Page 2 of Dollhouse

“Any trouble on the way?” he asks, eyeing our spent faces with worry.

“We’re okay, Uncle Liam,” Jesse says, scanning the house. “Is my dad here?”

Dad nods. “Asleep upstairs. Had to drug his whiskey. Wouldn’t sit the fuck down, he was so nervous.” He shrugs at me, like what he just said is normal. But we’re the Finch’s, so for our family it is. “I thought he might try to end Bundy tonight if I didn't.”

Jesse huffs, opening the passenger door. “He’s always an asshole the morning after you dose his drinks like that.”

Shrugging, Dad turns his attention back on me. “I’ve got their space set up, or have you been keeping them separate? It’s secure enough, cameras, same deal as the last place.” He waves his hand, nonchalant about me arriving in the middle of the night and needing a place to lock up two people. “Doctor’s almost here to look at the girl.” His eyes fall to the window, taking in ourcaptive.

Except, that’s not what she is now. Not at all. Bo either, and it’s easy to tell that from the gentle way that Jesse rubs hisshoulder, trying not to frighten him awake after the day they had.

Can’t hide shit from my father, though. Watching Jesse whisper into Bo’s ear, he turns and burns his narrowed eyes into the side of my head. “Noah?”

I run my hand down my face and sigh. “Things have changed a bit.”

He blinks at me, waiting for me to elaborate. “Oh?”

“Yeah. They aren’t negotiation pieces anymore.”

His confusion quickly starts stitching itself intoangerinstead. He stares at me for a beat before barking out a cynical laugh. It's loud enough to shake Bo from whatever dream he’s having so that he shoots forward, peering around at all of us, then damn near breaking his neck to check on Emma in the backseat.

He’s smart, my father. So it takes him two seconds to piece together what’s happened. Never one to miss a chance to drag me over the coals, he starts the same bullshit. That’s what he does. That’s what he’salwaysdone. “Just how do a pair of extremely necessary hostages end upnotbeing hostages, Noah? Please fucking tell me how that happens.”

I’m tired, and though I should have broached this topic before now, I just didn’t know what to say. It wasn't clear what was happening between all of us. Still isn’t. All I know for sure is that they belong to me and Jesse now, and that’s the end of it.

“They just aren’t. I know it's…unexpected, but nothing changes. Eric is still our target. He’ll still pay for what he did.”

He shakes his head. “And you're just going to what, keep his wife here forever?”

Wife. The inference that Emma belongs to anyone butmemakes me crazy. “I’ll do whatever I want with her, okay? That part hasn’t changed. She’s just going to be in my bed with me when I do it, not a prisoner.”

My sarcastic smirk has him rolling his eyes. “Jesus Christ,” he mutters. “First time you get wrapped around a woman, and it’s the fuckingwifeof our target, Noah. Of course it is.” He hisses the words, and then turns on Jesse, who’s helping Bo get his bags from the floorboard. “Andyou. Just what the fuck is going on between you two?”

“It’s midnight, old man. Can we talk about this in the morning?”

Bo’s eyes widen as he takes in my father. He’s definitely not easy to miss, with all the scars and that haggard, expressive face of his. The fishing hat and his slippers top it off to make him look batshit.

“Great, just great. I see. You two can’t be trusted on your own. Six weeks, you convinced me it would be worthwhile to keep these two locked up at the house with you while you played mind games with Eric. Now look at you. You know it’s crossing a bunch of fuckin’ lines to act like this with someone who’s in your care. Someone who has no choice but to depend on you.”

I don’t like the accusation in his eyes, even though he’s right. It’s not morally sound, what we’ve done, and I havenevergave less of a fuck. “Bo, go with Jesse upstairs, okay?”

He nods, a deer in the headlights as he follows Jesse to the front door.

“Look, I know changing the plan isn’t ideal. Eric is no longer the only target, and Bundy has fucked very heavily with me. I’m this close to saying fuck the plan and showing up at the front doors of his mansion, Dad, this close.” I know my wild eyes back me up when I get in his face and he doesn't interrupt. “Right now, I just need to figure out which ofyour menflipped on us. Then I’m going to string Eric up from that tree”—I point to the large fir next to the porch—“and let Jesse hack him to pieces. That hasn’t changed. Okay?”

He grunts deep in his chest. “Then what?” he asks, motioning to Emma. “You gonna kill her, too?”

I snarl. “She’s a victim of him too. They both are. I have proof that Bundy wanted her, and Eric was happy to give her up. So let me do what I need to, and I’ll protect them like we have with every other person we’ve saved before. You said this was my mission, so let me run it, and you and Uncle Aiden focus on whatever shit you have.” I wave my hand dismissively, feeling like an asshole already for talking to my father like this, but not in the mood to argue about the girl I’ve lost my head over.

His jaw flexes, deciding whether my insubordination is worth correcting. Instead he settles for making me feel even worse.

“What we haveson, is an organization of men that we cannot put at risk. Try to remember that when you change things without a vote. Revenge is important—especiallyfor Lily, but if your plan puts us all in danger of being killed, then the plan you’ve got? It’s worthless.”

Emma stirs in the backseat and his eyes dart once more between her curled up form and my stony expression. He just needs a few days to adjust to the change because under this gruff exterior, my dad’s a fucking teddy bear. He’ll love her, that’s a given. Then she’ll be tucked under the protective wing of the only people in the world I trust.

Dragging my hands down my face, a heavy sigh fills the space between us. “Dad, it’s late. Try to believe that you’ve raised me with some sense. Can we do this in the morning?”

He scoffs, but nods sharply, holding the door open while I pick up Emma from the backseat and cradle her to my chest. She barely moves as we ascend the stairs to the room we’ll be using. Today has put us all through hell, her body and mind will need time to recover.