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I couldn’t concentrate. All I could see was Madeline in that silver dress that showed off too much of her body. Men’s eyes followed her around the room, and I despised it. She’d shown up on Trev’s arm. The weak brother. To the other men in this room, that made her available.
“Blaise, are you okay? You left and didn’t come back,” my date for his damn thing, Helena asked. “It looked like you and your father were having words.” She touched my arm.
I flinched. She couldn’t touch me. Madeline had seen it, and the look in her eyes had made me physically ill. She was hurt. Garrett had brought her here so she could see this and think it was something it wasn’t. He was pissed because I had refused to bring her with me. I was trying to protect her. No one needed to know where she was. That put her in danger. I needed her safe. If they thought I was with other women, they wouldn’t find her.
Damn him and his fucking ego. Thinking she was safe because she was with us. That hadn’t made her safe at the theater when they took her. They had hurt her. He didn’t see it my way. He had said that was my mistake and that I should have told her sooner about the danger she was in. Because of me.
“Blaise?”
Helena was still there. What had she asked me? Fuck, I didn’t care. She grabbed my arm again, and in the same moment, Madeline looked back over her shoulder in my direction. Her eyes immediately dropped to Helena’s hand on my arm.
FUCK!
I jerked my arm free of Helena.
“This was a mistake,” I said to her.
She frowned. “What was?”
I shook my head but kept my gaze locked on Madeline’s back. She was so fucking stiff. I wanted to go grab her and take her out of here. Back home, and we’d never leave my goddamn room again. Just us. No fucking enemies, no damn sex traffickers, where no one could get to her. Safe with me.
“Who is she?” Helena asked casually.
She wasn’t jealous because she knew full well we were not a couple. She had no desire to be a part of my world. She was also in love with a girl that her father didn’t approve of. That was why I’d brought her with me. She wouldn’t get any attachments.
“She’s mine,” I said, not taking my eyes off her.
“Looks like your daddy is trying to make you angry. I know that feeling all too well,” she replied.
I didn’t respond. I watched Madeline, waiting for her to need me. Right now, I knew she was hurting, and if I could kill my father, I would. He’d orchestrated this to piss me off.
“Go get her. I’ll claim a headache and leave. It will be fine. Most everyone here knows we’re just friends. You’re not my type,” she said, then nudged my arm for me to go.
I didn’t look back at her, afraid if I took my eyes off Madeline, something would happen to her.
Garrett had wanted to force my hand. Well, he’d fucking won. He’d forced it with the only thing that could get to me.
Damn him.
“Thanks,” I replied, still keeping my eyes locked on Madeline.
“No problem. Go remind your dad who the next boss is,” she said with a teasing sound in her voice.
He didn’t need reminding. This was just another one of his power plays. He knew the day was coming soon, and he also fucking knew that he had the only person I gave a shit about on his arm.
I walked up behind them and placed my hand on Madeline’s back. Everyone in the group shifted their attention to me. I turned on the Hughes charm I rarely used but was there if I needed to pull it out.
“I’m sorry, but it seems my father has stolen something of mine, and I’m here to retrieve her,” I told them with a smile.
I shifted my gaze to my father, holding the smile, but my eyes gave him the answers he wanted.
He nodded and released Madeline’s hand. “Took you long enough. I was about to marry her off to Presley here. He is rather enamored with our girl.”
“Mine. Just mine,” I corrected him, feeling the pulse at my neck beating so hard that I could hear it. I slid my hand around to grip her waist, needing to hold on to her.
She was upset, and she was going to fight me. I’d had a taste of her temper enough to know what was coming next. The little flash of rebellion she’d displayed at the house before I left made me so damn hard that I was afraid to kiss her. I hadn’t been certain I could kiss her, then walk away.
Dad smirked. “Very well.”
