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.”