Page 80 of The Stolen Dagger

“You knew?” I asked. “About my father?”

“Of course, I knew,” Adrian mocked. “It was all part of the plan. Get you. Get the dagger. Get everything. It was all going so well too before you got nosey and followed me that night.”

Plan? I was just a part of his plan to get the dagger because I was the daughter of the man who had it.

“But none of that matters now because you have thedagger, and I have someone close to you. See, things always work out for the better, don’t they,mi princesa?”

“Don’t call me that!” I snapped.

“I can call you whatever I want!” Adrian shouted through the phone speaker. “You’re mine until I say otherwise.”

At his tone, I couldn’t stop the memories from rushing back. A shudder almost overtook my body.

Almost.

Now his words and his voice only filled me with rage. I wasn’t scared of him anymore, and that realization settled something right inside me.

“You disobeyed me when you ran away,” Adrian continued. “You did the one thing I warned you not to. Now I’ve gained unwanted attention. This threatens everything I’ve worked toward. Everything I stand to gain from having that dagger.”

Good.I thought but didn’t dare say it, knowing it would only make him angrier, and I needed him to get Pearl back.

“Now,” Adrian breathed out. “If you want to see the old lady again, meet me where this all started. At the abandoned warehouses outside the city at sundown. If you tip off anyone or your father comes with you, I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in Pearl’s head just for the fun of it.”

Oh, God.I couldn’t let that happen.

“Do you understand, Emilia?”

I swallowed the bile that threatened to surface at the image he painted of Pearl and took a deep breath.

“I understand.”

“I look forward to seeing you very soon,” Adrian said before he hung up.

It was clear Drew, Mack, and my father were close enough to hear my conversation with Adrian when they all spoke over each other.

“That little bastard!” my father growled and banged his fist on the desk.

“Asshole,” Drew seethed.

“I can’t wait to get my hands on that punk,” Mack grumbled, cracking his tattooed knuckles.

I ignored them all. Processing this new development, I settled on a new plan. Well, an updated version of the original plan. One that didn’t involve my father or Drew.

Looking around at their rage-filled faces, I knew they wouldn’t like it and would probably try to stop me.

“What happens now?” Drew asked. “He knows you’re with Roman. He knows we wouldn’t let you go on your own.” He turned toward the other men in the room. “How do we protect her now?”

“There is no fucking way my daughter is facing that monster alone,” Roman demanded. “We call his bluff and go anyway. It’s the only logical option.”

“No,” I said, cutting through their protective bullshit. “I’m going alone. I have to do this. I have to end it.”

Roman shook his head. “Over my dead body?—”

“It’s not up to you!” I was so over everyone deciding for me. This time it was my choice. “I’m going for Pearl, and I’m going alone.”

Drew sidestepped me and his concerned gaze came into my view. “Katherine, you can’t?—”

“Don’t.” I cut him off and stepped away from him. “You can’t protect me from everything. I can take Adrian. You taught me how, remember? I’m going whether you all like it or not. This is something I have to do.” I turned to my father. “And if you acted like the father you say you want to be, then you’d respect my decision.”