ll tell Finn—” Even if I really didn’t want to have to. “—and he can up my security.”
“My hands are tied here, Aoife, but I’ll gladly pay for extra men to come and protect you while these active threats are ongoing.”
My brows rose. “That would lead to a paper trail.”
“That’s how sure I am that there is a plot to hurt my family,” he murmured.
I sat there, surrounded by luxury and kids’ toys, and found myself accepting a simple truth—from birth, I’d been borrowing trouble. Just by having his DNA, I’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop without even knowing it.
Rubbing my eyes, I replied, “When?”
“I don’t know. There’s no real way of guesstimating, and trust me, I have the best analysts in the land trying to pin down dates.
“What I do know is that the chatter’s been high since before Christmas. I’ll message you a number that you can use to contact me in case of an emergency.”
“You don’t need to do that. I’ll tell Finn. He’ll handle everything.”
“I know he’s richer than me so he doesn’t need the extra help financially, but I want to—”
“You don’t have to,” I told him coldly. “I appreciate the warning. Happy New Year.”
I didn’t wait for him to cut the call; I did it for him. A second later, I received a phone number via message.
For a second, I stared blankly at a train set that Jen, my best friend and tonight’s guest at dinner, had bought Jake. It was expensive enough that I knew she must have done without Starbucks for a while, and gratitude filled me for her.
It filled me for Finn, and the O’Donnellys, and the family I’d made thanks to our marriage. Family that didn’t sell me out so they could sit in the Oval Office.
“What’s wrong, my love?” Finn’s voice was soft, but I heard the tension in it. I knew him too well, as much as he knew me.
“That was my father.” I peered at him over my shoulder. “He says the Sparrows are threatening his family.”
Finn arched a brow. “He called to tell you that?”
I nodded. “Must be dire, right?”
He stepped over to me, sank onto the seat by my side, and curled an arm around my shoulders. “I’ll fix things.”
“If the President of the United States can’t fix things, then I’m not sure you can.”
Finn brushed his lips against my temple. “Oh, honey, don’t you know the Five Points have more power than him?”
I snorted. “Your head gets any bigger, it’ll explode.”
He squeezed me as he chuckled. “His hands are tied. He has the biggest army in the world but he can’t deploy them without Congress and Senate’s approval. He can’t do dick without bipartisan support.
“You think Aidan Sr. waits on things like that?”
I had to admit, “No.”
“Well, then. You don’t have to worry. I’ll fix this.”
Looking up at him, I saw the fierce resolve etched into his expression and reached up to press a kiss to his lips.
“Got news about Mary Catherine by the way.”