~ TESS ~
I know the exact second Killan picks up my scent. He turns slowly, catching sight of me standing stiff in the hallway. I try to mask the haunted edge in my eyes, but the narrowing of his gaze tells me I’ve failed. He sees too much. Sees the sadness. The misery weighing me down. I curl in on myself, hunching my shoulders like I can disappear into the floorboards.
“Father,” I mutter, voice small.
I want to crawl under a rock and disappear.
My enhanced senses catch the stench immediately—tequila, beer, sweat, and cheap cigarettes. The scent clings to Garrett Monroe like a second skin. His clothes are wrinkled and stained, his hair greasy, his skin grimy. He hasn’t showered in days. Probably been on another binge.
This isn’t the first time he’s shown up like this—after days of dr
