Forbidden Temptation My Mafia Fiance's Alpha Father (Brooklyn and Aden) novel Chapter 66

Chapter 66
Brooklyn

I’m speechless as I stare at the dark space where Jayde stood just a minute ago.

Then I blink, wondering if maybe I dreamt it all—it happened so fast.

But when I look down into my hand, the note is still there.

Shit. Shit. What the hell am I going to do with this?

It’s a bomb, really. I know that. If Aden finds me with this note, I am done for, relationship with Hudson or not.

But to whom, really, do I owe my allegiance?

Should I give this note to Lennox, my father, who I know loves me?

Should I give it to Aden, out of allegiance to Hudson?

Or to Aden himself, out of allegiance to him? After all, he protected me last night—kept me alive.

But what, really, happened last night? Was it just coincidence that my father and his family weren’t in the room when the attack happened?

Aden said it was a kidnapping attempt, maybe for me, but was it?

Was I ever really in danger? Did my father perhaps arrange it as a way to get me away from Aden, to get him out from his clutches?

I groan, leaning back against the pillows, feeling far too inadequate to answer these kinds of questions. The fact is, I have absolutely no idea what is happening, and here is this stupid note, this test of my loyalty.

Everything depends on my next move. Who I give it to, whether or not I flush it down the toilet like Jayde said.

But even if I do that, and my dad or Aden ever finds out that I had this piece of evidence and didn’t give it to them—

I’m screwed either way.

Swiftly, I peel open the note, hoping that its contents give me any hint about what I should do next.

But it’s just two lines of cryptic poetry.

The little wren sleeps, warm in its nest,

The mink at its door doth it detest.

What? I wrinkle my nose at the verse, written in Jayde’s hand. What the hell is this?

It doesn’t even make any sense—nests don’t have doors.

I grit my teeth and fold it up, trying to decide what to do.

My eyes fall on my desk, and I make a decision.

Well, I make a decision that allows me to defer the real decision.

I hurry out of my bed and over to the desk, grabbing some scotch tape out of the top drawer and crawling underneath to tape the note to the back of the slim central drawer.

There, I think, crawling out and dusting my hands off. Now that it’s safely hidden, I can decide later what it is that I want to do. Right now, my wolf isn’t steering me one way or the other, and I need her intuition for this.

I get back into bed and lay my head back on my pillow, wondering and worried. Damnit, things have so grown so very complicated.

“Okay,” I say, my heart pounding in my chest.

I give Hudson a worried look and then head out of the room, walking down the hall to Aden’s study.

He’s standing at his desk, staring at me with a hard expression.

“Did you…want me?”

Aden pauses, looking me over, before answering.

“Your father is here,” he says. “He wants a word with you.”

My eyes widen and I just stare at Aden, not knowing what to say.

“Well?” Aden says, a little anger or frustration in his voice now—I can’t tell which. “Do you want to see him?”

My eyes dart around frantically, like he’s here in this room. “Do you…want me to see him?”

Aden crosses his arms over his chest, studying my every move.

We stand in silence so long I can’t stand it.

“Seriously, Aden,” I burst out, almost frantic with my anxiety now. “I have no idea what’s going on. Do you want me to see him? Do you think I shouldn’t? After what happened at the party…I don’t know if it’s safe.”

“It’s fine, Brooklyn,” Aden says, interrupting me and giving me a little nod. “It’s not a test,” he continues, though something in me tells me that maybe it was.

“Your father has come to the house and asked to see you. He’s alone. If you’d like to see him, you may.”