Page 71 of Daddy's Obsession


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On tonight’s menu we have steak and roasted asparagus, along with some buttered bread rolls and one small strawberry-topped cheesecake each. At first glance, everything looks perfectly fine. It smells delicious, the combined aromas making my stomach grumble.

I don’t eat it, though. Not right away.

There’s a very good chance I’m being overly cautious. Raquel suspects nothing, after all. Maybe this is just how she is when the pressure’s on. It’s not inconceivable that she’d put on a brave face and calm air to hold herself together.

Regardless, I wait until after she’s taken a few bites of her meal before I dig in, too.

She sits next to me on the floor, cross legged as she studies the blueprints. I can practically hear the gears in her head turning as she reviews every step, calculates every move.

I take a sip of my wine. The steak’s way too salty for my liking.

“I can’t wait for tomorrow to be over,” she says, poking at the veggies on her plate. She takes a sip of her water. “Do you think Dad and I can lay low at your place for a while? Just until I can make sure he’s in good enough health.”

“Of course,” I tell her. “Maybe we can spend New Year’s together.”

“That’d be nice.” She grins, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “I wonder what’s going to happen after all this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you think we’ll see each other again?”

I set my jaw.Not likely, I think to myself.Not after I betray you.

She doesn’t hate me now, but she will.

I’ve doomed her father for the sake of Odette.

There’s no coming back from this.

“I hope so,” I reply after a moment. It’s the truth. In a perfect world, I wouldn’t have to betray her and would see her again.

“Hm,” she mumbles, taking another sip of her water. “Damn, they made the food way too salty.”

I take a big gulp of my wine, nodding in agreement and suck in a heavy breath. The alcohol is surprisingly strong. My brain’s already foggy.

“Can I ask you something, Gabriel?” she asks me softly.

“Anything.”

“How did you get out?”

“Huh?”

“Twenty years ago. When you met Marianne and you wanted to start a life together… How did you do it?”

“I made a deal,” I say, the taste of the wine coating my tongue. My body feels nice and relaxed. It’s getting a little warm in here, but it’s not unpleasant.

“A deal?” she echoes, arching a brow. “You’re not a very good storyteller. I need more detail than that.”

I chuckle. Holy shit, this wine is good. “Chet and I… we weren’t the only original members of the Red Ravens. There used to be a third.”

Raquel turns slightly, shuffling towards me. “A third? How come I’ve never heard about them?”

“Because he was a bad man,” I grumble. “Absolutely awful. He wasn’t always, but… money changed him.”

“How?” she questions.

“He wanted more. It was never ‘nough.” My tongue is suddenly very thick in my mouth. My head swirls. Fuck, I’m tired. “He wanted to branch out. Being a thief was too much work or something. Favreaux wanted to get into arms dealing, drugs, human trafficking…”

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