Moonlight Menage (19 page)

And he did. For the most part.

Still, Tira’s father… Or some guy claiming to be Tira’s father had walked through the
boschetta
’s formidable wards without so much as a blip on their radar, strolled up to Tira’s front door and knocked on it like he was the FedEx guy.

The guy had to wield some serious power.

Who the fuck was he? Was he really Tira’s father?

If he was, what the hell was he doing here? And if he wasn’t, that just opened up a whole other can of worms.

Tira stared out the window, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. He could smell her anxiety, wanted to comfort her but didn’t know what the hell to say.

Nic sat behind her, one hand on her shoulder, the other on the back of Duke’s seat. He swore he felt Nic’s concern like a wave of heat through the seat itself.

It didn’t take them long to reach the
boschetta
village but the atmosphere in the car made his skin tighten by the time he pulled to a stop in front of Margie’s house. Lais had called Margie, and Dan, Margie’s mate, had taken the guy back to their house down the street.

Apparently, the guy hadn’t put up a fight, had done nothing antagonistic or aggressive.

But he seemed to know Su was having health issues. And that he had a daughter.

Duke wanted to check the guy out himself before he allowed Tira anywhere near him. He knew Nic wanted the same though Nic was probably smart enough not to say it in those exact words.

And Tira would tell them both that she could take care of herself and to stop acting like cavemen.

Duke didn’t care. She wasn’t getting near the man until they knew what he wanted.

And he had to want something. Where the hell had he been for the past twenty-six years and why had he turned up now?

“Tira—”

“Don’t say it.” She didn’t bother to look at him, just stared at Margie’s house. “Just don’t. I’m going in there to talk to him and you do not get a say in the matter.”

“Ti—”

She cut him off with the classic talk-to-the-hand, which he was inclined to ignore.

“But—”

She opened the door and jumped out, slamming it behind her before marching toward Margie’s house. Nic practically knocked him over as they both tried to shove their way out of the Jeep at the same time.

Duke actually stumbled over his own feet in haste to follow her and only Nic’s quick grab for his collar kept him upright. Nic muttered something under his breath that sounded like an insult but Duke didn’t bother to call him on it. He was too focused on getting to Tira.

Gods damn, she must’ve run for the fucking door. She already had it open and nearly slammed it in their faces before Nic got his hand on it to keep it open.

They both reached for her as they crowded inside, each of them pulling her back as they stepped around and in front of her.

Duke caught Dan’s carefully blank expression a second before he noticed the man slowly making his way to his feet on the other side of the room.

Duke’s breath froze in his chest.

Holy shit.

“Whoa.” Nic’s whisper was barely audible, but his “
Fuck
” was loud and clear.

Duke stole a quick look at Tira, her wide eyes glancing into his before she too looked at the man who only had eyes for her.

Duke wanted to pick her up and stuff her back in the Jeep and get her and Nic the hell out of here.

Because even a blind man couldn’t fail to see the resemblance.

The guy had Tira’s golden blonde hair though his was cut short and shot with silver. Tira’s blue eyes were an exact match to his, right down to the shape and size.

If the guy wasn’t her father… Hell, there was no other explanation.

He wore a dark suit, a striped tie and a pristine white shirt, expensive as hell if Duke had to take a guess. Shit, the guy’s shoes looked as if he’d had them custom made and just picked them out of the box this morning.

His mouth held no curve at all and if it weren’t for the tiny muscle ticking in his jaw, you’d never know he was nervous.

Duke took a deep breath and caught the scent of the man’s anxiety and the faint whiff of desperation. Joy. Pride.

“Hello, Tira. I’m Mark Daniels.”

Duke took another deep breath, trying to get his thoughts in some kind of order.

Tira hadn’t ever really talked about her father, which wasn’t surprising considering she’d never met him. Su had never even mentioned his name and Duke had always chalked that up to
boschetta
’s tradition.

Until Dan and Margie had set up house almost sixteen years ago, none of the
streghe
had stuck with the fathers of their children. Not one. The
streghe
claimed it kept their power focused, without the distraction of men and relationships.

Margie had proven that theory wrong. And a few months ago, Tira’s best friend Nica had also broken that long-held tradition when she’d moved in with Tanner and Jensen Miller.

Right after Tira’s kidnapping. Which he and Nic had known nothing about until weeks later.

That still had the power to make Duke’s blood run cold.

And now this.

Duke tried to ignore the gnawing pit in his stomach but knew it was a losing battle when Tira’s hand slapped on his shoulder as the other smacked Nic’s and she pushed them apart far enough to squeeze between them.

She stepped past them but didn’t move out of their reach, as if she knew he and Nic wouldn’t let her get far.

Her hair fell down her back in a sleek ponytail, revealing the tightness of her shoulders and the rigid line of her back.

Vaffanculo
, he was a thoughtless bastard. He needed to pull his head out of his ass and make sure Tira knew she could count on him.

On them.

He glanced at Nic, who caught his eye and nodded, just once. Enough for Duke to know Nic was on the same page.

After a short pause, Tira took another step forward and held out her hand. Duke had a second to think,
Holy shit, what the hell’s she doing?

Then he remembered her deal with Nortia. And her reason for making that deal.

And how they were never going to get this time back.

“Tira Belludi,” she said, taking another step toward the man as he came forward and took her hand.

What looked like a small measure of relief crossed the man’s expression as he nodded. “It’s very nice to meet you,” he said in an accent Duke identified as British. The guy sounded like the Prince of fucking Wales. “You’re every bit as beautiful as your mother. And I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here.”

“I guess that would be a good place to start,” Tira said.

He nodded as he released her, reluctantly it seemed. “Your mother sent me a message yesterday morning. I would have been here sooner but I wasted a few hours trying to authenticate the message. When I came to my senses, I caught the first flight to New York. I apologize for the surprise and, apparently, the fear my appearance has caused. I certainly am not here to harm anyone.”

As Tira shook her head, Duke watched the hard set of her shoulders begin to shake just a bit. He moved closer until he almost but not quite had himself pressed against her back. Nic followed his lead, putting his hand on the small of her back.

The man claiming to be her father gave them a fairly thorough once-over, no sign of what he was thinking in his expression before he refocused his attention on Tira.

“And how exactly did she contact you?” Tira’s tone held a healthy amount of disbelief. And with good reason. As far as they knew, Su didn’t have access to a phone or a computer and it wasn’t like they had mail service.

Mark Daniels didn’t look at all taken aback by the question. “I received a phone call yesterday from a young woman who told me Su wished to speak to me and that I needed to come immediately.”

“And you just picked up and flew across an ocean because someone told you a woman you slept with nearly twenty-seven years ago wanted to see you?” Tira’s head shook back and forth slowly. “I’m sorry but that just doesn’t make sense.”

“Whoever called knew intimate details that only Su would know. She also told me that Su was ill and that my daughter needed me. Before I arrived, I had assumed you had been the one to make the call. But when I got here, I realized I was wrong.”

“Then who contacted you?”

Daniels didn’t answer but movement from the doorway into the kitchen caught Duke’s eye.

Dan and Margie’s daughter Cat stepped forward, her blue eyes wide but no guilty blush stained her cheeks. “I did. Su asked me to.”

* * * * *

An hour later, Nic watched the sky darken through the window of Dan and Margie’s house.

He held Tira’s hand as they sat on the couch. The man claiming— Oh hell, at least he didn’t have to lie to himself. The guy was Tira’s father. He could smell the blood connection between them as clearly as Dan and Duke were able to.

If Dan hadn’t scented it right away, he never would have called Tira. He would have disappeared the guy right away.

Because Mark Daniels was
eteri
from the tips of his fancy loafers to his so very British accent.

Whether he had any idea of who or what Su was, what his daughter was, hadn’t been answered yet. No one dared broach the subject. At least not until Daniels did.

And if he never brought it up…

Duke paced behind them as Tira and Daniels felt their way around a delicate conversation.

After Cat had confessed her role, Dan had nearly blown a gasket which Margie had smoothed over as best she could. Nic understood Dan’s fear. If the guy had harmed Cat in any way, he would have been a dead man. Dan and Kyle would have hunted him down and torn him to bits.

But Daniels hadn’t hurt her. And he’d done nothing aggressive or provocative. He seemed to have an almost unnatural calm but that could just be the British stiff upper lip.

Any emotion he showed was aimed at Tira. His lips curved with the hint of a smile as he spoke to her, told her about himself and what he did. How he’d met Su twenty-seven years ago in Reading at a bar. He’d been in the States “acquiring a bank” for his employers. Today, he
was
the employer. He was the CEO of one of the largest international financial institutions based in Britain.

He wasn’t married, had no children—and Nic couldn’t tell if the man was happy to have one or was simply trying to figure out if Tira would want something from him now that she knew he had money.

And Daniels had a shitload of it, if his clothes and attitude were anything to go by.

If the guy looked at her sideways, just once, Nic was going to take his head off. Duke could have the arms and legs.

Nic had to give it to Daniels, though. If he was sweating anything, he didn’t show it.

Calm, cool and collected described him perfectly.

Tira, on the other hand, was starting to unravel. He heard it in her voice, the emotional wear and tear that made it shake. “Have you ever tried to find my mom before?”

Daniels nodded. “Actually, yes, I did. I returned to England shortly after the night we spent together. But when I came back to the States several months later, I tried to track her down. I soon found out, however, that she’d given me a false last name.” He smiled then but he wasn’t amused. Nic figured he wasn’t a man who liked to lose. “I thought that was the end of it. I have to admit I was quite put out about not being able to find her. And I admit to thinking about her over the years.”

He paused and Nic thought he was going to stop there but then the guy took a deep breath and continued, his gaze never leaving Tira’s.

“If I had known I had a child, I would have…demanded to have a place in your life, Tira. I can only imagine why she never told me about you all these years. But that’s a question I wish to pose to your mother. She sent for me. I would like to see her. Now.”

Duke stopped behind Tira, his hands landing on her shoulders as she clutched Nic’s hand.

Nic watched Daniels note each point of contact, his expression registering nothing at all.
Vaffanculo
, the guy was nearly as stoic as Kyle, before Tamra had come into the picture. And that was saying something.

Tira paused for a brief second before sighing. “My mother’s not well. Hasn’t been for several years.”

Daniels stilled, his eyes narrowing. “Is she ill?”

Tira paused again. “Not physically, no. It’s…hard to explain. There are circumstances…”

“What kind of circumstances?”

Tira looked at Nic, her blue eyes dull with confusion, pain and grief. He wanted to wipe those emotions away, hated to see them there. He wanted to go back a few hours, to when they still had the rest of the day ahead of them.

Now…

Nic looked at Daniels. “Su’s mental health is compromised. She has episodes of psychosis that have been getting worse. She can be lucid for days then be out of it for a week.” Or a month.

Now the man actually showed some emotion. He blanched, his skin becoming the color of ashes.

“How long has this been going on?”

“Years,” Tira continued. “It started when I was in my teens.”

That muscle in Daniel’s jaw ticked again. “I’m sorry. If I had known…” He took a deep breath. “I would like to talk to your mother now, Tira. She did send for me and there are things we need to discuss.”

Tira nodded. “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just wanted you to be prepared if she should…become agitated or incoherent. It can happen in a split second. She can be lucid and hold a normal conversation one second and the next she’ll be…off. I don’t know why she called for you but if she sent for you, she had to have a good reason.”

As Tira stood, Nic again had the urge to grab her and run. Instead he rose with her, releasing her hand as Duke’s hands fell away from her shoulders.

The lump in Nic’s gut twisted and rolled and muscles tightened with anxiety.

Which was stupid. The guy didn’t pose a threat, not with him, Duke and Dan ready to tear him limb from limb if he so much as looked at Tira or Su cross-eyed.

And no one except Tira had the right to deny Su the opportunity to talk to Daniels.

Nic had deliberately listened in on Dan and Margie’s conversation with Cat while Tira had been talking to Daniels. Only weeks away from sixteen, Cat was bright and levelheaded but she had a soft heart. Everyone, including her three parents, spoiled her but she managed not to be a brat.