“Isn’t this a lovely sight?” He smiles, all teeth.
Bones is standing behind him, stoic and stiff as always. The two of them are in their leathers, their appearance a stark contrast to the restaurant’s patrons, and they all notice too. Several tables turn their attention to us, soft whispers filling the air.
I do my best to stay calm and unfazed on the surface, but on the inside, I’m flipping the fuck out. How did he find me? I intentionally took us over an hour away, somewhere I was certain no one would stumble across us. The only way he could know is if he followed us, which means he’s been watching me far closer than I realized.
“They have the best steak around supposedly,” I answer coolly.
“That so? We may just have to pull up a chair and join you,” he says to Bones before turning his attention to Naomi.
“Well, don’t be rude, boy. Introduce me to your date.”
The way he saysdatesends something slithering down my spine, but I do my best to keep my tone unaffected as I slowly remove my hold on Naomi’s hand and gesture to her.
“This is Naomi. Naomi, this is my father Matthew.”
A light flickers in my father’s eyes as Naomi holds out her hand to shake his.
“It’s nice to officially meet you,” she says, ever polite, but I hear the reservation in her voice.
She’s never crossed paths with my father—I’ve never allowed it to happen. She’s heard plenty about him, though.
“Amy’s daughter? I’ll be damned—you’re the spitting image of her,” my dad exclaims, smiling down at Naomi and holding her hand far longer than I care for.
Naomi swallows nervously, carefully extracting her hand from his grip as she gives him a tense smile.
“Well, I can only assume this is what you’ve been so busy with. Can’t say I blame you, son. What a looker,” my father says as his eyes rake over Naomi.
My hand twitches, just begging to reach for the knife concealed in my pocket. Fantasies of jamming that knife right through his eye socket so he can never look at her dance in my head. It takes nearly everything in me to sit there silently instead.
My father’s eyes narrow on me—he’s clearly irritated by my lack of reaction. “You should bring her by the club some time. We can have dinner. Properly get to know one another. If you plan on making her your old lady, we have rules now, don’t we?” he goads.
“Sure, sometime,” I agree.
“Tomorrow,” he counters, a wicked gleam in his eye.
“Can’t,” I counter.
“I insist,” he hisses, the look in his eye promising that I don’t want to push this matter further.
Begrudgingly, I respond with a terse nod, and he claps my shoulder roughly.
“Good. See you both there. Enjoy your meal.”
And he turns and walks out of the restaurant.
Bones shakes his head at us and sneers before following him out.
I don’t realize how long I stare after them, making sure they’ve actually left, until Naomi tentatively rests her hand on mine.
“Kolter, are you okay?”
Words escape me as I try to pull myself together. No. I’m not fucking okay. She has no idea how out of control things have become. How those promises I made only an hour ago are already burning to a crisp, disintegrating faster than it took me to utter them.
But I push that all down and force a smile onto my face.
“Everything is fine, Peaches.”
Chapter Twenty Three