Lucas hadn’t taken his eyes off me and I swallowed hard and composed myself before starting, “I know my Dad owes you some money.”
He huffed some breath from his nose. “Your father owes me a substantial amount of money,” he corrected me.
“Okay, I know he owes you a substantial amount of money.”
He leaned forward in his chair and tossed the sunglasses from his head onto the desk with a clatter. “Do you?”
“Do I what?” I asked him.
Pushing his chair back slightly, he began to rummage through the top drawer of his desk and I wished I hadn’t closed the door. When he straightened up again there was nothing sinister in his hand, just a manila folder. He placed it on the desk and opened it before beckoning me with his finger.
Hesitantly, I approached him, standing before the desk and looking down at the papers he had revealed. The numbers swam before my eyes and shock stole the air from my lungs as it hit home how deeply in trouble my Dad was.
“Your father has a debt that he’s incapable of repaying in the traditional sense,” Lucas said, leaning back in his chair while I tried to take in enough oxygen to keep me standing. “I’ve given him my terms.”
“I can help him pay in installments if you just…”
“Mia, Mia, Mia,” Lucas said, a half-smile coming to his face. “I’ve already discussed this with your father. If he can’t pay the amount in full then how can I ensure that he’ll pay me at all? How can I trust his word that he won’t miss an installment?”
There was a small part of me that hadn’t believed my father when he told me he was in debt to Lucas. But seeing it all laid out before me now made the anxiety creep up my throat until I found myself babbling.
“Because I’ll help him. I’ll make sure he doesn’t miss a single payment. Technically, you’d have your money back quicker if you let me stay with my Dad and help him.”
“Or you both might flee,” Lucas suggested, and I prayed that my expression stayed calm, so he didn’t realize just how accurate he is. “No. The way to ensure that your father pays me back my money, as well as the interest he’s accumulated is to take something valuable from him.”
I could feel the blood drain from my face. “You can’t… You don’t even need his money!” It was a big assumption to make but couldn’t be far from the truth. It didn’t take a genius to see that Lucas had more than enough money to live comfortably, so why would he be after my Dad for a sum which would hardly cause him to lose sleep?
In one swift motion, he rose from his seat and stalked towards me, reminding me of a predator. I moved backwards as he spoke, trying to maintain a safe distance. “You’re not about to tell me what I can and can’t do.”
Lucas stood in front of me as my back bumped against the door, alerting me to my lack of an escape route. The scent of pinewood and mint surrounded me as he leaned in, crowding my personal space, and continued.
“I get what I want, Mia. No questions asked. And what I want is my money. Consider yourself as collateral,” he told me, and I winced at the term that made me sound more like a possession than a person. “You have a choice,” Lucas said straightening up and taking a step away from me. “You can agree or…” He made a gun with his fingers and placed it at his temple before miming a shot.
“You can’t…” I said again, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. He couldn’t be serious about the threat. But one look at Lucas’s face told me that he was. There was nothing in his eyes that said this man would be willing to let this go without repercussion.
“Uh uh, Mia. What did I say?” he asked as he pulled a card from his pocket and held it out to me. With a trembling hand, I took it from him and looked at it. No expense had been spared on the creamy white card with his details embossed in a deep, jet black.
“I told your father he had a week,” Lucas told me as I looked up from the business card. “But this little chat has been enlightening. I expect an answer by the end of the day.”
“What?” I asked, blindsided by how this conversation had changed his mind. I was meant to be helping us out of this situation and instead, I’d dug myself a bigger hole.
“I look forward to hearing from you, sweetheart.” He was done with the conversation. “See yourself out,” he said, turning away from me to go back to his desk.
I left the room without another word. Even if I had the courage to stand there and argue with him, I didn’t trust myself to not make things worse.
Chapter Three
Lucas
Mia Griffin was not what I had expected. Bless her soul for trying to save the waste of space she called her father, but someone should have reminded her that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. I didn’t trust either of them not to attempt something stupid, and why would I make this situation messier than it had to be by allowing them that chance?
It had always amused me the way that people thought they could negotiate terms. It was rare that someone could offer me something that changed my mind, something that I wanted in exchange for what was owed, and Mia had nothing when she walked into my office. She was just as desperate as her old man and if she meant for it to come across as endearing, she missed the mark because all it had achieved was to irritate me further.
My screen lit up with a number I didn’t recognise, catching my attention. “Lucas Foster,” I answered, holding the phone between my ear and shoulder.
There was silence before a small voice replied, “It’s Mia.”
I placed down the pen in my hand and leaned back in my chair, smiling to myself. “Hello, princess.”
