Keeping Me (Spy Chronicles Book 2)(27)

“If there is a boy in your room, this door stays open,” Dad says.

“I know. Sorry,” I say.

“Have you been crying?”

“What? No. Of course not,” I say, wiping at my face.

“Did you make her cry?” Dad asks Hunter.

“Wasn't me,” Hunter says, holding up both hands.

Dad looks at me. “Who made you cry?”

“It's not important,” I say.

He gives me a look before turning towards the living room. I hear his voice echo through the house.

“Everybody in the living room! Now!”

I give Hunter a panicked look.

Is my dad seriously doing this right now?





Forced friendship.





Hunter and I both walk toward the living room. We get in there last. All the other guys are already there. Gage is still in the recliner from earlier. He's finished his IV drip, which is good, but he still looks so pale.

“I want to know which one of you made my daughter cry,” Dad says. “And I want to know now.”

I look up and see Sander smirking.

Seriously, Sander?

“This ought to be good,” Sander says.

“Dad, can you just not?” I ask him. “Please.”

“Was it you, Sander?”

“Nope,” he answers.

Dad looks at me.

“No, it wasn't Sander,” I say. “But can't you drop it? Let's just call it teenage girl hormones and leave it at that.”

“Gage?” Dad asks, then shakes his head. “You've hardly been out of that chair today. Don't suppose it was you.”

“Not me,” Gage says.

“And it wasn't Hunter,” Dad says. “Jaxon?” Nope. “Brett?”

“Uh, not that I know of,” Brett says

“Dad, please stop,” I say.

But he doesn't stop.

“Sebastian,” Dad says.

And the room falls silent.

Great.

“Everybody but Sebastian and my daughter, out of the room,” Dad says.

I hear a couple of guys snickering.

I also see Gage struggling to get up.

“Dad, don't make Gage leave,” I say.

But it's too late.

The guys are already helping him get up.

I hate watching him struggle as he leaves the room.

Once everybody is cleared out, my dad looks at me.

“Okay, why did Bass make you cry?”

“I didn't say it was him,” I say. “Why can't I just cry without it being somebody's fault?”

Dad looks at Bass. “You want to explain to me what you did to make my daughter cry?”

Sebastian shrugs. “Why do you think I can understand the female brain?”

“Fine. Sebastian, out,” Dad says. “I want to talk to my daughter alone.”

Sebastian doesn't waste any time. He just takes the opportunity and runs. Like, literally runs. Not that I blame him. If I could, I would run, too.

Dad sits down on the couch and pats the spot beside him. I take a seat there, nervous to see what he’s going to say.

“Serenity, I know that you haven't known me very long, but I have loved you since before you were born,” Dad says. “I woke at midnight to feed you many times, and I changed your diaper.”

Really? That's his argument? He changed my diaper?

“You don't have to hide things from me,” Dad says.

“It's stupid.”

“Wait, do you like Sebastian?” Dad asks, and I know exactly what he means when he says it.

“I just kind of have a crush on Bass, but he doesn't feel the same way about me. It's not a big deal,” I say.

“Wait, I thought you liked Sander,” Dad says.

“What? Why would you think that?” I ask.

“I don't know. You two just seem to get along well,” he says.

“Well, Sander is just a friend.”

“Are you sure Bass doesn't like you?” Dad asks.

“Pretty sure,” I answer.

With that, Dad gets up, leaving me on the couch. I guess that's the end of that conversation. At least it didn't get awkward. Well, maybe a little awkward. I don't even know what I'm going to tell Bass the next time I see him. But I'll think of something later.

I lean back on the couch and think about how crazy my life has been. I've literally been in three different countries in the past week. Which is crazy.

Now, here I am, training at Spy School. Well, not Spy School, because apparently it's not safe for me to be there. But I am training with the best Spy School has to offer. It's crazy to be a part of a secret society like this. Especially considering my dad is the one who runs it.

A few minutes later, I hear footsteps coming into the living room and I look up to see Bass.

“I'm sorry that I made you cry,” Sebastian says, taking a seat beside me.

“Don't worry about it,” I say. “I mean, it wasn't really you. It was stupid. Sorry if you got in trouble with my dad.”

“I didn't get in trouble. He just said if I made you cry again, he would crush me like the bug I am,” Sebastian says. “And that was a direct quote.”