Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“You listen here,” her da began. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, Carter, but you’re not getting close to my daughter. She’s a good girl, and she doesn’t have any idea how to handle the likes of you.”
“She handles me fine.” Nate seemed determined to blow up her whole world.
“What da fuck is that supposed to mean?” Her da practically shouted the question.
Naturally Aunt Charlotte showed up with a bag of microwave popcorn. “Has Liam figured out what’s going on between Daisy and Nate?”
How would her aunt know what was going on? Nate didn’t even know.
Or did he? She’d said the words out loud, but had he really heard them? They’d probably been lost in all the adrenaline and violence and gunshots.
He’d been shot. Sure it had turned out to be fine, but he could have been killed. He could have died and it would have been her fault. All her fault because she was so dumb.
“Did you know, Dais?” Nate asked, completely ignoring the rapt audience around them.
Her head was reeling. Maybe she wasn’t handling the situation as well as she thought she was. Her heart was thudding a little and she was back in the moment when she’d realized someone was shooting at them. “I didn’t know they would come after me.”
A cartel. She had a cartel after her. As adventures went, it was a shitty one. And she’d lost her job and she would probably lose her home and her da was going to ship her off to Europe where she would very likely start a land war, and she would definitely not see Nate again.
She’d pushed it all down and it was bubbling back up, a torrential storm of anxiety.
“I don’t think that’s what he meant,” Devi whispered.
“He needs to get back downstairs and leave my daughter alone,” her da said. “I’ll be having a talk with my son about his choice of roommates and who he’s letting around his sister. I didn’t work this hard to keep the men off her only to lose her to the first Aussie to walk through the door.”
Nate completely ignored everyone but her. He walked past her father, staring down at her with a piercing gaze. “Did you know, Daisy? When you approached me last night, did you know who I was?”
“What the hell is he on about,” her da started and then batted something away. “Don’t throw fucking popcorn my way, Tag. This is serious.”
“Did I know the six-foot-seven-inch dude with the Australian accent was Nathan Carter?” The walls were closing in around her. Nate was pushing her and it had been a terrible day, and he seemed ready to make it worse.
“Of course she knew you.” Her da was unrelenting. “Do you think she would get into the car with a stranger?”
“I mean she’s done it a couple of times.” Devi wasn’t helping.
She’d had reasons for that.
“I think he means in a biblical way, not an ‘I called an Uber’ way,” Uncle Ian snarked.
Nate moved into her space. “Did you know?”
She had to nod but she suddenly couldn’t breathe. He was here and he was staring down at her and he knew. He knew what she’d done. They all would know she’d taken something from him. Something he likely wouldn’t have shared had he known it was her. And then she’d gotten him shot. And no one wanted to protect her because she was trouble. But there was only one answer. “Yes.”
“Then you’ve made your choice and you’ll have to deal with it,” he said in a tone that brooked no disobedience.
Her father said something about not laying a hand on her and her uncle said hands had totally already been lain and her aunt asked if she was okay. She wasn’t. The world kind of went fuzzy and she felt a wash of utter defeat come over her system as her knees gave way.
Right before the darkness took her, Nate caught her, and she was in his arms as the world faded to black.
* * * *
Liam O’Donnell was going to be the worst father-in-law imaginable.
“You let my daughter down this minute, Nathan Carter.” He followed Nate as he carried Daisy to the conference room.
“I’m not dropping my sub,” Nate replied.
“No blood on the carpet, Liam O’Donnell,” Charlotte Taggart said, pointing to Li. She moved in beside Nate. “Are you trying to push him over the edge?”
“Nope. I’m only being honest. It’s a thing he should try.” He was starting to wonder about the real reason none of the Doms at The Hideout would play with Daisy. He had a hunch and it had to do with her father. Maybe Aidan, too, and if he found out Aidan had been warning men off Daisy, they would have a long talk. “Devi, would you get some water for Daisy? Maybe put on a kettle.”