What worry he did have switches to disapproval and slight resentment when he looks at me. Breckin’s feelings for Malia will be a problem, especially on a mission like this. Donovan knew. Tawny knew. That I could be so blind to how deep this went tells me I am off my game. I was so caught up with this Brenner bullshit I lost sight of what was going on in my own home.
“Well? I think it’s time you explain what’s going on,” I say, narrowing my eyes.
Breckin sighs and shakes his head, clear of the thoughts he was lost in. He walks over to me with his shoulders straight and tries to dominate me with his height. Though the boy is five inches taller than I am, I hold all the power here.
“Breckin.”
Breckin runs his hand down his face, spending a few more seconds choosing the right words. But my patience is running low, and I’ve had enough of these games. Another clue is that the Brenner issue is taking its toll on me; I don’t usually struggle with my patience.
“Malia and I have been sneaking around for a while now.”
“Explain ‘sneaking around.’ You’re not exactly fucking teenagers anymore.”
More silence. Breckin shifts his weight, uneasy.
“I’m in love with her, Nate. I’m sure you want to strangle me right now, but I’m relieved that you know.”
I cannot suppress my eye roll at his confession. I know my daughter, and she would chew Breckin up and spit him out in a heartbeat. Malia tried love once, and it ended with her being betrayed in the worst way. After all the other fucked-up cards she was dealt in her life, the betrayal of two people she trusted hardened her.
It will take the right person to shatter the walls she built, and, with Breckin already showing he is trying to control the situation and protect Malia, he is clearly not the man for her. In fact, he is lucky to be still breathing.
“I want to pluck your eyes out with my shirt’s buttons, in all honesty.”
His nerves over the confession wrap around us, making this inevitable conversation more uncomfortable than it needs to be. The bravado he held only a few moments ago fades away in a blink of an eye.
“You’ve always been like a son to me, even before we took you in. Your father was one of my best men, but I won’t stand for this. You know that it will not work out as well as I do. Malia is not the relationship type, especially after that Caine disaster.
Malia and Donovan are everything to me, and I am not coming to you today in the protective father role.
Right now, I need both of your heads in the game. What I witnessed in the conference room was unacceptable behavior. This thing you have with her is already affecting this mission—even before it begins. This stops now, Breckin. Have I made myself clear?”
“Crystal,” Breckin says with a slight nod. He is agitated, and I have half a mind to tell him to sit this one out. Not telling him the mission starts tonight but avoiding more complications is not an option.
“The mission starts tonight. If I get a hint of interference, I will pull you from any participation.”
“Got it, Boss.”
I leave Breckin’s room satisfied with his agreeance. It is time to make sure everything is in place so the plan goes as smoothly as possible.