“I’m sorry?” I asked him, confused.
“I borrowed money from him. I visited his casinos and I borrowed money from him,” Dad explained frantically. “It was a stupid, stupid thing to do but I just thought… Mia, if I could win big then I could pay off the house. I could get you to college.” He ran his hands over his face. “I told him I couldn’t pay him. I can’t do it. I don’t have that kind of money. He said he would let me pay him back if I gave you to him.”
My head reeled from the confession, room spinning around me again. What did he mean if he gave me to Lucas? What would Lucas Foster want with me? We’d never spoken. We didn’t know each other, and now this?
“But I won’t let it happen, Mia,” Dad continued, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. “I won’t, so we’ll go. I’d rather die than hand my baby over to scum like him.”
The Fosters were seen as a respectable family with wealth beyond measure in town but there were whispers. Wealth like that wasn’t earned through legitimate business. There was plenty of gossip that followed the Foster name and murder was just one of the words that cropped up regularly. I’d never paid much attention to what had been said. After all, we moved in completely different circles. Now it looked like we were about to collide. I needed to make sure that my Dad didn’t get himself into any more trouble.
“I need to speak to him.”
“Mia, I’m begging you.” Dad looked at me desperately. We’d only ever had each other to rely upon. I needed to try and work something out that didn’t include me being taken by Lucas Foster, whatever that entailed.
“Pack and we can leave tomorrow,” he ordered me. “I’ll get everything in order.”
He hadn’t thought this through. Where were we meant to go? What money did we have to start fresh somewhere? Dad’s plan was dead in the water before we even started it.
I hated lying to my Dad, but it was necessary before we found ourselves in deeper trouble. “Okay, Dad. Whatever you say. Why don’t you go downstairs? I’ll be there soon and cook us some dinner.”
He breathed a sigh of relief, pulling me towards him before placing a kiss on my forehead. “I’m sorry I let you down, Mia.”
My heart lurched at the words. He had gotten into this mess trying to give me a better life. “You’ve never let me down.”
He got up from the bed and left me alone, where the weight of the situation weighed heavy on my mind. A wave of nausea hit me as I watched his back retreat down the stairs. I fought against it and lay back down, staring at the mottled white of my ceiling. I had no clue what was going on or how I was meant to talk Lucas out of the ridiculous bind that he had Dad in. If the rumors were true, if the Foster’s shady reputation wasn’t just gossip, it wouldn’t matter what I said because he’d do as he pleased.
The anxiety coiled in my stomach and seeped through my limbs, paralyzing me momentarily. I couldn’t lose Dad. I couldn’t lose him because he was all I had. He was the single thread that tied me to anyone in life, because we had no other family to depend on. The two of us against the world.
I grabbed my phone from the bedside table where I had placed it earlier and Googled Lucas Foster and our town. The first few links were the websites to the casinos the Foster family owned, and I saved the addresses into my notes. Continuing to scroll through the results, there wasn’t a lot to be found. A few articles seemed to be the extent of it. When I clicked on one of the links I was greeted by a face, and I felt the hairs on my arms stand on end.
The article was from a few years ago and reported on the opening of the latest casino. Lucas was pictured in a suit beside an older man. His beard was trimmed neat and his dark hair was slicked back, but it was the dead look in his eyes that made me nervous about my impending visit.
I hoped Lucas was a man that would listen to reason.
∞∞∞
I knew Dad didn’t want me to speak to Lucas, but I couldn’t let it rest. Stuck in my thoughts for the evening and most of the day, I only cemented the decision that I wouldn’t allow anything to happen to him. There had to be a way to rectify this without separating us.
“Hi, I need to see Lucas Foster. I’m wondering if he’s here,” I said to a security guard who stood just inside the opulent casino. I’d already tried two of the others and I hoped that third time would be the charm. It was early afternoon but there were plenty of people around and the ringing and talking was overwhelmingly loud.
He ignored me and I sighed. “Lucas Foster?” I asked him again. “You know, his family owns this place? Where can I find him? Or do I need to make an appointment?”
“With an ass like that you don’t need to make an appointment, sweetheart,” a husky voice came from behind me.
I turned on my heel to see a man behind me, flashing a smile as he moved his sunglasses from his face to the top of his head. He was easily over six feet tall and towered over me. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showing off heavily tattooed arms and his green eyes trailed down my body making me want to shrink away. He was older than he was in the photograph I had seen last night, but he had the same look in his eyes. This was Lucas Foster.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked, coming to a stop in front of me.
I folded my arms across my chest and introduced myself, “Mia Griffin.”
The polite facade that he had held dropped quickly once he realised who I was. “We can talk in my office,” he told me, all business now. Whatever attraction he’d felt was fast replaced by irritation. I followed him as he strode across the floor of the casino up the stairs, into his office. “Shut the door.”
I did as I was told and closed the door before turning back to see he’d taken a seat behind his desk. The sense of fear flooded me as I realized I’d enclosed us both in the small space. All of the damning whispers about his family roared in my ears along with a rush of blood as I reminded myself to stay calm.
“I take it Hector spoke to you. Please, take a seat.” Lucas gestured to a seat in front of him.
I shook my head, refusing to move from the door. I had no intention of making this meeting any longer than necessary. “I’m fine standing.”
“Suit yourself,” he said with a shrug.
