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She smiled a little. “Thanks.” And then she attempted to move off my lap, but I held her back. I wasn’t ready to let her go yet. My sanity was hanging by a thread, and I needed her to keep me from raging out.
She glanced up at me.
“Just a few more minutes,” I murmured as I held her tight against my body, feeling all the emotions rage through me. I felt her hand wrap around my back as I managed to bring the rage down to a simmer.
I couldn’t lose it and act like an animal. I needed to remain rational because I was going to protect her no matter what.
I managed to keep it together until we got home. The guards weren’t there yet, but Amy had obeyed all our instructions, locking all the doors and windows. After I called an Uber for her to get home, with strict instructions to be careful, I went up to check on my daughter.
I released a breath when I found her fast asleep in her bed, right next to a painting of stick figures. It was the one Lisa told me about yesterday that was supposed to be us and Ingrid having dinner. Lisa also informed me that she’d told Violet I was her father, and my little girl wanted to start calling me Dad. Fuck, I was getting teary-eyed just thinking about it.
Because I was her dad. I had a family now. It was so strange, the complete turn my life had taken in such a short time. Life had given me the very gift I never thought I even wanted.
A family.
I sat there and watched Violet sleep for a few seconds, feeling an inexplicable peace rest in my soul. The solitude was interrupted when I heard the sound of raised voices.
Alarm had me racing from the room and down the stairs in time to see Carson in the living room, arguing with Lisa.
The murderous rage returned full-fold.
“Get the fuck away from her.”
The growl originated from a deep primal center, and both of them turned to me.
Carson’s eyes widened.
He took a step back as I advanced and stood between him and Lisa, shielding her. I saw a flash of uncertainty on his face, and he backed up even more. That was the smartest decision he made in his life because, feeling the way I felt, I wasn’t entirely sure I wasn’t going to rip his head off.
A roiling savagery was inside me, cloaking a protective urge to eliminate any threat that came near my woman. No one could be trusted. Someone had fucking put a bounty on her, and it had to be someone who knew her. Someone who wanted something she was keeping them from getting.
Someone like her family.
And I wouldn’t put it past those scheming bastards to pull shit like this.
“I didn’t do it,” Carson said, taking another step back.
“Not many people know who she is, where she lives, and where her mother lives, too,” I said. Whoever set this up would need to know key details about her schedule. Lisa said she hadn’t noticed anyone following her when she drove, so this person already knew where she was going and sent her attacker ahead of her. “This is someone who wants her dead. She doesn’t have money or anything worthy of stealing, and she’s not important enough to have made any enemies.”
“Gee, thanks,” I heard Lisa say wryly behind me, but it wasn’t enough to distract me from my target.
“The only person who could want to try something like this is your father.”
Carson shook his head frantically. “I’m telling you, it’s not him. Look, I know my dad isn’t perfect. I know he can even be an asshole most of the time, but he’s not a killer. And he wouldn’t kill Lisa. He….” He sighed and rubbed his hand over her face. “I know you probably won’t believe this, and you have every reason not to, but he actually cares about you. He was only trying to take Violet away to force you back home. Because he does want to take care of you and doesn’t think you can do it on your own. He knows what he did to you all those years ago was wrong but he’s not the best at apologizing, and believe me, he can’t say that he misses you. So the only thing he can do is use this way as a means of getting to you.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I don’t care if you believe me.” Some of his boldness returned as he was suddenly sure I wasn’t going to kill him immediately. “It’s the truth.” His gaze shifted back to Lisa. “Our father wouldn’t hurt you. Trust me.”
I could see from Lisa’s face that she was conflicted. I, on the other hand, didn’t buy that shit for even one second.
“Okay,” I said, shrugging. “So your dad didn’t do it. But that still leaves one more option for the culprit. You.”
“Oh, come on.” He rolled his eyes and held his hands out to Lisa. “Oh, you don’t believe this asshole, do you? Do you really thinkIwould kill you?” Carson glared at me. “More likely, Nick set this entire thing up to frame us and drive your family away so that you’re stuck with him and have no one to save you from his abusive ways. Can’t you see that’s what he wants?”
I laughed because even in the stupidity, there was a certain genius defense. I had to admire his audacity in trying to flip this around on me. “I see you haven’t changed. Save her? How? You’re just a scheming little boy who hides behind his daddy rather than standing up for himself like a man.”
Carson’s eyes narrowed. “And you’re still a selfish, self-centered bastard who doesn’t give a fuck about anyone but himself. And you don’t care if you ruin her life as long as you get what you want, right?” He turned back to his sister. “I can’t believe you went back to him even after everything I showed you.”
