Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 77309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“You’re such an asshole,” Allison says. “Seriously, Con, it’s pathetic. If I want to get a prescription, I’m fucking going to.”
“You are never leaving these grounds again, not until your father comes to get you.” I point at Damon. “He is now your personal guard. Damon, you have permission to tackle Allison and restrain her if she attempts to leave the grounds.”
Damon looks supremely uncomfortably with that idea.
Isabel raises her voice. “This is absurd. Conlan, you need to cool off.”
But she’s wrong about that.
Anger isn’t driving this decision.
“This is not your business.” I glance at Isabel, keeping my face straight “Do you have any idea what I just did to find this girl? I mobilized all my resources. I called in dozens of favors. All for nothing.”
“Nobody asked you to do that, you prick!” Allison yells at me. “Seriously, fuck this. I really should have run away.”
“You don’t have to worry about running any more. There will be strict limits on where you can go and what you can do. There are consequences to your actions.” I remain standing, hands behind my back. I don’t raise my voice or show any emotion at all. This is about controlling the situation, not losing my cool. “I’m finished giving you a long leash. You can’t be trusted.”
“Good luck with that.” She sits back, arms crossed. “The first chance I get, I’m gone.”
“Please, you two, stop it.” Isabel walks over and grabs my arm. “Allison, stay there. I’m taking him away then we’ll talk.”
I let her pull me away. Once we’re inside, I shake my head at her annoyed look. “You think I’m going too far, but you’re wrong.”
“She’s a teenage girl,” Isabel says, smacking my shoulder. “What is the matter with you? I’m serious, are you trying to screw this up? The more you try to lock her down, the harder she’ll fight.”
“No, I’m trying to make sure we don’t screw this up. Keeping Allison under control is our primary goal right now. I tried things your way. She has a job, she has a distraction and a little bit of freedom, and she wasted that by breaking her only rule.”
“You can’t just punish her.”
“I can and I will. This isn’t a game, Isabel.”
“I know that.”
“Then stop acting like you’re her friend. She is the enemy.”
Isabel rubs her face. “She’s not the enemy, she’s some lost kid trying to figure her way out in the world, and if you start coming down hard on her—”
“This isn’t up for discussion.” I turn away, already making plans. I have a dozen calls to make. “I gave her a chance. She failed. There are no more chances.”
“That’s how it’s going to be then? You’re not even going to talk to me about it?”
“My hotel, my decision.”
I leave her there. I know she’s angry, and I can’t blame her, but this is about more than our relationship. I made a promise to my brother that I’d take care of this shit with General Leyland, and if I can’t even keep a single girl under control, how can I be expected to retain control of multiple LA crime families?
No, we tried the easy way. It didn’t work. Now, we try my way.
Chapter 30
Isabel
I hate the way he talked to me.
It felt like I was his assistant again.
He wasn’t yelling or entirely out of line—I get it, this is his job to pull off—but it was the way he disregarded my opinion.
As if he knows better.
But his methods are going to backfire. Allison’s in her room sulking with Damon guarding the door. Sooner or later, she’s going to break out and run away, and I don’t know what Conlan’s going to do then.
He stays late at the Lincoln on the phone and I head back to the house on my own. I take a hot bath, drink a little wine, order some dinner, and basically try to unwind.
I’m still frustrated with him, but I can also see where he’s coming from. This stuff with General Leyland and his family, it’s very important to him, and Allison’s doing everything she can to complicate things.
Only I think that if he backed off and gave the girl a little space, she’d stick around on her own.
I’m flipping through channels when the front door opens. Conlan looks tired as he pours himself a drink in the kitchen and tosses it back. He sighs, leaning back against the refrigerator, and looks over toward me.
I shift on the couch and turn off the TV. “How’s our girl?”
“Still in her room.”
“That’s good.” I get to my feet. “We should talk about earlier.”
He keeps staring at me. I get a little angry, waiting for him to say something, but what do I expect? Conlan’s never apologized for anything in his life. He’s not going to start now.