“You can put away the leftovers and wipe down the counters,” I told them.
They looked at each other with big eyes as I took Zania’s hand and left the kitchen, trying not to laugh.
They made surprisingly quick work of the cleanup then joined us in the family room. Z sat next to Kope on the Persian rug. Patti was standing, explaining the game of charades, as I squeezed next to Kaidan on the love seat. He immediately twined his fingers through mine. I was happy to see Marna nestled between Ginger and Jay on the couch, looking cozy under Jay’s arm. Blake sat on Ginger’s other side, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and paying close attention to Patti’s instructions.
“So,” he said, “we just have to act out the word for our team to guess?”
I watched his competitive nature emerge.
“You’ve never played charades?” I asked.
He shook his head. In fact, all the Neph shook their heads.
“Heard of it, but never played,” Kaidan told us.
“Wow,” Jay said.
“We’ll do girls versus boys, and I’ll be the judge,” Patti explained. “Anna will go first to show you how it’s done.”
Kaidan gave me a little push to my feet, grinning big at my discomfort. I’d never been outgoing enough to enjoy games.
“Only the girls can guess,” Patti reminded the room, holding out the stack of cards with charade subjects.
I picked one: Pirates of the Caribbean. Oh, great.
Patti flipped the sand timer, signaling me to go. An immediate rush of adrenaline hit me as I pretended to wind a movie camera by my eye.
“A movie!” Marna said. I gave her the thumbs-up.
I held up four fingers, and all three girls yelled, “Four words!”
I nodded and held up one finger to show that this was the first word.
I closed one eye tight and made a circle like a patch over it, then made an “Arrgh” face, which was difficult when you couldn’t make any sounds. The room broke into laughter. I pointed to my shoulder and made a hand gesture like a bird talking.
More giggles.
Did I mention I sucked at games?
“Dude, I know it,” Blake said, sitting back and crossing his arms.
“Me, too,” Jay chimed in. They both looked smug.
“Hush.” Ginger smacked Blake’s thigh.
I made the eye-patch gesture again and swung my arm in that ridiculous pirate gesture.
“That’s sexy,” Kai said, making the room laugh. I glared at him.
“Pirates of the Caribbean!” Zania shouted.
“Yes!” I pointed at her, and the girls all cheered.
“About time,” Blake teased.
I fell back onto the love seat and sighed with relief. Kai patted my knee.
Oh, if the Dukes could see their children now.
“I’m next!” Blake stood. Just as he made his way to Patti, his hand stilled on the top card. I felt Kaidan freeze next to me. Across the room, Kope sat up straighter. I recognized the glazed-eye look they got when they were listening to something from a distance. The whole room quieted, and my heart rate spiked.
Kaidan signed silently to the room: Hide.
Patti rushed the twins, Zania, and Jay up the stairs. Kaidan tried to push me to go with them, but I shook my head, unstrapping the hilt from my ankle. If it came down to a fight, the others could come down and join us, but we needed to keep our allies secret as long as possible. Together the three guys and I silently went to the front of the house and peeked through the curtains.
A nondescript small gray car had parked in the driveway. An African American man who appeared way too large for the vehicle stepped out, making the car bounce upward with the release of his weight. In the span of one second my mind took in a myriad of details about our visitor. He was one of the biggest men I’d ever seen—extremely tall and stacked with muscle like a bodybuilder. He wore a fitted black do-rag on his head, a sleeveless muscle shirt, baggy jeans low enough to show half his black boxers, and he walked with a serious swagger. But the thing that stood out most was the amber Duke’s badge at his chest. And the fact that he looked really familiar . . .
Oh. My. Gosh.
“Nuh-uh,” Blake whispered.
Kaidan let out a deep breath of relief and said, “It’s Belial.”
I ran to the door and opened it, looking up as he approached. He had been a large man in his former body, but now his presence was overwhelming. And it was driving me nuts that I couldn’t place him. I would remember meeting this body in real life. Why did he look so familiar?
“What’s up, baby girl?” he said from the front step. His voice was deep, but not gruff anymore. Definitely a smooth baritone.
I felt the presence of all three guys behind me now, and Kaidan’s hand on my shoulder.
“Dad?” I said.
“It’s me. You ain’t gonna hug me?” He held open his giant arms.
I wasn’t scared, even though it was completely strange. But as I went into his embrace, I couldn’t shake the strange feeling of familiarity. Dad squeezed me and I squeezed him back, letting myself feel safe.