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Jesus.
Being this close to her was messing with me for unknown reasons.
I growled and leaned my head forward, grabbed her arm, and pulled her closer. Her scent was intoxicating. It climbed all the way up, into my brain. “Look, I don’t have time for this. Your father owes me money. And it’s a fuckinglot.”
She was shaking now, and her eyes shimmered as the tears rolled faster down her cheeks. She sniffled. “What does that have to do with me? I'm not the one in debt.”
A grunt escaped my mouth and stiffly I said, “You’re his daughter.” As if that explained anything.
“And?” she argued. “We are two different people. I don’t know how you mixed that up.”
Silence enveloped us. She had me stumped, I didn’t expect her to be so feisty.
“None of this has anything to do with me. Why do I have to pay his debt?”
“Same reason Grey had to die,” I stated dryly.
“Look, I’m begging you, please, let me go. Something beautiful was about to start. There are homeless children to take care of. I have plans... dreams. My life can’t be over. Not right now.”
And I had a business to run. “That’s your fucking problem.”
“You’re heartless,” she spat.
“Old news.” I shook her like I would a rag doll. “How about this? If you tell me where he keeps all his money, I might just let you go.”
She gasped for air, struggling to breathe over her rushing tears.
“In the... in the bank? A vault in Switzerland? I don’t know, okay? I don’t know. There’s a safe back at the house youburned. But he only keeps documents in there. I swear, that’s all I know. What if you contact him? I’m sure he’ll be willing to give you whatever you want for my release. I cannot stay here. You must let me go.”
Oblivious. She was fucking naive.
She didn’t even know half of her father’s dealings. Mike Collins’ money in the vault or bank wasn’t even a quarter of it. The bastard had money buried underground, in cemeteries, stashed in warehouses. Not knowing the locations was the only hindrance we had from taking everything.
My grip around her arm tightened. “Shut the fuck up!”
“Ow! My arm.”
“One more word from you, and that tongue threat might just become real. Until your father returns my fucking money, you’ll stay put in this room. Don't you dare try anything stupid. You will do what I fucking tell you to do, understand?”
She flinched and salty tears dropped on my hand. “Let me go! You’re hurting me.”
Thiswas fucking unbelievable. The girl had no idea. Mike was more concerned about his safety than his daughter. He was a public figure. The news of the mess I’d made back at his house and his daughter’s abduction must have spread like wildfire. Yet, no word from him.
Her ignorance made it slightly harder to keep my hand on her wrist. I pushed her away roughly and rose from the bed.
“You don't know the first thing about your father!” My voice bounced off the walls and, wide-eyed with trembling lips, she pressed her back deeper into the bed.
I pivoted on my heels, ready to storm out of the room, and vent my frustration on anything or anyone—preferably on Cherie from Axel’s club—when I saw a nasty purple-black bruise quickly forming on her arm.
My fingers curled into fists by my sides, and I grated my teeth. Why did she have to be so frangible?
Every boiling nerve in me twisted and my lungs constricted.
I grabbed a lamp from the nightstand and threw it against the wall. The plug wire ripped halfway from the socket and pieces of lightbulb splattered over the floor.
“Fuck!”
I opened the door and slammed it shut behind me, ignoring the echo of her muffled whimper as I stomped down the hallway.
