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“Oh, he’s coming back.”
Swerve fixed on her for a few seconds, then turned his back to head for the Carlyle. Jagg got back in next to her.
“You okay?” Jagg asked.
“Am I okay?” She couldn’t figure him out. Men were infuriating. “You were the one—oh my God!”
“What happened?”
The voice from her lap caught Jagg’s attention for a second until it rose to hers. “You called your dad?”
“I’m smart enough to know I’m no help in a fight.”
“You didn’t call Ford?”
“Because he’d have made things worse. I trust my dad to deescalate and my brother to jump in and get dirty.”
“Swerve had a message?” her father asked, calm, collected.
“How do you know that?”
“Because if the order was to kill him, he’d be dead. If it was to bring him in, he’d be dead. And Swerve would know better than to try scaring Jagg off. He’s not a guy who scares easy.”
“Easier to scare when your daughter’s in the mix,” he said. “Where you at?”
“A couple of blocks away. Meet down at Merv’s?”
“Yeah.”
Her father disconnected.
“We’re meeting my father?”
“You called him.”
“Because I was scared. If Swerve tried something—”
“I can take care of myself, babe,” he said, laying a hand on her leg. “But it’s okay. Won’t hurt to strategize.”
“Strategize what exactly?”
“Silvio wants to meet.”
“You?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“Why? Why does he want to meet? Does he want me there?”
“No.”
“But I started this. This should be on me.”
“Silvio doesn’t give women much credit. He prefers to think of them as weak and submissive.”
“What an—”
“It works for us, babe.” Because he wanted to protect her. “It’s better if I handle it. If me and Ford handle it. Let them think we’re the power behind the pen. We’re an enemy he can exploit.”
