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Donald flicked a glance at Adam

Adam shook his head "I’m fine"

"Hear that?" Donald asked Holly "He’s fine"

Men "He’s got a bunch of stitches in his shoulder"

"That’s nothing," Donald said

Holly just stared at his he’s seen and done, these past few days have probably been a picnic in the park Isn’t that right, boy?"

Ada a boy was a to hi, he’d never really had the luxury of being a child As long as Holly had known hih readiness But surely he wanted to get back as badly as she did Even badasses needed rest

Adaear to add some of Donald’s load to his, and then they left Holly started down the trail ahead of theaze to Donald Who was eyeballing him blandly Like a rattler at rest Or the father of a beautiful woman…

Yeah There was nothing ht at it by her father No matter if the father was a , Donald began walking, keeping the pace slow Ada more weak than he’d let on

"What’s up between you two?" Donald asked bluntly, not sounding old or particularly weak at all

Ada, but he respected Donald too much for that bullshit "None of your business"

Donald stared at hihter that had Holly turning around to look back at theaze on the on at the sa "You’re not her type"

This was undoubtedly true, but for a little while last night he’d felt a whole hell of a lot like her type

"She likes them older, sophisticated," Donald said "The cerebral type I told you this years ago You don’t listen"

Once again, Ada ahead She had her ear buds in, iPod in hand, clearly over the both of thereed

"Yeah, after you got yourself in trouble," Donald said "If it hadn’t been for that, I’d never have been able to talk you into getting the hell out of Dodge and into the military--where I knew you’d learn what you needed to learn"

"Youmember of society instead of a drain on the system behind bars?" Adam asked

"Well…" Donald rubbed his jaw ruefully "Yes"

Fair enough Ada side of the law "It worked"

Again, Holly whipped around, eyes narrowed right in on Ada to lared at hi into theto lose daylight if we don’t keep --"

Holly lifted a hand in the direction of his face, the universal sign for him to Shut it

Adao well For any of them

Holly stalked back toward the into the military?" she demanded of her dad

Well, shit

"You reot himself into there at the end," Donald said

"Yes," Holly said "He was always in trouble That was nothing new"

"Not like that last time," Donald said "He could have ended up in jail"

"But he didn’t"

"Because it was suggested that if he went into the ested by you," Holly said, clarifying

"Yes," Donald said

Holly turned to Ada from her eyes He could have dealt with that--except for the hurt Christ, so o into the e didn’t make you You chose to leave" Not a question but a stateest lie he’d ever told her but definitely the harshest "Yes," he said quietly "I chose to leave"

She blinked once, then looked at her father again "And you had a hand in it It was your idea You talked hi into the military, which could have cost hiht it was best"

Holly lifted a hand and rubbed it to her chest as if it ached "You took hiaze never left her face "Well, to be fair, I didn’t know there was a you and him If I’d known, I’d have sent hiave a wry smile It was true Donald was notoriously protective of his only daughter When she’d run off to New York and gotten married at nineteen, it had nearly killed him If Donald had been aware back then that Adahter and shown her a walk on the wild side--for an entire summer, in fact--it was questionable as to whether or not Ada

But Holly wasn’t ahtest She turned on her heel and kept walking For about three seconds Then she whirled back and blasted her father with another look "I can’t believe you interfered with my life that way"

"I believe it was the boy’s life I interfered with," Donald said nored this and faced Adam "And you"

Yeah, him The crux of her problem Hell, let’s face it, he was the crux of a lot of proble at her dad, "by not telling h question "Because it was the right thing to do"

"You let o"

"Because I didn’t want you to think you could talk me out of it I needed a clean break"

"Froht thing to do I wasn’t about to let your dad take any bla on o, Holly"

She stared at hi beat, then tossed up her hands and stalked off,about stupid, stubborn, idiot, Neanderthal alphas ere too stupid, stubborn, and idiotic to know a da about life

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