“You’re supposed to be in New York.”
The woman in front of me isn’t my sweet Little girl, not right now. She’s Natalie Bauer, the ruthless reporter who hunted down a story with zero regard for her own safety or well-being.
What the hell happened while I was away?
Pulling the door to the office closed behind me, I take a careful step forward, doing my best not to spook her. While I do enjoy the chase, right now I’m far more invested in finding out exactly what she’s doing in here. “I was. Now I’m home. And I’m going to ask you again. What are you up to, Natalie?”
“I was just… checking emails.”
Just checking emails wouldn’t put that look in her eyes. “I see. Anything interesting?”
“Not really. I, um, should probably be in bed, anyway so I’ll just…” Without taking her eyes off me, she reaches for the mouse, probably to get rid of the evidence of whatever naughtiness she’s gotten herself into.
“Stop right there, little girl.”
Freezing in place, she inhales sharply as I approach, her gaze darting around the room. Searching for an exit route.
“If you run, I will catch you. And if I catch you, kitten, I promise I will make you regret it. So I suggest you stay right where you are and don’t fucking move.”
“Y-yes, Daddy.”
So she hasn’t entirely forgotten who I am.
Good.
Not that it will save her ass. Because even if she’s not doing anything truly wrong, sneaking out of bed to break into Daddy’s computer is enough to earn her a very thorough strapping with my belt.
How did she even figure out my password?
My answer is lying right in front of me as I round the desk. The picture I keep hidden away is cast off to the side and the piece of paper bearing my current password is sitting out in the open.
Clever little kitten.
I shift my gaze to the computer screen and for a moment, time stops. Right there, in black and white, is the story she’s been dying to tell since the moment she overheard Jasper and Juliet up on the Empire State Building.
But not just their story. Maxwell’s sins are there as well, and Gideon’s, which are arguably the worst of all of us. There are some glaring omissions, of course, but more than enough to make life very, very difficult for our family.
Movement catches my eye and I look over, pinning her in place with a furious glare. “One more step and you won’t sit comfortably for a week.”
Taking her shocked squeak as agreement, I turn back to the computer screen, scrolling through the detailed email she’s typed up. The recipient box remains blank, which I find rather curious. Who was she planning to send this to? Does she even know?
Again, I see her taking another step closer to the door out of the corner of my eye. Sighing heavily, I ensure the email is saved in her drafts and straighten up from my hunched position over the computer.
But before I can tell her how much trouble she’s in, my naughty little kitten does what she does best. Turning on her heel, she bolts out the office door and a dark glee fills my chest.
I wassohoping she’d run.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Natalie
Terror, deeper and more pure than anything I’ve ever felt before pounds through my veins as my bare feet slap against the marble tile of the entryway. My gaze skitters toward the front door, but I immediately reject that idea. Even fully clothed and wearing shoes, I wouldn’t stand a chance outside. In my current state, I wouldn’t get more than a few feet before he caught up with me.
I don’t just need to run. I need tohide. Somewhere, anywhere, at least until I can come up with some kind of explanation for what he saw on the computer.
Taking a hard left, I make a dash for the library. He caught me there once, yes, but over the past couple weeks I’ve been exploring the house whenever he would let me. And I recently discovered a secret passage hidden behind one of the bookcases, just like in the movies. If I can hide there, even just for a short while, I might have a hope of saving my life.
Because I’m under no delusion that the punishment for a betrayal of this magnitude will be a simple spanking. Men likeEvander Hawthorne don’t get the reputation he has for showing mercy.
