Joke’s on You by Lani Lynn Vale Page 0,7

the last of my homemade, decorated donuts up for the family that was having a party for their daughter’s first birthday, when something on the news station I was listening to caught my attention.

“A SWAT situation has taken place at the local mall,” the man commenting said. “Kilgore SWAT officers are now on scene and engaging the shooter.”

My heart all but stopped in my chest as I whipped around, spinning on my heel to stare in horror at the television.

Every single time I heard about something that involved Booth Pena, my heart would stop. Fear would clog my throat, and until I knew that he was okay, I couldn’t do anything but think about how fucking stupid I was.

Kind of like now.

There Booth was, in a dangerous situation just like he’d put himself in for the last six years, and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it because I was a freakin’ coward.

Why was I a coward?

Because I was who my dad made me.

My father, a decorated Army vet, loved to make Delanie’s and my life miserable.

If my father knew that I had feelings for Booth Pena, shit would hit the fan.

Hell, it had hit the fan when Delanie had wound up pregnant.

That was why, sadly, my father no longer talked to her.

I’d have done the same damn thing if I could, but Delanie had forbidden me from disowning him like he had done to her.

We need his money, Dill-Pickle. I can’t do this all alone.

Her words from the moment that she found out that she was pregnant, and again after my father had disowned her shortly after Asa’s birth? Yeah, those still burned like a brand in my brain.

I hated my father.

Hated him with so much passion that I was honestly surprised he didn’t burst into flames every time that he forced me to meet with him once a month.

But, you didn’t cross David Gunnarson, the son of Iceland’s one-time prime minister. David Gunnarson, the man that moved to the states, defied his father in all ways, and even joined the United States Army, and became everything he could be.

David Gunnarson who thought it was normal to treat his daughters like crap because they were just his to manipulate when he saw fit.

Needless to say, our father wasn’t our favorite person in the world.

Ever since our mother had died, he’d turned into someone we didn’t even recognize.

“Shots fired!”

I stiffened as I once again paid attention to the screen.

Usually, the old man that came and talked it up in the morning, eating my donuts and drinking my coffee, turned the television on to the news station.

It would usually stay on until I walked out after closing up the shop.

My phone rang as I stared at the screen, and I woodenly answered it.

“Hello?” I said, heart in my throat.

“Hey, Dill.” Delanie’s voice filled my ear. “Can you do me a favor and take a lunch to Asa? They tried calling Booth, but he’s not answering. I can’t believe he sent him with no lunch today. Jesus. He knows Asa will straight up not eat.”

I swallowed thickly at the television screen.

“I saw them pull into the parking lot,” I said. “Right after a busload of kids. He probably ended up eating his sandwich again like he always does when he’s over there. And Booth intended to bring him another lunch.”

“Well why didn’t he?” she all but growled. “I’m hours and hundreds of miles away. He can’t be doing—”

I interrupted her. “There’s an active shooter situation at the mall.”

Delanie shut up as if I’d slapped her.

“Oh, no,” she whispered. “He’s there, isn’t he?”

I wasn’t the only one that got scared when it came to Booth putting his life at risk.

Though, Delanie’s worry was two-fold.

Not only was she worried about the father of her child, but she was also worried about the uncle of her child.

See, a long time ago, when we’d first arrived in Kilgore, I’d taken one look at Booth, and she’d taken one look at Bourne, and we’d fallen.

Though, it was only much later, after Asa was born, that Delanie admitted that she had a crush on Bourne. And had since the moment that she met him.

Most would think that Delanie and I would have had a falling out because she damn well knew that I had a thing for Booth Pena.

But I knew my sister. I knew that had she been in the right frame of mind, she wouldn’t have done what she’d done that night.

See, my father had