Rinse [manxman]

Chapter Three

As I headed into the kitchen, I couldn't help but want to turn around and go with Dakota to check on Farley. I didn't, though. I didn't want to intrude, especially if Farley had called for Dakota all by himself. At first, I had worried about Farley's reaction to his father since it had been so long since he had seen him, but if he was already calling for him instead of me, things were going well.

Farley needed to have a relationship with his father, because once the war ended and Dakota came home for good, I wouldn't be around as much. Farley needed to know that it was okay to go to his father instead of me.

I went into the kitchen. Luca, Lila, Zoey, and the man from earlier were all in there. A buffet of food lined the oak countertop. The dining table was placed near the back of the room. It was set with nine plates and glasses and beverage pitchers in the center.

I frowned and scanned the room again, noticing Sophia wasn't there. I glanced over at Lila. "Where's your sister?"

She looked up at me. "With Farley and Papa."

I nodded, knowing that I should've guessed it. Out of everyone, Sophia had missed her father the most. They'd always been close and when he had left, it broke her heart. Sophia had just turned five when he left. While she understood why her father left, she didn't seem to grasp that he was actually gone and wouldn't be back for quite some time.

"If she doesn't come back soon, I'll have to go get her. Your brother isn't feeling well." I shook my head and put a hand over my face. "Next thing I know, I'll be wiping noses for a month."

Luca chuckled. "When one gets sick, they all get sick."

"Says the man with only one child."

He shrugged. "If Zo gets it, Lizzy or I will end up with it."

"It's easier to end up with an adult sick. They can take care of themselves."

"Depends on the adult," he said.

I nodded at that and sank into the seat across from him and the other man. Since the chaos had died down some, I actually took a second to look at him. I wondered how the hell I hadn't noticed him earlier. The man looked like he expelled the souls out of angels for a living... and he chuckled when he did it.

He had a mess of thick, black hair that fell down his pale face and a startling set of gray eyes. Tattoos cascaded down his throat and into his black V-neck shirt. I couldn't see his arms for the leather jacket covering them, but I had a sneaking suspicion he had enough strength to snap me in half—and while I wasn't in the same shape I was during my time in the military, I hadn't let myself go that much. He wore a pair of black, leather pants with chains dripping off the sides and a pair of buckled boots with a bit of a heel that he most likely used to crush skulls.

"We haven't met," I said at last, actually making eye contact with him. "I'm Blake."

He snorted quietly. "Trust me, I know all about you." He gave me a lazy once-over. "I'm Bly."

I frowned. "How do you—?"

"Kota," he said, as if that explained everything. "I work with him." The chair squeaked as he leaned forward. "I've gotten the privilege of hearing all about you for the past... fuck, how many years has it been?" He thought for a minute before shaking his head. "A really fuckin' long time."

"Language," Luca said sharply, glancing at the kids.

They weren't paying any attention, though. Lila and Zoey were far too engrossed in their own conversation to bother glancing our way.

Bly rolled his eyes. "Look, I have a running total of seven-thousand hours of the man going on and on about Blake."

Mercilessly, I stamped down the heat that attempted to rise to my cheeks.