Page 39

"How though?" Craig asked. "It's not like we have any mutual enemies."

"That we know of." Leighton shrugged. "What I overheard before getting my hands on Colin McDoyle makes me think we have an enemy we don't know about. He was on the phone with someone talking about setting us up again. It's pretty obvious the Jackals are attacking us, and from what we've found so far, they've been slowly surrounding her for months. We just don't know why, or who's moving all the pieces on the board."

"McDoyle is secure. We can let him sit for a while. A little isolation and starvation will serve to break him faster. In the meantime, we need to get our house in order. While you were all chasing after the Princess's attention tonight, I received a call from Daddy-O. We've been summoned." I said.

"Summoned?" Joey asked, arching one brow.

"Tomorrow, six p.m.. We're all expected for dinner at Daddy-O's. And if any of you think he isn't going to be looking for any cracks he can find in our team, you've got another thing coming. He's going to be looking for anything he can find to force us away from the Princess. If he finds something, that's it. And if McDoyle doesn't have anything useful, and we get pulled off this protection gig, we havenothingto help us get to the bottom of this shit."

"Ugh, dinner withthatguy is gonna be rough." Leighton groaned, leaning his head back dramatically. "Have we considered he might be the problem? Who summons people to dinner anymore? Not good guys, that's for sure. That's some Godfather bullshit. Say 'ello to my little friend." He finished, dropping his voice into a poor imitation of Marlon Brando.

"That's Scarface, dumbass." Az popped off.

"Enough. We're going, so I suggest you get this shit out of your system tonight. But first, you're going to explain the blood covering you. That's more than just an illegal fight."

"Someone tried to snatchla petit démonewhile we were there. I dealt with it." Leighton shrugged.

"We called a clean-up crew on our way home. The body is being dealt with now." Joey offered to finish off Leighton's vague description. I pinched the bridge of my nose at the lack of foresight.

"Another attempted kidnapping, and you chose to beat him to deathbeforeyou could get any information out of him? Is that what you're telling me?" I sighed as the look on Leighton's face conveyed this idea hadn't entered his mind once. "This is the shit I'm talking about, boys."

"Hey, I'm sorry, boss. It happened on instinct, I guess." Leighton said, looking guilty again.

"Don't be sorry, be better. Go sort your shit out. I want this family back in order by morning." I waved my hand in dismissal, finally sitting down as they shuffled out.

I sat back in my chair, staring at the ceiling as I came down from the irritation that started the family meeting. The Princess had almost side-swiped the entire thing with her little comment. I closed my eyes and sighed. When we argued, it had been easier to deal with her mockingly calling me 'dad.' After whatever happened between her and Az caused her to shift gears, it was causing my measure of control to feel like a rubber band that was stretched too far.

My mind replayed her 'yes, daddy' comment, twisting it into a sultry, breathy moan. I couldn't stop the images from popping into my head to match. I could see her wrapped around me, my hands in her hair, her back arching as she said that name like a prayer. I could almost taste her on my tongue. That one comment became several as a chorus of new phrases played out in my imaginings.

My hands fell to the arms of my chair, my fingers digging into them until my knuckles turned white as I tried to force the unbidden thoughts back into their box. My involuntary daydream continued to assault me with images and sounds I'd likely never get to see.

"Fuck." I growled, shoving away from the desk hard. "I'm as bad as the rest of them." I scolded myself as I stomped from the office toward my room to take a cold shower.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Victoria

I looked at the text from my father again:Dinner at my house. 6p.m. Bring your bodyguards.I hadn't seen my father since returning to the manor. While I had settled into the place again, I still wasn't happy that he had ordered me here to begin with. Nor that he'd forced me to live under the same roof as the man who ruined my gala. If Joey and Craig were to be believed, they had nothing to do with the fire, and I wasn't sure which camp I was in these days.

With a frustrated sigh, I tossed my phone on my bed and headed toward the closet. I'd spent the day at the center with Craig, and now it was nearing time to face the music. I let my mind wander through what I'd learned about the guys as I tore through my clothes, looking for my shirt that said, 'Sorry I'm late. I didn't want to come.' So far, none of them had actually done anything to support Az being behind the fire or my attempted kidnapping.

Az was always abrasive and rude, but he'd never attempted to harm me. He'd protected me. Between me and Tiff, each of them had been protective. Craig and Joey were kind to me, offering a soft space in this fucked up situation. Even Rich's rules, while infuriating at times, made sense from a protective standpoint. Not that I had any intention of following them.

And then you had last night. I'd watched Leighton beat a man to death with his bare hands to keep him from taking me from them. None of the evidence added up to them having caused the fire or attempted to take me, and I was finding it harder and harder to mesh with the idea.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, that first night might have been a case of mistaken identity when I'd pointed the finger at Az. Not that it changed much now. He'd done plenty since then to earn my antagonism. I wasn't sure if I was ready to examine the events of that night close enough to sort out the emotions in my head, but the thought was nagging in my brain that I would need to sooner or later. Because if they hadn't done it, that meant some other boogey-person was out to get me, and they were still a shadowy figure in the dark.

I pulled on a pair of jeans, still annoyed that I'd have to be dining with my father. He'd had even less information when he sent me into this shit show and was more than willing to do it. My phone went off again, and I rolled my eyes as I reached for it. My frustration grew as I saw 'private number' across the small display on the outside. Flipping open to the full screen, I saw:

I look forward to the family dinners we'll have together.

I stared at it for a long time. It didn't feel like one of the guys. They'd seemed just as irritated as I was about this surprise visit. But, it also wasn't above a few of them to mess with me for fun. I snapped the phone shut and tossed it back on my bed before my urge to respond with a 'who the fuck is this' got the better of me. At best, one of the guys would know they were getting to me. At worst… nope, I wasn't even going to entertain the thought. It was definitely just one of the guys being a dick.

A knock at my door drew me from my reverie. It was likely my warden coming to tell me it was time to go. I pocketed my phone, slid on a pair of shoes, and reached for the door when a second round of knocks sounded. It was definitely Rich. Azwould have already yelled at me. Joey and Craig were more patient, and Leighton would have just let himself in. I opened the door with a saccharine grin.

"Patience, Daddy. I was coming." I said, batting my eyelashes at him several times for sarcastic effect. A muscle in his jaw ticked, and he raised an eyebrow before grabbing me by my chin.

"Princess…" He crooned, his voice pitching low, heat flashing in his eyes. My body responded immediately. "These games of yours are going to get you in trouble."