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His light hold on my calves firmed ever so slightly as his massive body tensed. “I thought we’d reached an agreement about going to the cops, Alexandra.” That soft, dangerous tone sent a thrill through my belly, but I didn’t cower. I’d learned that when it came to me, Max was all bark and no bite.
“We did, and I’ll keep my promise,” I assured him. I calmed, purpose settling over me as I remembered why I’d decided to approach him in the first place. “But you have to leave my dad alone. I know you think he’s a bad person, but you’re wrong. When I saw you tonight, I wondered if you planned to kidnap me again, but I chose to confront you because I have to convince you that my father is innocent. You’re obviously not ready to drop this, and I can’t leave him in danger like that.”
He released a heavy sigh, the tension leaving his muscles. “Listen, Bambi—”
“It’s Allie,” I interjected. I was so over the diminutive nicknames, even if Bambi wasn’t triggering like Freckles. It was still irritating.
“Right.” Another eye roll. He seemed to do that a lot. He didn’t take me seriously; he didn’t take terrorizing an innocent woman seriously. Max was either insane, or he didn’t possess a normal moral compass. It was infuriating as hell.
“You’re naïve,” he continued in that maddeningly dismissive cadence. “I get that now. Your daddy’s kept you in the dark about the reality of his climb to power. How do you think he affords your fancy designer clothes and even fancier education? Where do you think all that money came from?”
“He wrote a book,” I countered, struggling to remain collected when I wanted so badly to shake him. Naïve? What an arrogant asshole.
I finally peeled my fingers from his corded biceps and crossed my arms over my chest. He didn’t so much as flinch from my suddenly prickly demeanor. Instead, that single black brow crept higher, and he remained resolutely in my personal space. His hands were still on my legs. I was hyperaware of the heat of his long fingers wrapping around my shins, holding me with that careful but masculine grip.
I focused on the heat of my indignation to distract myself from the disconcerting warmth of his touch. “My dad’s book spent weeks on the New York Times best-sellers list. And he does all sorts of speaking engagements. He gets paid for those. He’s accomplished a lot, and his time and insight are valuable. He loves New York and cares about the people who live here more than anything. It’s not a crime for him to be compensated for his knowledge and years of public service. You have him all wrong.”
“Public service.” Max’s full lips twisted in a sneer, the defined lines of his face sharpening into the harsh mask that’d terrified me in that basement. He didn’t surge toward me with that awful snarl again, but he didn’t back down, either. His body heat kissed my skin as he growled, “You mean good deeds like destroying my family?”
I swallowed hard, drawing on all my willpower not to cringe away from that terrible, beastly scowl. “Your family isn’t innocent, Max.” I spoke gently to avoid provoking him, but his jaw still ticked when I said his name. “They bear sole responsibility for the consequences they faced. I can understand why they might’ve told you a different version of what happened, but it’s just not true.” I paused, choosing my next words carefully. “I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I can tell that you’ve suffered. But whatever happened to you doesn’t—”
“Stop talking.” I didn’t miss the warning that roughened the command. “You don’t know anything about me, and you don’t know anything about your father. That’s why I let you go. But I don’t have to sit here and listen to your pitying bullshit.”
Despite his unnerving tone, I pressed on, desperate to protect my dad from his misguided vengeance. “Max, please. You don’t have to—”
“I said stop talking!” he barked, his massive body swelling with barely contained rage. He still knelt before me, but he suddenly towered over me, his hulking frame crowding me back against the bus stop bench. He leaned in close, so I could feel the heat of his hissed demand whisper across my cheeks. “Don’t bother pleading with me. You think I’ll forget all about your father’s sins if you just blink those big, doe eyes at me? You might be innocent, but he’s not. If you want to stay ignorant, that’s your choice, but don’t keep repeating the lies your daddy fed you about how fucking virtuous he is. Not to me. Not ever. Understand?”
I couldn’t stop the shiver that raced across my suddenly chilled skin, and my fingers clamped around my locket for comfort. My teeth sank into my lower lip to hide its trembling, but I managed a shaky nod. My eyes burned as the remembered trauma of being held captive settled over me like a suffocating weight. Maybe I had been a fool to approach Max so fearlessly.
