“I guess,” Baker finally replied. “We better get this over with.”
Reno chuckled, keeping his arm around Baker as they walked to the door. “Stop sounding like you’re going to stand in front of a firing squad.”
Baker let them in, meeting his dad in the living room. Reno felt like he was under the microscope as Baker’s father scrutinized him. “You’re the one who was having his way with my son out in public.”
The guy didn’t mince words. He shot from the hip and got straight to what was on his mind. What could Reno say? It was true. And he wasn’t about to apologize for having fun with Baker. He would never apologize for loving his mate.
Baker’s father took a seat in what looked to be a well-loved recliner. The green was faded with patches so thin that Reno could see the cushion underneath. There was a large blanket thrown over most of the chair. He grinned. The guy loved his chair.
Baker took a seat on the couch, Reno sitting next to him.
“Now tell me what’s going on,” his father said. “What do you mean there are more than humans in Brac Village?”
Reno snapped his head around to Baker. His mate dipped his head, giving his shoulders a shrug. Reno couldn’t find it in himself to become angry at his mate for telling their secret. In a way, he understood the guy’s need to protect his father.
He just wished Baker had given him some warning. Now he understood what Maverick was saying in the interrogation room. “What he is telling you is true,” Reno answered. “There is more here than meets the eye.”
The man looked skeptical. “Are you trying to tell me aliens live among us?” The tone was condescending, making Reno bristle.
“No,” he said. “I’m trying to tell you that shape shifters live here.” To demonstrate what he was saying, Reno held his hand out, palm up, and allowed his nails to elongate into claws. “I’m a coyote shifter and your son is my mate.”
Mr. Cross stared at Reno’s hand for a very long moment, his expression inscrutable. Retracting his nails, Reno settled his hand in his lap. “Your son was arrested because there was a dirty cop after me. He thought taking Baker would send me over the edge, making it easier for him to kidnap me.”
“But why would he want to kidnap you?” Mr. Cross asked. His eyes never left Reno’s hand, his voice somewhat unsettled.
“There is a corporation where the CEO is also a head Vampire Hunter.”
“Oh, jeez,” Mr. Cross said as he wiped a hand over his mouth. “Now you’re telling me vampires exist.”
“They do,” Reno continued. “Kenyon didn’t know shifters existed until the dirty cop clued him in. This is why Maverick—”
“I knew it!” Mr. Cross said, jabbing a finger in Reno’s direction. “I always knew there was something off about that man. He looks the same now as when I was a little boy. I know some people age gracefully, but he takes that to a whole other level.”
Reno hid his smile. He wasn’t sure how Maverick got away with being the mayor in a small town without aging. People weren’t blind. Some had to suspect something was going on. Mr. Cross just proved that.
“What I was saying,” he said, “is that Maverick is building up the town to make it look normal so Kenyon won’t become too suspicious. It would have worked had Officer Johnson not revealed our secret.”
“I’m not a criminal, Dad,” Baker said. “It was one unpaid ticket.”
“That you should have paid,” his father said. “But I see what happened. What are they going to do about the crooked cop?”
That Reno was not going to talk about. “He’s been fired.” It was close to the truth. Johnson wouldn’t be working at the station any longer.
Mr. Cross wasn’t buying it. “Yeah, and I’m wearing a skirt. I see how deadly Maverick appears when he thinks no one is paying attention to him. My guess is that Johnson is no longer breathing.”
“I would keep that assumption to myself,” Reno advised.
“I may be a lot of things, but stupid was never one of them.” Mr. Cross glanced over at Baker, a wistful expression in his eyes. “So, you two are mates?”
“We are,” Baker stated proudly, his face firm. “It’s like a marriage, only there is no divorce among shifters.”
Mr. Cross looked as if he was mulling over what Baker was saying. Reno slid his arm around the small of Baker’s back, giving his mate support just in case his father rejected the idea of them being together. He didn’t know the man and had no clue how he was going to react.
“You could have invited me,” his father stated in a tone that said he was hurt that he wasn’t included. “I would have come.”
Reno was shocked when Baker burst out laughing. He laughed so hard that he fell into Reno, clutching at his side as he wiped at his face. “Trust me. It wasn’t for the public.” He laughed some more. “It was very…intimate.”
Mr. Cross’s face flushed with understanding. His gaze lowered as he picked at some invisible lint on his pants. “Your mother would have been thrilled at the news.”
Baker sobered, his laughter dying down, but he hadn’t pulled away from Reno. His hand curled into Reno’s shirt instead. “And you?”
His father looked flustered as he waved a hand toward Baker. “I know I’m hard to deal with lately. I may get on your ass about making something of yourself, but truth is, I’m proud of you, son. You’ve done a heap load better than most boys your age.” The man looked like it had pained him to admit that. Reno wasn’t going to fault Mr. Cross. The guy was trying. As he had explained to Baker outside the house, most men weren’t good at expressing their
