Necessary Risk by Wyatt Tara

Author:Wyatt, Tara [Wyatt, Tara]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Forever
Published: 2016-02-23T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Sean pushed open the doors to Virtus’s offices, slipping his key card into the back pocket of his jeans. Only one bank of overhead lights was on, leaving the corners in shadow. The row of offices was dark, giving the space an eerily empty feel. Clay sat at one of the computers at the table in the center, paging through what looked like surveillance photos and geotagging them as he went. As Sean approached, Clay stood, looking even scruffier than usual with his shaggy mane of dark-blond hair and at least a week’s worth of stubble on his jaw.

“You find something?”

“You could say that. Not related to your case, though. I didn’t want to say anything in front of Carter or your client.” He tipped his head toward the back office, and tension radiated across Sean’s shoulders.

“Shit.”

“I’m heading out and didn’t want to leave him on his own.”

“Thanks.” Sean clapped Clay on the shoulder as he walked by him, making his way to his father’s office. He pushed open the glass door, and the smell of scotch hit him like a punch in the gut. His father sat behind his desk, a tumbler clutched in one hand. A bottle of Glenfiddich sat on the desk beside him, glowing green in the light from the computer screen. He didn’t look up as Sean entered and sank down into one of the leather chairs facing his desk.

“What the hell are you doing here?” his dad asked, the words slightly slurred. He dragged a hand through his hair and took a healthy swallow of scotch.

“Thought you might want a drinking buddy.”

Patrick studied him for a second before nodding gruffly and pulling a second tumbler out from a drawer. He poured a small amount of the amber liquid into the glass and passed it to Sean, who took it and sat back in the chair, one ankle propped on the opposite knee.

For several moments they drank in silence. The scotch burned a path down the center of Sean’s chest. He hated this. Hated seeing this man struggle so much with a pain that was entirely Sean’s fault.

He took another sip, trying to burn away the guilt.

“Today would’ve been our fortieth anniversary.” Patrick’s voice was loud in the quiet office, the only other sound the whir of the computer.

Shit. Sean rubbed a hand over his mouth and set down his tumbler, leaning forward and bracing his forearms on his thighs. “I’m sorry.”

His father nodded again and splashed more scotch into his own glass. He’d heard Sean say those two words so many times over the past ten years that they’d probably lost all meaning. But it didn’t matter. Sean would keep saying them. It was his fault his mother was gone. His fault his father drank.

Patrick leaned back in his chair, a faraway look in his eyes. “She was so beautiful. So smart. So loving. I never quite felt that I deserved her. Maybe I didn’t. I didn’t get to keep her for nearly long enough.

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