Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 70661 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70661 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
His rage didn’t dissipate—not at all.
“When I took them out of the barn, I kept Ramon in place. It would have been wrong for me to free him because he deserved the punishment you set for him. He even agreed. He was just grateful I’d saved his girls that he stayed voluntarily.”
“Which makes your crime even worse,” he whispered. “Your father asked me for a favor, and I saved your ass. I gave my son to you, a man strong enough to keep the bastards away. This is how you repay me?”
“Let’s not forget we made a deal—no one did any favors.”
“Giving you a good husband is much better than giving me details about Ramon.”
“But you accepted that offer and forced your son to marry a stranger.”
He cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowed. “I don’t think my son has any complaints about that anymore.”
I certainly didn’t. I came home to a man I respected and admired. I came home to a man I wanted to sleep with every night. He took care of me, kept me safe, gave me whatever I wanted. I’d hated my situation in the beginning—but now I knew I’d hit the jackpot. “Nor do I.”
“I assumed. No other reason for you to risk your neck like this.”
I was putting myself in danger, but the risk had been worth it. My interest wasn’t just in saving my neck. It was giving Maverick what he deserved. “Your son and daughter need you, Caspian. You’ve turned into a demon since you lost your wife. They need the man you used to be… They need a father.”
“My children are both adults. They don’t need me anymore.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” I whispered. “I needed my father up until the day he died…and I still need him now. You need to drop these hostilities with Maverick and treat him with affection and respect.”
“I will do so when he deserves it.” He kept his voice even, only his tone changing with his passion. To any onlooker in the room, we probably looked a father and daughter catching up over warm cups of coffee. In reality, a storm was building.
“He’s your son—he deserved it from the day he was born.”
His dark eyes shifted back and forth slightly as he looked into mine. “Maverick has forgotten where his loyalties lie. I asked him to kill you, and he refused. He’s made it clear that a nice ass is more important than family.”
“I’m not a nice ass…” I was so much more than that. Maverick wouldn’t wage a war with his father over sex. “Your mind is unhinged, and you aren’t thinking clearly. You threatened to kill him several times before this happened—”
“To straighten him out. He’s grown too soft for my taste.”
This moment made me appreciate my father even more. He was wrong to make his mistakes, but he always loved me. He was always good to me. “Maverick tells me that you used to be different when your wife was still here. You were a good man…a good father. He hopes that version of you will come back someday.”
It was the first time he didn’t have a reply. He lifted his mug and brought it to his lips for a drink, keeping his eyes on me.
This meeting was a waste after all.
“If Maverick wants to repair his relationship with me, then he needs to put a bullet between your eyes and leave your body in a ditch. Then we can talk.”
“What good will that accomplish?”
“Justice—for me.”
“I didn’t hurt your wife. I had nothing to do with it.”
“You had everything to do with it when you took those girls away from me.” He was singular in his thoughts, only focusing on one thing to the exclusion of all else.
“Would you have felt any better if you’d raped and murdered them?” I questioned. “Would it really have made all that much of a difference? Would the reality of her death be less bitter to swallow?”
His eyes began to narrow once more. “Yes.”
“Liar.” My hostility began to rise. “It would have made no difference. I’m sorry that your wife is dead, Caspian. But she is dead. Killing more people won’t bring her back. Spilled blood won’t make you sleep better at night. If you want to honor her memory, keep your family together. You’ve been doing a terrible job so far.”
His hands came together, and his fingers tightened forcefully.
“You need to let this go. You need to focus on the family you have left. Maverick won’t say this to your face, but he’s hurt… He’s hurt that things have gotten this bad. He misses having a father. He misses spending time with his family on Sundays. Now all he has is a father who is only disappointed in him. He has a father who doesn’t care that his sister is in rehab—”