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“But why is it so difficult?”
That was a gray area I couldn’t really discuss, but it also opened up an opportunity for me. “I was doing a job and it didn’t go as planned. I had to get out on my own, and then I was declared an enemy of the state.”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “My, my. So, you’re not some businessman who got lost on the way home.”
“Not at all.”
We sat in tense silence for a few minutes, both of us staring at each other. He was waiting for me to break as he asserted his power over me, but it wasn’t going to work. A man like him only truly respected an adversary that didn’t back down.
Finally, he relented, but I knew he had other plans in mind for me. “Eat, and then we’ll talk. I think I might have just the job for you.”
It was a command, not an invitation to discuss the job. Clearly, the only way I was staying on this yacht was if I did as he expected. That wasn’t too hard for me. I had nowhere else to go, and I wanted to take this guy down. The only way to accomplish that was to figure out exactly what I was involved in and MacGuyver my way out of it.
“So, do you always board your daughter’s yacht and scare the piss out of her?”
He smirked at me, then glanced over my shoulder at Francesca. “She is not the most careful with who she brings aboard. You can understand my need for caution.”
He had a point. While I was grateful for her dragging me aboard, I could have been anyone, and that could have been the end of her life. “That won’t happen as long as I’m around.”
Surprised, he crossed one leg over the knee, smiling at me curiously. “And what makes you think I’ll allow you to stick around?”
“Because despite not having a weapon, I took down your men and protected your daughter. This is what I was trained to do.”
“Yes, I’ve read your file. You’re very impressive. But what makes you think I want a guy like you around my daughter? How do I know where your allegiances lie?”
Ah, the good old test of proving myself to the bad guy. I loved it when they did this shit. I was down for anything they wanted to throw at me. “My allegiances lie with her. They will always be with her.”
“And what if I have a better offer?”
Tricky. If I said I would abandon her for him, that would only prove how untrustworthy I was. On the other hand, if I didn’t, it would show I wasn’t willing to go the extra mile for him. There was only one way to answer that.
“Your daughter’s safety always comes first. As long as that offer doesn’t affect her in any way, I’m on board.”
“So quick to join,” he said skeptically. “Why is that?”
I held out my hands as I looked around the boat deck. “As you can see, I have nothing else going for me right now. There’s nothing to rush home to, no wife, no kids…no job. But I earn my way in this world, and I would never take advantage of your daughter to get ahead.”
The way he stared at me gave me second thoughts about this plan. I could see my future growing smaller and smaller with each second that passed. But then he surprised me, clapping me on the shoulder as he grinned.
“You fuck up even once, I’ll make sure the last thing you see is my knife going into your eyeball.”
“Fair enough.”
“Oh, and one more thing…you are family now. The wedding is Sunday.”
He snapped his fingers and headed to the boat anchored right beside us.
“Um, excuse me!” I shouted. “What wedding?”
“The one where you marry my daughter,” he laughed as he disappeared onto the other boat.
I turned around, stunned at this new revelation. “Huh.” That was not expected.
41
IRIS
“So,this criminal basically tells you you’re going to marry his daughter, and your reaction ishuh?”
