Page 230 of The Villain We Tempt

“Hey, peanut,” he winks. How are you…” Dad trails off as his dark brows furrow. “What the hell is that?”

I roll my eyes as the distant sonic boom of Explosions thuds from the other side of the bathroom between Ari’s room and mine.

No, I don’t mean explosions as in bombs are going off in my best friend’s room. I mean the band from The Garage two nights ago.

Arianna is now officially a fan. Which is wild, because I don’t think she’s ever listened to metal before.

“Lucia and Lena and I went to this metal concert a few nights ago at thissupersketch bar,” I say, grinning. “Ari couldn’t come but Lucia sent her some songs and shelovesthe band now. She’s been playing them non-stop.”

Some parents…Papa, for instance…might be alarmed to hear their daughter was going to dive bar metal shows.

Dad is another story. He grew up with punk music and tattoos, immersed in the unholy trinity of sex, drugs, and rock ’n roll. So rather than freak, he grins.

“Nice!” He winks at me. “Who was the band?”

“I dunno if you would have heard of them,” I giggle. “They’re called Explosions? Lucia is a huge fan. That’s how we ended up there.”

“Oh shit!” Dad hoots. “I’ve been listening to them at the gym lately!” He clucks his tongue against his teeth. “I’m jealous!”

“Where’s Papa?”

Dad chuckles, rolling his eyes. “Out with his baby mama.”

I giggle.

Papa’s “baby mama”—and Dad’s too—is my bio mother, the Chanel and Cartier model and brand ambassador Cora St. Claire. She and Dad met on a fashion shoot when he got picked up to do some modeling for Versace, and they became friends. When he and Papa started talking about the possibility of kids, Cora mentioned that she’d be interested in acting as a surrogate, and the rest is history.

She’s never felt like a “mom” to me or anything. But Zane and I are fairly close with her, and her and Dad are still great friends.

Her and Papa, meanwhile, are basically besties.

“And what are those two up to?” I smile.

Dad rolls his eyes. “They’re at some fucking woo-woo yoga mediation retreat bullshit out in the Hamptons for the night.” He sighs. “Your Papa talked to your aunt today and needed to clear his head.”

Well, that explains that.

My aunt Evelina islovely. She’s kind, funny, beautiful, and incredibly genuine. Unfortunately, we don’t see her, or that whole side of the family, very often.

It’s a tough topic for both PapaandDad, because it involves their siblings. My aunt is Papa’s sister. She's married toDad’sbrother, Vaughn Bancroft, who happens to helm one of the most dangerous and powerful criminal organizations in the world, the Obsidian Syndicate.

Again, it’s a sore subject, but at some point, before Zane and I came along, or our cousins Aiden, Anastasia, and Dorian, there was some split between Dad and Papa, and Uncle Vaughn and Aunt Evelina.

It’s not a Cold War nobody-speaks-to-each-other situation, but…well, the best word might be “strained”. That’s partly why Zane and I have never really been that close to our cousins.

There's also something that resulted in the Obsidian Syndicate being blacklisted from Knightsblood forever, but that's another story.

“So, how was the show?” Dad smiles broadly.

Ireallytry to put on a happy face and shrug off the whole thing with Lochlan, even though I know deep down that the reason I called Dad in the first place was because I need his particular brand of telling me everything’s going to be okay.

The happy face doesn’t work.

“Hey, kiddo,” he murmurs, concern shadowing his face. “What’s going on?”

I swallow the lump in my throat and shake my head, determined not to cry.

“I…”