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"Could you let go, please?"
He gripped tighter and leaned over me. "No, I cannot fucking let go. You and I are going to talk."
The car was brought around, and the keys were tossed at Westin. He snatched them up and then opened the door for me to slide in. But before I could climb in, he leaned close, muttering, "Not until we get home. I haven't been in charge of the car, and it could be bugged."
Bugged? What the hell? It had never occurred to me all the different ways in which my father could surveil me. It never occurred to me all the different ways that I would need to pay attention and watch my behavior.
I was in a prison. For so long I thought that, but with where I was now, I could see the bars. They'd been invisible all this time. And now, they were crystal clear.
The drive home was terse. Westin checked the flat and then checked his phone before nodding. He waited until my coat was off, my shoes as well, before he turned to me. "Fucking explain."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Isn't that a lie? I knew it was a bad lie. And I knew he knew it was a bad lie. But I still tried it.
"Bullshit."
He leaned in close to me then, and I swallowed hard as his scent wrapped around me. "I'm not scared of you."
"I don't want you to be scared of me, Nissa. I want you to fucking trust me and tell me what the hell is going on with you."
I lifted my gaze to meet his. "You want me to trust you? What the hell were you doing in my father's closet?"
"What was I doing? What were you doing?"
"For the record, I was getting my passport. As you know, I'm trying to interview."
He narrowed his gaze. "That's not it. I really wish you wouldn't fucking lie. You're making this difficult."
"I'm not lying."
"Yes, you are. I can see it right there. Did you forget, I know you inside and out? I know everything about you. So tell me the truth, and for fuck's sake, let me help you."
"I don't need your help." He had already saved me once today. If he was going to rat me out to my father, he would have done it by now.
From my back pocket, I pulled out a stack of letters. I was going to tell him the truth, but I was going to leave out the part about Interpol. At least until I knew what Interpol wanted from me. "I found these in my father's safe."
He frowned. "What are these?"
"Letters. From my sister. Julian had said that she stopped writing, that he didn't know what had happened to her, and that there wasn't much he could find out."
Westin's brow furrowed. "But all this time, she was writing to you?"
I nodded. The tears that I had previously kept at bay, were freely flowing now. "I-I found them in a box in the safe, and I took a few. I didn't think I'd get the rest. I didn't have time, and I couldn't hide the box and sneak out of the house."
"Fucking hell, Beauty." He reached for me, his thumbs gently swiping away the tears that were freely falling now. "That was dangerous. You shouldn't have done it."
"I heard the footsteps and then I panicked, and you were there, and I just… Why is he like this?"
His brow furrowed. "Sweetheart, I don't know."
"Why can't I have a father who actually cares about me?"
"I wish I had answers for you. I really don't, and I'm sorry. You don't deserve this."
I nodded, swiping away the tears on my face. He pulled me in close and inhaled me. "You have to be careful with your sister, Nissa. If Julian finds out that you're looking for her, there will be hell to pay. And she could be in danger. If he has done this, what else has he done?"
I pulled back. "You don't think he'd hurt her, do you?"
