Page 103 of Lau Ahi
“Thank you for having me over.”
I stepped back from the door and opened it wider to let in my guest. I looked over his head to ensure he was alone and his chuckle grabbed my attention.
“No one is with me.”
I shut the door to my old condo knowing his security was somewhere close by. No matter how much he might trust me, he wasn’t a man who was going to play about his safety and I couldn’t blame him. Shit, I needed him to be even more cautious moving forward because he was the only decent parent that my future bride had in her corner.
I’d asked William to meet me here not wanting to explain to Asha why her father was still in town. The family dinner had been over but he hadn’t left the country. We had eyes on him of course not because we thought he wasn’t on the up and up but he was now part of the family and was protected as such.
“I can never be too sure. People like to press issues especially when they’re familial. Father or not, a boundary has been set about who can and can’t cross into our homes. Upholding that boundary means that I get to keep my head. It’s my honor to ensure that her safe space isn’t violated. We might not live here yet but this will eventually be our family home and I won’t have her negativity permeate any space she’ll ever live.”
William Avery was dressed like a man of his stature: custom heather gray suit, hair tapered to perfection and an air of confidence that came from not having the stress that plagued regular men.
I was glad my home had specific security measures in place. Instead of the flimsy standard American-style doors, there were custom doors that were almost two inches thick with locking mechanisms that were embedded inside the wood. It would take a literal army with explosives and battering rams to get through the door providing us more than enough time to get to a safe room or through a secondary exit to escape. The same measures were on all the doors to this property and I would need to do the same for the penthouse. Convincing Asha of that was going to be hell.
“Drink?”
He nodded as he slipped his shoes off and I made my way to the bar. “Whatever’s open.”
“You like whiskey?”
He smirked as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and joined me at the bar. “Are you going to give me some of the American Tennessee version of whiskey?”
“I was thinking more of the Scottish kind.” I held up a bottle of whiskey from Liam’s distillery and he nodded his head in approval.
“That’s one of the best.”
“I’ll have to tell my brother that you approve of his product.”
I didn’t miss the way his brows rose slightly. He might have done his research, but there was only so much information that he would’ve been able to provide. If he were looking for a marriage solution, he would’ve known that most of my brothers were taken, but not so much who they were specifically since they weren’t available. The elders had already agreed to work with him so I was sure that Deuce and Safi had done more thana thorough investigation of him and all of his people. They never relied on someone else’s information even if it was from one of us.
Trust but verify was the best way to live.
“Am I part of some inner circle now?” He took the glass from me before swirling it softly.
“You’ll see them all at the wedding. I doubt that it will be a secret. You’ve already been vetted—”
“As has Asha.”
I nodded because there was no use in hiding the truth. “Of course. There are a lot of things that we have to do to protect ourselves. I’m sure you of all people would understand that.”
“I do. It seems odd, though.” He was watching the whiskey swirl in the glass thoughtfully.
“What does?”
“Being in the room and not holding all the cards. I can’t lie it’s not a place I’ve found myself often in the last twenty-five years.” He looked up with a smile and I wondered if this was his way of giving me his stamp of approval for being with Asha.
“I’ve been there. I’ve been a part of the government and not able to be myself for seventeen years. Leaving now is more than enough for me to run away and never look back.”
“Don’t you have to make it to twenty years before you get full benefits?”
I had to smirk at him thinking federal benefits for life were ever my goal. “I’m sure you’re more than aware that I don’t need that military paycheck or the benefits. It’s not like I’d be going to one of their physicians for anything at this point.”
He laughed signaling he knew just how fucked up the situation in our government was. “This is true. Not much about people in government can be trusted.”
I set the bottle back on the shelf ready to get done with parental visits for the day. “What’s the deal with your son?”
He glanced around before he spoke up. “Where is Asha?”
