“And what’s your point? Dale taught me to make PB&J when I was a kid, and Nicholas taught me to do cannonballs in the pool. I don’t want to share her with them either.”
“That’s not at all the same.”
“That’s exactly the same. Hired help—that’s what Vince is. He drives the car, and he watches your back.” It feels shitty to say, to boil down what he does to something so simple, but the point remains the same.
“Fine, if that’s all he is, you can take over looking for Carter. You can use your many connections to track him down and then dispose of him afterward. And I don’t just mean kill him. You need to handle him afterward so that he isn’t found, so that it’s not tracked back to us, to Kat. I’ll let her know you’ll be gone a few days a week. She’s more than welcome to sleep with me on those nights.”
He’s calm, but I can see the fire that rages in his eyes as he looks at me. Daring me to say something stupid, and I do because that’s kind of what I do.
“I could handle taking him out,” I say, ignoring the other bit. He’s trying to bait me, and I hate how good a job he’s doing.
He laughs, but there’s no humor in it, and I sink into the chair with my arms crossed as I glare at him.
“You can’t even manage to stay out of the tabloids for more than two days, and you think you have the capabilities to dispose of a body without being seen?”
I hate when he’s right. I hate it even more that it happens so often.
He turns his attention back to the paperwork in front of him, essentially dismissing me, and I take the hint.
“Have you considered that maybe Kat wouldn’t mind Vince’s attention?”
His question stops me in my tracks, hand on the doorknob.
“Vince is a good man, and in all the years I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him show true interest in a woman. Kat is good for us, and I think she would be good for him as well. If she wants him, you won’t stand in the way. Kat’s a big girl. She can decide what she wants. If you can’t handle it, you can see your way out of the equation.”
I grip the door handle tight enough that my knuckles turn white.
“Yes, sir,” I grit out before I leave, slamming the door behind me.
“Oh.” Kat’s gasp pulls me from my thoughts, and I feel my anger melt away when I look up and find her coming out of our little library down the hall from Dad's office, Addy trailing behind her like a little lost puppy.
Same, kiddo.
It takes me a second to realize I’d probably startled her.
“Sorry, Kitten. I didn’t realize you guys were around.” I tell her with a smile as I make my way toward them. Addy’s face lights up when she sees me, and if I weren’t already in a better mood seeing Kat, I would be now. I swear she’s the cutest little girl; her smile is so damn contagious, I don’t dare even try to be upset around her.
My mind wanders back to my conversation with my father, Kat, and a baby—but not just any baby.
My baby.
Fuck…
Alex always made fun of my father for his so-called breeding kink. Until just now, it wasn’t something I thought we had in common, but with Kat…
The idea of her round with my baby. Kids running around the mansion with her hair or eyes.
Shit, I need to think of something else because fucking her isn’t an option right now. Not with Father busy and everyone else gone.
“Hey, Princess, did you and my kitten find anything good?”
Addy looks up at me with her lip jutted out, and I get the feeling the answer is going to be no.
“We need new books,” she whines, making me raise a brow in question, but she doesn’t elaborate, and I turn my gaze back to Kat.
A fond smile pulls at her lips as she looks down at Addy, mussing her hair. “Addy’s reading level is a few grades higher than her current grade, which means that most of the books are too easy for her. We could use some simple chapter books, but the library here seems to be short on them. Mostly, there are picture books or adult books that I assume are more Oliver’s speed.”
Huh, I knew Addy was brilliant, but I never stopped to think about things like reading levels. I personally hate reading. I’d never be someone who picked up a book for fun. She was right about Oliver, though; he enjoyed reading the same way she did, but not all the books are his.
