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He blanches, because he knows I’m right. He’s stubborn and tough, but he loves Lexie, and he knows she’s playing with fire. And I haven’t even shared everything.
This is hard on him. It’s a matter of honor and pride. None of that’s lost on me.
He shoots daggers at me while the wheels turn. “Has Alexis agreed to this?”
“Not yet. She doesn’t know anything about it. I came here first, out of respect for you. Not all the old ways should be discarded.”
He eyes me shrewdly.
“But this is merely a courtesy. I’m concerned for her safety, and if she agrees, she’ll be under my protection with or without your blessing.”
He twirls the gun on the desk, and I watch carefully, but he’s not going to shoot me. Will isn’t a fool. He understands more about his own behavior and Lexie’s reaction to it than he’s letting on. Whatever he’s dealing with from his past is bigger than him.
I won’t allow him to destroy his daughter, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have great empathy for the man. I wrestle with demons that look an awful lot like his.
“The authorities want to interview Alexis. I think we’d both agree that it’s enough for her to give them a written statement. They have our video footage and we turned over the suspects. She doesn’t have anything useful to tell them. I’ve already informed the Porto police, and we can manage the Portuguese Intelligence Service, but I could use some help with Interpol.” I can handle Interpol, but he’s cornered, and I hand him an olive branch. “Is that something you’d be willing to do?”
He doesn’t hesitate. “No interviews. By the time you leave the building, it’ll be handled.”
I nod.
“Where will she be staying while she’s under your protection?”
It’s more of a snarl than a question. This isn’t the crime boss talking. This is Daddy.
“Huntsman Lodge. She won’t be a prisoner, of course, but she’ll have to negotiate with her guards or with me before she goes out and about.” Or to Oslo, which I still haven’t agreed to.
He glances at me like I’m a young fool, and snickers.
“I’m well aware that it will take her some time to get used to the system.”
“You might be a young buck, but there’s not enough time left in your life for you to live to see the day she bows to the system.”
This is pretty rich coming from him, considering he’s made a fortune not bowing to the system but by having it bow to him.
“I’m not asking her to bow to my system. I’m asking her to create her own—within reason.” Something you should have been encouraging since she was a kid, like Antonio did with me, and like we tried to do with Valentina.
“You live in an apartment at Huntsman Lodge.”
It’s not a question, but I reply. “I do. Although Valentina’s apartment is available, and that’s where Alexis has been staying.”
“And where have you been staying?” He’s still angry, but his questions are now more in line with what any concerned father might ask.
“My apartment and the club.” I leave out Valentina’s apartment. I don’t have a death wish.
“Sneaking around—”
I hold up my hand to stop him. “Alexis is an adult,” I remind him for the third time since arriving. “Where she sleeps is neither your decision, nor mine.”
He leans back in his chair and taps his index finger against his chin. “I want to speak to my daughter before I sanction anything. I’m not taking your word that there’s no coercion involved.”
I can live with that, and although Lexie might not like it, she can live with it, too, because in the end, he’ll agree to my plan.
“I’m going directly to Porto when I leave here. I’ll let you know what she says, after I’ve spoken with her. If she doesn’t agree to my protection, you won’t need to make the trip.”
I weigh my next words. A smart man would run with the concessions he’s gotten, but I don’t like to have my word or my honor questioned.
“You know, Will, you might not like what I came to tell you, and you might not like me. But my word is gold. And you’ve known me long enough to know it.”
