Chapter 520 Chapter 520
The tone made him feel better, it probably shouldn’t have, but it did, mostly for his sake because if she’d gotten any more upset by it, someone was going to pay with their blood. Vesper fucking Hughes was on the top of the list for prime sacrifice. Five or six years ago? She would have barely been through her first shift. Fuck. He didn’t know when he’d become such as sappy moron, but if she could share that with him, then he owed her some truth too. He hit the brakes and slid to the side of the road. Slamming it into park, he turned and looked at her. “I know your father is an asshole because I’m not allowed to step foot on your clan’s land ever again.” He watched the questions form on her face, “my mother and sister are part of that clan, but if I want to see them, we have to meet somewhere else.”
“Carson.” She said it softly with recognition in her voice. “You’re that guy.”
Tripp smirked and then sobered, “well, if you mean that guy that dared to call out your father for his bullshit, then yeah, I’m him.”
“I remember that.” Tilting her head, she looked at him for a moment, “You’re from a clan in the South? I don’t remember the details.”
Tripp rolled his shoulders, and those all too familiar knots were back, “my father was part of an Alliance security detail, he died protecting a clan from rogues.” He looked past her for a second out the window and had to clamp down on his own emotions, “mom didn’t want to stay there after that, so we headed cross country to stay where she had family.” He cleared his throat, “it was a rough go, we had to stay off the radar of other clans, and other Alliance security details, but I got them there, then your father refused to allow us into the clan.”
Amari nodded her head slowly, “that’s right, I know your mom,” her expression blanked, “knew your mom, I helped her and,” she squeezed her eyes closed for a second, “Ginny?” She opened them. He nodded at the mention of his sister’s name. “I helped them get settled in.”
He hadn’t known that part, his mother never mentioned the Alpha’s daughter in any of their many talks in the months following that. “I didn’t know that.” He gave her a quick look, “so you haven’t always been out of control?”
She grinned, “oh, I have been, much to Daddy’s heartbreak.” She rolled her eyes.
Tripp wanted to reach out and pull her closer, apologize for a father that had done such a stupid thing to her, but the vibes coming off her right now were clearly growling ‘don’t get too close’. “Thanks for helping them. Kenzo and Calum whisked me away from there so fast, I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”
“That explains how you ended up on one of the teams.”
“Does it?”
“You survived Kenzo and Calum, so they probably took you under their wing and trained you up.”
Tripp leaned back against the door and looked at her, “I didn’t require much training.”
“Me either.” Her smile was slow but real.
He shrugged, “so you’ll understand when I drop you off at the entrance to your father’s land then?”
She snorted, “Oh, you’re coming with me, driving right on by the markers at full speed all the way to his doorstep.”
“I’m what?” He shook his head, “I have orders that the king signed…”
“Fuck the orders.” She waved her hand around and picked up her phone, “there’s always a way around those.” She paused and looked at him, “drive, we mustn’t keep Daddy waiting.”
Tripp stared at her for a second, then turned back in his seat. Putting it in drive, he glanced in the mirror and then pulled out onto the road. What was she up to and was it going to get him killed? He glanced over at her to see her raise the phone to her ear. She was way too happy looking right now.
“Mother.” She said softly, “I’m fine. Not a scratch.” She nodded, and he looked back to the road. “No, no nothing like that.” She chortled, which sounded odd coming from her, “rumors are always exaggerated, you know that.”
Tripp glanced over to see her looking at him, something dangerous in her eyes and his cat responded to it instantly, as did the lower part of his body. Damn, he was definitely in trouble here.
“Mmhmm, we’re heading that way now.” The tone she was using was not an Amari tone, if that was even a thing, “yes, I’m still with the brave man that rescued me.” She grinned at him.
Oh shit, she was going to get him killed and the sick bastard that he was—he was actually getting turned on by her scheming.
“It’s all right that he comes with me, right,” she huffed out a breath, “I’m just so-so scared now.”
Tripp’s head snapped and he looked at her again, she had the biggest shit-eating grin on her face. Damn.
“Yes. Tell Father we’ll be there tomorrow.” She nodded, “I will. Me too.” She tapped the phone and then smiled at him. “My mother can’t wait to meet the man that rescued me from some horrible fate.” She slumped back and put her hand over her chest.
“You’re going to get me killed.” He couldn’t help smiling back at her.
She winked at him, “I’ll protect you,” she shrugged, “and what is he going to do in front of the others, have you arrested? The man that saved me?” She chuckled, “I don’t think so.”
Shit. He should warn Kenzo something bad might be in the air. As entertained as she was with this jab at her father, he knew there was no way that Vesper Hughes was going to be all-forgiving suddenly. “We should, uh, give our team leaders a heads up.”
“That I’ve been summoned by my father?” She shrugged, “I’m sure they already know.”
“No, that I’m going with you.”
Turning in the seat, so she could look at him, she waved her hand around. “You really think my father will outdo his past bullshit because you’re driving me there to see him?”
Tripp looked back at the road and let a few seconds pass before he answered, “I think it’s very possible.”
Amari sighed, “fuck, you’re right.” She motioned around them, “we don’t know if they’re in the middle of an op right now or what though.”
It was a good point, darkness was close. “Yeah. Grab my phone and bring up Kenzo and type one two three and send it to him.”
“What does that mean?” She leaned over and pulled his phone out of the holder.
“It’s just our way of saying call me when you’re not in it.”
“You guys couldn’t just type, call me?” She sounded amused.
“Never know where one of us will be and if we still have our phone on us.” He shrugged.
“I guess.” She put the phone back in the holder. “Okay, Mister Bond, message sent.” She laughed softly.