Wicked Knight by Tierney O’Malley

woman a reproachful look. “What is she doing here?”
    “It's Bring your Daughter to Work day. Isn't that right, Nikki?”
    “Uh-huh,” the girl replied.
    Shit. Dad would kill him if he gave his direct line to this woman . Well, he'd face him later. Taking a business card out of his wallet, he gave it to the woman. “Call him. Tell him Tristan gave you his number.”
    The woman's jaw dropped. Her eyes were as huge the pretty girl's eyes peeking through the window. “I don't know how to thank you.”
    “No need. Just give me my ticket. I'm going to miss this boat.” He looked at the rearview mirror. The line was backed all the way to Timbuktu.
    “No. You're not gonna. Lucky you. You're the last car to board. Go to lane one. It's open. Someone will meet you.”
    Hot damn! I made it. “Thank you.”
    Tristan took lane one. Sure enough, a man in uniform waving an orange flag was there. The man was smiling. As he got closer, the man motioned for him to lower his window.
    “Mornin'”
    “Hey there. Good morning. I was told to take this lane.”
    “That's right, Sir Knight. My missus and I thank you for your help. Go on straight ahead.”
    Ah, the woman's husband . Tristan nodded to the man and drove on. He was sure Dad would help the couple. Maybe the result wouldn't be to the couple's favor, but Dad would offer help.
    Minutes later, Tristan sat in his car Parrish facing the water. When the boat started unloading passengers, he'd be the first to leave.
    As soon as the ferry employee jacked the block behind his wheel to prevent it from rolling, he called his friend, Edmund who answered after the third ring.
    “What's up, man? It's fucking early.”
    “You have to cover for me next week. Tell Cindy to call my patients. She knows what to tell them.” Tristan actually cringed hearing Edmund's string of curses.
    “What's going on? Finally fucked one of your patient's mothers and now you're running away?”
    “Didn't know you're such an ass early in the morning.”
    “Well, you forgot I've been an on-call at the hospital.”
    “No, I didn't.”
    “Then why did you fucking wake me up, bro?”
    “To ask you to take my calls this week.”
    “No way.”
    “I have a very important thing to do that can't wait, Edmund .”
    “Shit, man, what's going on?”
    “Can't tell you the details yet. Come on, man, just give me a day or two.” The ferryboat's foghorn tooted.
    “Fuck! Are you already in a ferryboat?”
    “On my way to Edmonds.”
    “So I can't say no then. Aren't you gonna miss the family spring reunion? Hot Julie's at your house, right?”
    “No. She just left.”
    Edmund laughed. “And you're in pursuit. Okay, I get it. This important business is about a very important woman named Julie Parrish.”
    Tristan looked at the brightening skyline. Yeah, this woman was too important to him, to his sister, to his family. “It's not what you think, jackass. You know what Julie is to my family. So yes or no?”
    “Fine. I'll take your calls.”
    “Thanks, bro. By the way, Kirsten's lonely now that Julie went home. You might wanna keep her company.”
    “You have other brothers. They can keep her occupied. Besides, your bratty sister doesn't like me.”
    Tristan disagreed, but kept his mouth shut. “It's up to you, man.”
    “What about Hot Pamela, bro? Saw her in town yesterday. Thought you guys have a date?”
    “No.” Pamela was hot, all right. Hot to castrate him because of Julie. Tristan shook his head. Any woman would be furious if she found out the man she planned to sleep with was married to a pregnant wife and carrying a contagious disease . Gonorrhea. Except for the venereal disease, the joke that he was married to Julie, who was pregnant with his baby, left him smiling all day and night.
    “You still there?”
    “Yeah.”
    “The redheaded beauty changed your mind? Can't blame you.”
    He knew whom Edmund was talking about. “She's a pain.”
    Edmund snorted. “Pain in your dick, you mean. You