Page 90 of Daddy's Obsession


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Her eyes well up with tears. Odette sniffles, struggling not to cry. “Papa, I wanna go home!”

“I know, ma chérie. We’re going home right now, okay? Be brave for me a little longer.”

Favreaux chuckles. “Aww… You two are so sweet. I think I have cavities.”

“Let her go,” I demand.

He clicks his tongue. “Now, now, Gabriel. That’s not how trades work.”

I open my palm and pinch the copy of the USB Raquel made for me between my thumb and forefinger. I hold it up to show it off. “I have what you want. Just give me my daughter.”

“Meet me in the middle,” he instructs.

My throat goes dry. My heart pounds loudly in my ear. I can feel my pulse rattling my damn skull. We step forward at the same time, approaching at the same pace. Favreaux pushes Odette forward while I keep the USB in his line of sight. We’re quickly approaching the center of the room, but I’m more than a little aware of all Favreaux’s men behind me. Even if I wanted to run, I wouldn’t get very far.

A millisecond before we meet each other in the middle, I glance out the window of the penthouse. I spot a bit of scaffolding just outside, the whole structure more unstable and rickety the higher up we are.

Favreaux and I come face to face. Up close, I can see how time in prison has taken its toll on him. He no longer has the face of a charming young man, but that of a snake. I think it’s fitting how his outward appearance matches his true nature.

We move slowly. I place the USB in his hand at the same time he pushes Odette forward. The second I have my daughter within reach, I pull her toward me and pick her up, cradling her against my body. She cries against my shoulder, clinging to me with all her might. I stroke her hair, press kisses to her sweet little cheeks.

“I have you, ma chérie. It’s going to be okay. I missed you so much.”

“Wanna go,” she whimpers. “Please, Papa. I wanna go.”

“You’re not moving a muscle until I check if this is real,” Favreaux warns.

For a split second, I worry that Raquel might have given me a dupe. No, she’s too good a person to risk Odette’s life that way. She doesn’t have a bad enough bone in her body.

One of Favreaux’s thugs brings over a laptop, which he promptly plugs the USB into. I don’t care to watch, too focused on comforting my daughter.

“We’re going home,” I promise her. “Everything’s going to be okay. Just keep your eyes on me, alright? Papa’s got you.”

“Looks like everything’s here,” Favreaux announces, sounding pleased as punch. “Thank you for all of your hard work, Gabriel.”

I hold my breath. “We’re leaving. Now.”

I don’t know the smile he gives me. It’s wicked, seeping with cruelty. “But of course, my old friend. I’m nothing if not a man of my word.”

“So you’re nothing, then.”

His eye twitches. I probably shouldn’t be egging him on.

“Get out of here,” he says, low and dangerous. “For the sake of your daughter. I have no love for you, but that doesn’t mean I like to hurt children.”

His hypocrisy makes me sick, but I’d rather not stick around and push my luck. I need to get Odette as far away from this maniac as possible.

Slowly, I take a step toward the elevator. As Odette and I inch closer and closer, I feel a weight lifting off my chest. Dear God, are we going to make it? Are we really going to get out of here unscathed? This is too good to be true.

A phone pings. Favreaux’s. He glances at the screen and smirks, venomous and evil.

“Would you look at that?” he says with a dark chuckle. “It seems you’re a wanted man, Gabriel.”

I grit my teeth. Fuck. “What?”

“You must have really pissed off your buddy Van Straus,” he says, turning his phone to show me the alert on his screen. “He just sent out an international alert on the dark web. He’s offering five million dollars each for you and that girlfriend of yours, dead or alive.”

Behind me, Favreaux’s men get ready to move, blocking my exit.

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