I toss him a card, and he holds up a hand to let me know he's staying. I check my cards and grin at the two tens and an ace. He never learns.
"So you're still with him?" he asks as I reveal my perfect set once more.
He rolls his eyes and groans as he tosses his cards back at me.
"Yes. We've been together for three weeks now. He's taking me to some vineyard that's about an hour away today. I'm supposed to meet him at three."
Dad glances at the clock on the wall and then back to me. "Does he treat you good?"
Better than good. In the past three weeks, I've damn near fallen in love. I keep telling myself it can't happen this soon. It's hard to listen to my inner voice of reason when Kade goes out of his way to make each day with him seem like a fantasy.
"Yeah. Real good," I murmur with a sheepish grin.
"Glad to hear it," he says with his own salacious grin as he leans back. "They say I'll be getting out earlier than planned, since Brody has been pulling some strings for me. I'm assuming you won't be coming to live with me?"
I frown a little. I've gotten used to waking up in Kade's bed with his arms around me. I realize it's stupid to start living with a guy when you first start dating, but we were already living together, and we found out it was impossible to sleep in separate rooms when we knew the other was so close by. Now, it'd feel like we were moving in reverse if I moved out. Wouldn't it? So confusing.
"I haven't really thought about it as much as I probably should. But we'll see. I need to get going," I murmur while standing up.
"Are... Am I... Will I get to meet him?" Dad asks as he stays in his chair, doing his best to keep the angst out of his tone.
My heart almost breaks. "Of course you will. I just have to find the right time to... explain you. You're my father. I love you. You'll definitely meet the guy I've been living with."
His bright smile returns and he stands while the guards
come to escort him back. "Soon, Raya. I promise I'll do my best to make up for all the time we lost."
I smile and wave while walking out, letting the guard escort me in the opposite direction. My life is starting to come together, and I just got a job offer from Silk, the club that was for members only. It recently opened to the public full time, and now I'll be waiting tables for extra cash, making myself a little more self-sufficient. It's another new start, and I'll be there as soon as next Monday.
Since I was a little girl who stood crying on the sidewalk as men in black suits wrestled my father to the ground, I haven't had peace. He was bloody and beaten when they cuffed him, and he never deserved a bit of that. He never fought them, yet they acted as though he'd resisted arrest. I was forced to watch it, and I think it hurt him more than me to know I witnessed it.
He'd never physically harmed anyone, and though he was a con, I always considered him a Robin Hood sort of thief because he never took more than someone could afford. He didn't rob from the rich and give to the poor, so I don't consider it noble, but I don't consider it unforgivable either. Maybe I'm warped for feeling that way.
I know what he did was wrong; I'm not an idiot. But I also know the impossible feat it is to be perfect. I don't feel guilty for loving my father in spite his faults, just as I no longer feel guilty for being the daughter of Ray Drivel.
Now that peace I lacked is filling me, making me whole. Maybe it's because I'm about to have my father back, maybe it's because Kade and I are so lost in each other, or maybe it's a little bit of both. I'm almost certain Kade is the main reason. I feel... accepted, wanted, needed, and desired. It feels good.
When I walk out of the prison and into the blinding light, I see the rear-end of a Audi pulling out. That's... odd. I saw that same Audi at the bus station. I remember it because it has the same darkly tinted windows my eyes couldn't penetrate. And the license plate is the same: HUPRIDE. I don't know what it means, but it stands out enough to remember.
I pull out my phone and dial the number I never wanted to have to use. When your father is helping put dangerous conmen in prison, there's always the fear of retaliation.
"Brody Sparks," he says into the phone, seeming distracted.
"Hey, Brody, it's Raya."
"Well, I'll be damned. I've been hoping you'd call to say you're moving in with your old man. I could use all the help I can get to keep him out of trouble."
I'd smile, but it's hard to focus on anything right now. I really can't drag trouble into Kade's life.
"Um... can you do me a favor?"
"Yeah, sure. What's up?"
"Will you look up a tag for me? I think I was followed here, possibly. With Dad helping you out... I just want to be safe."
"Shit. There shouldn't be any link from your father to the cases he works, but I'll check it out."
I spell out the tag for him and watch as the black Audi disappears into the heavy traffic just down the road.