Page 33 of Silver Fox Grump
Throwing myself into the nearest car when I reach the basement level, I drive through red lights, and I don’t keep the app open and see what she’s doing. There’s no consideration of stopping.
I love her. She needs me.
The route to her apartment block is familiar, but it has been a long time since I stepped out of the car and used my key to the building. Not since I installed the hidden cameras myself.
I know what apartment is hers. There are raised voices coming from inside, muffled but my heart is thudding out of my chest. I hit the door hard enough to be heard, and pull out my phone to call Maisie. For half a second I think of calling Wes, but there’s no need to do either, as within seconds Maisie has wrenched open the door.
“Sev.” And although she looks shocked, she doesn’t sound surprised. I snatch her into my arms as she falls towards me, her face tear-streaked, her eyes pink.
Pushing her into her oh-so-familiar apartment without a word, I kick the door closed behind us, keeping her tight to me. Fuck, she’s so precious.
“Sev?” Wes screws up his face in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”
“What did you do to make herfucking cry?” I shoot back, because that’s the only thing that matters right now.
“It’s family business.” He bristles, confused as a tiger meeting a polar bear.
“What are you doing?” Fury burns through my blood.
Wes sets his jaw stubbornly, in an expression I recognise from our years of friendship. “I don’t ask you to reveal Morden secrets, you shouldn’t expect me to tell you Mitcham’s?—”
“He wants me to marry the kingpin of Waltham,” Maisie says, her voice muffled by being face-first in my shirt and still sobbing.
“No.” That’s not happening.
“It’s already done,” he states. “It’s just a marriage of convenience.”
“No.” Louder this time.
“Look, he’s about the same age as Maisie.” He scowls. “She can’t be the Mitcham princess working for Morden forever. This is a decent match. He’s alright.”
“He’s an arsehole.” And that’s true. He’s better than the little prick Kane Anderson killed, but no one could be good enough for Maisie.
“It’s not like I’m threatening to send her to the Essex virginity auctions,” Wes says frustratedly. “But I do demand that my daughter do something to help Mitcham, and that means marrying for advantage and alliance.”
“If anyone is going to marry Maisie, it’s me.”
“Really?” Maisie looks up at me, her eyes wide with amazement.
“You hate Waltham that much?” Wes spits. “They’re not that bad to make my daughter marry a man twice her age.”
Then he seems to finally notice that Maisie is clinging to me like a baby koala. “What’s going on?” His tone goes icy. “Take your hands off my daughter.”
“No.” That’s not an option. She clutches at me harder, and my arms take up the slack. I can’t let her go. Not now, not ever.
“She’s my daughter, you bastard!” He takes me by the lapels, and I let him. “She’s twenty years younger than you! You were fucking and fighting when she was in nappies!”
“Dad, stop it!” Maisie lets go of me to reach for Wes, but he’s not listening to or looking at her.
“Have you been screwing her?”
“She’s an adult,” I say at the same time as Maisie says, “So what if he has?”
That’s not the denial he wanted, and it’s stupid, because it hasn’t gone that far. But I want it to.
I’m done with sneaking around. I’m finished with lies, and there won’t be any more pretending that this girl isn’t the most important thing in the world to me.
“I love your daughter and I’m going to marry her.”