He stares at me a moment longer before looking past me. “Your bodyguard looks like she’d rather be sharpening her knives.”
“That’s pretty accurate except for the part where she’s my bodyguard. She’s more like… never mind.”
I don’t know how to explain Katia.
He gives me another indecipherable look. “We were told you were safe, but you shouldn’t be here.”
I ignore the twinge in my chest and move toward him. “Told by whom? You know what, never mind. It doesn’t matter. I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for days. We shouldn’t talk outside. Can we go inside?”
Wordlessly, he spins and hurries inside.
I follow him, pausing to secure the lock in place. In the study, bright afternoon light is pouring in, jazz music is playing through the laptop, and books are in piles scattered all over the floor. He reaches for a towel draped over the back of his brown leather armchair and wipes his face.
I finish scanning the room. “I know that things got ugly the last time we were here, and I don’t care what kind of deal you had to cut to save yourself and the house. I know it was because—”
“Deal?”
I take a deep breath. “I know you made a deal with the men who held you hostage. They told you to lure me here, and in exchange, they’d get you out of the deal with Mason. Right?”
His eyebrows knit together, but his face gives nothing else away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“It’s okay, Dad. I’m not mad. I know you probably felt like it was the only thing to do. Maybe they told you they’d release me or something when they were done…”
“Release you? What the hell are you talking about?”
I pause. “You couldn’t have known how dangerous it was going to be, so even though I’m angry and hurt…it’s not why I’m here. Things are… different now. I’m doing my best to protect you, but it might take some time.”
He holds a hand up and frowns. “Hold on a second. I don’t know what you think you know, but I didn’t make any deal with those…monsterswho broke in. Noah dropped by to check on me when they ambushed us. They told me to call you; that’s it.”
I stare at him for a long moment.
I want to believe he’s telling me the truth.
My father takes my hands in his. “Sweetheart, I know I was hard on you before…it was a lot to take in, but whatever you’re involved in and whoever you’re messed up with, we can figure it out together. I’ve been looking into hiring us security, and I’ve got a friend in France who’s willing to host us for a few months.”
I search his face. “What are you talking about?”
He squeezes my hand and drops his voice. “It’s not safe here anymore. I can see that now. I think the house is being watched, but it doesn’t matter. Noah’s put me in touch with a security firm his dad recommends. I’m sure they can take care of things while we get our affairs in order. You don’t need to do this anymore.”
One by one, I pry my fingers away, and my stomach clenches. “I can’t leave.”
“Whatever he has on you, he won’t be able to do anything about it when you’re on another continent.”
I open my mouth and snap it shut again. “He probably has allies everywhere, but that’s not the point. It’s not… it’s not about the deal I made anymore, Dad.”
His eyes tighten around the edges. “He’s got his hooks in you, doesn’t he? Noah told me about him. What does he have on you, London?”
I clear my throat. “He doesn’t have anything on me.”
He frowns. “I don’t know what kind of mess you’ve gotten yourself into, but we can figure this out.”
“I know you want to help me, but I don’t want you to,” I reply. “I’m telling you the truth. I know it’s hard to understand, and I’m sorry you got dragged into all this. I never wanted it to come to this.”
My father frowns and opens his mouth.
He’s interrupted by the sound of a loud bang, and I throw myself at him before I know what’s happening. We crash against his mahogany desk, knocking a few things to the ground. My heart is pounding as I cover his body with mine and squeeze my eyes shut. When the door to the study bursts open, fear snakes its way up my back and settles around my chest.
The arms around my waist don’t slacken. “It’s me.”
