Page 163 of The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The Second Collection

“I came with Cynnie; I’ll leave with Cynnie,” I say gruffly.

Jun scoffs before sipping his champagne. “I’m not blind the way my father is. Cynnie’s changed over the last two months, and not for the better. She disappears for days. She lies about where she is. I’ve had her followed to your apartment. I know she stays overnight. You’re not just friends.”

I tilt my head to glare at him. He had her followed? What a prick.

“You set this up,” I say, as the light dawns. “You called him back from wherever he’s been for this party. You delayed the party a couple of days until he could get here and made it look like it was Cynnie’s fault. You did it to throw him in my face.”

“Cynnie has responsibilities.” He nods at the couple on the dancefloor. “To her family. To the company. To her fiancée. It’s time she remembers her responsibilities.”

I shake my head at him in disgust. “I don’t have any siblings. I found my family in the Navy. My brothers. I’d die for any of them. I’d do anything to spare them pain. You have a flesh-and-blood sister. Someone you should feelmorefor than I feel for my brothers. And you did this tohurther. To hurt your own sister.”

He turns and faces me fully, anger stripping away his smooth veneer. “She needed to be taught a lesson.”

“What lesson? The older brother who should protect and love her is an asshole? I’d say she doesn’t need to be reminded.”

“Leave. Or I will have you thrown out.”

I shake my head at him. “I told you, I came with Cynnie. I’ll leave with Cynnie. You’re the one making a scene right now. And trust me, if you try to have me thrown out, I’ll make a much, much bigger scene. The people here? They’re your friends and business associates. I give not one fuck what they think of me. I bet you can’t say the same.”

His mask shreds further, eyes bulging, cheeks hollowing. “You will never see Cynnie again after this night. You will never speak to her again.”

Does he really think he can stop me?

I shake my head at him. “If Cynnie doesn’t want to see or speak to me again, then I won’t, but she’s the only person I’m listening to. Now, you might want to fuck off. People are staring.”

He glances around and realizes I’m right. He runs a hand down the front of his tux and lifts his chin in the air. “When she finishes this dance, tell her I want to see her. We’ll end this farce tonight.”

“Tell her yourself,” I say, nodding at Cynnie, who has pushed away from herfiancéeand is steaming across the dance floor toward me with tears in her eyes.

I could turn away from her in spite. Hurt her the way she’s hurt me by keeping whatever the fuck is going on here a secret. But DirtyGurl’s words ring in my ears. Be like Logan, only less judgmental.

Don’t jump to conclusions. Be the daddy Cynnie needs.

Instead of letting any of my turmoil show, I hold my arm out to her. When she tucks herself under it, I hand her my untouched champagne and wipe under her eyes, careful not to smear her makeup. “What happened? Did he step on your toes?”

Her chin trembles as she looks up at me. “I want to leave.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Jun hisses and grabs at his sister’s arm, but I step back, keeping her out of reach.

“Don’t you even think about ruining Baachan’s birthday,” he snarls at her.

“You’re the one who’s ruined everything, Jun,” she snaps back, with both more spine and more sharpness than I expect out of my bumble. “You did this. You set this up after I told PapaI was bringing Max. I knew I got the right date. I even double-checked. I was right.Yourearranged the party so he could fly in.Youkept his coming a secret. All so you could spring him on me and humiliate me in front of Max. Kade just told me how you two planned it together.Afterhe propositioned me.Again. You’re just as bad as each other. You always have been. I hate him and I hateyou.”

Jun’s hand whips toward Cynnie. I turn so he catches my shoulder instead of her cheek. The impact stings a little, but I bet it hurts him a lot more than it hurts me. I keep my arm curled around her as I steer her toward the exit.

“Cynnie,” I hear a woman’s voice behind us, rising in pitch. “Cynnie, where are you going?”

She stops and turns to face the woman racing after us. Her stepmother.

“I’m very sorry,” Cynnie says to the older woman. “We’re leaving.”

“Cynnie, we haven’t cut the cake yet,” Harmony protests. “Baachan will be so disappointed.”

“Then she should express that to Jun,” I say. “Since he’s the one who ruined Cynnie’s night.” I stick out my free hand. “It was nice to meet you.”

Caught between a protest and impoliteness, she shakes my hand and I use the opportunity to get Cynnie moving again. No one else stops us before we walk out into the warm night.