What incident? I stare at him, waiting for him to elaborate.
“Much younger, and I think she romanticizes a lot of the current incidents.” He puts hand quotes on the latter, and I realize whatever it was, it clearly isn’t important, not when her father brushes it off like it’s nothing.
Gracie was a similar age to Theodora when she came into Vinny’s care, but she was innocent and naïve. This girl sounds anything but. A liar and fantasist. She needs to be tamed, alright, and this man needs some hard truths.
“You mean she lies,” I state.
He winces. “She’s maybe a little paranoid, is all.”
Hmm, the old fucker doesn’t like to think his little princess is a lying, deceiving little bitch like her mother.
“And you know teenage girls. They love the attention.” He chuckles, and his stomach jiggles.
When the hell is he going to realize I know nothing about teenage girls. Nor do I want to. “So, what am I doing here, exactly?” I raise an eyebrow.
“I have to go away on business tomorrow, and well…” He shuffles some papers from one spot to another before placing them back in the original spot. He’s lying or he’s hiding something; either way, there’s no way in hell he’s going on a business trip. He’s probably fucking someone, multiplesomeones. I’ve come across dozens of men like him, and they have paid-for mistresses in multiple countries.
Happiness spreads through me like a disease. Jesus, this job just gets better and better. He’s leaving her in my care.What an idiot.
“And where’s her mother?”
He rears back, then his eyebrows pinch together, and he appears deep in thought. “Miami, I think.”
Fucking Miami? Typical. I refrain from rolling my eyes.
“Possibly the Dominican. She likes to travel.”
I’ll bet she does. She likes to travel on men’s cocks is what she likes.
“She won’t be home for a while. I don’t think.” He stares off into space before his gaze lands back on me. “Until we return for the Garratt event, of course. She’ll be back for that. She likes to dress up, and it is the event of the year in our society.”
Like a whore,I want to add. Instead, my mind whirls on his words and my eyebrows pull together. The man is making no sense. Does he really think I know about these high society things? “Wait, the Garratt event?”
“Yes, it’s an annual event, but this year it’s a little more special than usual.” Something flashes in his eyes, but before I have a chance to figure out what it is, it’s gone.
“I need you to watch over Theodora until we return in roughly six weeks.” Jesus, they’re leaving her for six weeks.Roughly.
I lean forward and steeple my hands on his desk, and he shrinks back in his chair. “Let me get this straight. You’re asking me to babysit your daughter?”
“No. No. I want you to keep her secure. While I’m away.” He darts his eyes away.
Hmm, the fucker probably has an entire family set up somewhere else and doesn’t want his whore of a wife discovering it, let alone his little princess.
This job just got a lot more interesting.
“If I do this, I want your full support on every action I take,” I say, with power behind my words.
He nods like an idiot. “Of course.” The poor bastard probably can’t wait to get away from her. He’d agree to anything right now.
“I want a substantial investment for the security of this mansion because, frankly, it’s nonexistent. How the hell you all haven’t been kidnapped in your sleep before now is beyond me.”
“I’m friends with the mayor. We play golf together on Sundays.” He smiles broadly.
I blink at the overweight bastard. Is he for real? How the hell does he think that makes them any less of a target. “And?” I ask, not bothering to disguise the callousness of my tone.
Fidgeting in his chair, his face becoming redder. “And his wife’s a lovely woman.” He nods. “She goes to the country club every weekend while we play. Very supportive. Simply lovely. Nobody would want to hurt them.” He taps his finger on the table. “And we’re friends with them.”
I want to roll my eyes at his naivety. I feel like I’ve stepped into some sort of twilight zone, swapping one hellhole for another. Though, at least this one may hold a challenge to it.
