“Terms? This isn’t some fucking game,” I bite out, my finger still poised on the trigger. I want nothing more than to pull it, to show him I’m in charge, but I don’t because I’m not sure what he’s done to Vera. The asshole knows I won’t do shit to put her in harm’s way, and that only angers me more.
A loud bang from downstairs captures my attention. I want to move, I know I should, but instead, I stay focused on my father. He doesn’t seem at all perturbed by the fact that I have a gun pointed at him.
Seconds pass before I speak again. “You have your team of assholes coming in here to kill me?”
“I don’t want to kill you, son,” he tells me as he settles in the armchair overlooking Vera’s sleeping form. “I want to prove to you that you’re just like me, son. She’ll never accept you for who you are.” He gestures with his chin, pointing at the beauty in a deep slumber. I want to go to her to make sure she’s still alive, but I can’t move because I feel cold metal against the back of my head.
“Then why is there a man pointing a weapon at me?” I challenge him, needing to know the truth. “Because from where I’m standing, his finger can slip, and I won’t be in your way anymore.”
“Why are you so convinced I’d like you dead?”
“Because I took her, I hid her away, and you want her for yourself. You signed the agreement, forcing her father, your longtime friend, to give his only daughter to you.” My voice is chilled, ice dripping from every word, because I can’t believe the man who I’m looking at is even related to me. Yes, we may share similar features, but the evil so clear in his dark eyes has nothing on me.
He smiles, the action slow, intentional, because nothing my father does hasn’t been thought through. That’s what he taught me all those years ago. You must be calculated if you want to make your enemies fear you.
I watch his movements, his one leg crossing over the other. He steeples his fingers under his chin, and he regards me with cool aloofness that makes him seem almost mechanical. That’s who my father is, an uncaring monster. The more I look at him, the more I realize I’m nothing like him.
Vera was right. I may be slightly broken, but I am not an evil monster like the man who raised me. “Tell me,” I say finally. I’ve had enough games. It’s time to walk out, kill all the men he’s brought into my home, or be killed. The latter doesn’t sound like an option to me, because the moment I take my last breath, he’ll claim Vera. And that’s the last thing I want or need.
“I want to prove to you that you’re no good for her,” he tells me easily. “You’re so far gone you don’t see it. I chose to take her as mine because I knew that you’d never be able to give her the life she should have.”
“Neither can you.” My frustration is clear in my voice. “Does mother even know you’re here, trying to lay claim to a girl young enough to be your daughter?” Venom drips from my words, and I notice the slight flinch on his face. He doesn’t give away much, but I know I’ve just hit a nerve.
“Your mother is traveling. She’s enjoying her life,” he tells me, and I wonder if that’s code for him having her killed. There’s dark satisfaction in his eyes as he watches me. “Come inside, Logan.” He gestures with his hand for me to enter the bedroom. I don’t want to move, but with the metal weapon pointed at my head, I take two steps, and I’m at the foot of the bed.
“What do you want here if you’re not taking Vera?” I ask him, still holding onto my gun. I could shoot him, but then his men behind me will pull the trigger, and I’ll be on the ground with Vera exposed to them. And that’s not a chance I can take.
“I want you to see yourself through their eyes,” he chuckles, nudging his chin toward the bed where my girl is lying still.
“What is wrong with her?”
“Have you heard of an induced coma?” Dad arches a brow at me, the corner of his mouth tipped upward, and I nod. “Well, our little beauty is sleeping soundly for a while. She’ll awaken in a few days. I made sure to give her a good dose of the drugs needed for this little experiment.”
“You’re sick,” I bite out, making my way toward him, but the moment I take a step, the click of the gun trained on me has me halting my steps. My father rises, shrugs, and then makes his way past me toward the door. “Where the fuck are you going?”
“Oh, I’m going to watch this from the security of my own home.” The grin on his face makes my body shudder with rage and revulsion. “I can see this will be very entertaining.” He turns and shuts the door, and that’s when I hear it. They’re trapping us inside. Something is being shoved against the door after the lock clicks. “My men will stay behind to ensure you don’t leave. Unless you’d like to jump out the window,” he tells me through the wood.
I raise my gun, cocking it before I pull the trigger. A chuckle resonates through the barrier, and I realize I missed. Cursing inwardly, I set the gun down on the vanity before turning to Vera.
“Nice try, son,” Herbert mutters. “But you’re way off. Goodbye,” he tells me before I hear his footsteps going down to the ground floor. I’ll give them an hour before I break out of this fucking room and kill the men I know are in my house. My father’s plan will not work because I’ll never hurt my beauty.
My attention is on my girl as I take her hand and press a kiss to her knuckles. She’s warm, her cheeks flushed, and her lips pursed. I don’t think she will ever forgive me for this. I left her alone when I should’ve kept her close.
“I’m so fucking sorry,” I tell her sleeping form. “I should never have left you alone. This is all my fault, but I promise you, I’ll make it right.”
I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’ll make sure her life is safe once more. The thought of killing my father is still at the forefront of my mind. I want nothing more than to see him fall for his devious plans.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and scroll down to Dax’s name. Hitting call, I press the device to my ear and attempt to focus on how the fuck I can get out of here.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“I need you to send a team of men to the cabin,” I tell him. “Herbert Oakridge thinks he can fuck me over, but it’s time I take the asshole out.”
“He’s your father.”
“I don’t give a shit, Dax. He’s taken it too far.” I know my best friend won’t deny me. He knows how lethal my father can be. “He has two of his men in the cabin. I’m locked in a room with Vera. He’s drugged her. She’s in an induced coma.”
“What?” The surprise is evident in his voice. My father’s done some questionable things before, but this is taking it just a step too far outside of my comfort zone. I grew up around illegal acts, I heard things that would most probably get him arrested, but when he came into my home, threatened the woman I love, he made a mistake.
“I need your help.”
Dax answers me quickly. “There’s no question about it. You know I’m going to be there for you no matter what.” I breathe a sigh of relief. “I’ll have a team out to you in the next few hours. Give them time to arrive, and don’t do anything stupid.”