Chapter 18
“It was so good to see you,” Daniela murmured to Nissa, one of her many cousins, as she stood in the foyer waiting on Cormac.
“You too, babe.” Nissa air-kissed her cheeks, then left with her husband, a cloud of Burberry Goddess in her wake.
Nissa was another cousin she liked, a loud, funny woman who talked back to everyone. Something Daniela should do more of.
She was tired of being afraid all the time.
Because deep down, she was afraid. Maybe it was because she was getting older, or maybe she was just tired of the bullshit, but she needed to stop dragging her feet.
She might not have enough evidence against her family for an airtight case, but she had a decent amount that should get the ball rolling.
If she could find the right FBI agent or someone not corrupt, she could pass off what she knew.
Because she didn’t want Greg to have died for nothing.
At the sound of a throat clearing, she glanced over to find her father stepping into the foyer, his thick coat draped over his arm as he approached. Looked like he’d be leaving soon too.
He nodded at her, his expression somehow haughty and icy at the same time. “I heard about what happened with the Popov hired gun. You should have been smarter.”
“Smarter?” she scoffed, her rage at the surface and bubbling over. He could fuck right off. “Pretty sure I handled that problem nicely.” Her tone was matter-of-fact. Killing Dima had shaken her, but she wouldn’t show any weakness with this man.
He blinked, and though it was subtle, surprise flickered in his gaze. Good. Which made sense considering she’d just surprised herself. She never talked back to her father, but there was a first time for everything.
Of course, he collected himself quick enough. “You’ve made things difficult for the family,” he continued, as if she hadn’t spoken. As if she’d asked that asshole to come after her.
“Not like you’re in charge anymore, so I’m not sure why you’re concerning yourself.” Okay, she knew exactly what she was doing. Goading him. And damn, did it feel good to just let this out.
Especially when he sucked in a sharp breath, his icy blue eyes narrowing on her as if seeing her for the first time. Maybe he was. The man had never truly known her.
“I killed Dima Lebedev in self-defense,” she continued, taking a step toward him that could be considered aggressive.
“And if whoever hired him decides to come after me, I won’t hesitate to pull that trigger again.
” Technically she didn’t even have her pistol now but that wasn’t the point.
She wanted her father to know that she wasn’t afraid of him anymore.
And the more she thought about it, she wondered if he’d sent Lebedev after her. He certainly hated her. It sadly wouldn’t surprise her. He’d made no secret about his hatred for the Popov organization in general. So no one would suspect him of working with someone like Dima.
If he had hired Lebedev, it could have nothing to do with her. He could have wanted to start a war with the Popovs. Though the only reason she could think he would do that would be because he wanted to take back control.
She’d been surprised when her father had handed things over to Julian. For a while she’d wondered if Julian had blackmailed or otherwise convinced him to give over the reins.
No…the thing with Lebedev had been tied to Temple. And if her father had known about her connection to him, he’d have come after her himself.
Because now as she looked at him, she realized how much frailer he looked.
And almost…grayer wasn’t the right word, but he’d lost a lot of color in his face since she’d last seen him, had faint shadows under his eyes.
His pallor was different. Huh. Something was going on with him—maybe that was why Julian was in charge now.
“Watch your tone with me,” he snapped, the viper she knew well over his shock as he took a menacing step toward her. “I am your father.”
She snort-laughed her disbelief. “You’re nothing to me. And when you die, you’ll just be an old man I used to know.”
His face flushed purple and she could see his hands balling into fists, was ready to duck the coming strike when Cormac strode into the foyer, his bootsteps heavy.
He looked between the two of them, and oh, if looks could actually kill, her father would have disintegrated on the spot. Just poof, right into ashes, skip the flames. The man would be dust.
Turning away from her father, because the dismissal would eat away at him more than anything she could say, she smiled at Cormac. Relief flooded her system knowing he was here and would protect her. “Ready?”
He nodded, his gaze still on her father as he held out an arm for her. Internally she was a trembling mess at the way she’d let her father have it, but it had felt so good. Freeing.
Once they were outside in the crisp air, she sucked in a breath then let out a laugh. “I can’t believe what I just said to my father.”
“Do I want to know?”
“Maybe. I’ve never talked back to him, never let my anger run free like that. He’s going to be pissed, will probably want payback.” That knowledge sent a wave of nausea sweeping through her. But then she replayed his stupid face, how angry he’d been. And internally smiled.
Cormac’s expression was tentative as they reached his truck. Then he shot off a text while standing at the passenger door with her. “We’re going back to your place, then you’re packing and we’re staying somewhere else tonight.”
“Oh, I don’t think he’s going to, like, come after me right now. I actually think he might be sick.”
“He looks like it. It’s not obvious but I can tell a difference from the last time I saw him.
” Cormac glanced around, lowered his voice so she could barely hear him.
“But we need to get your brother used to the fact that you won’t be staying at your place all the time, so you’re staying with me.
It needs to be normal to him. So when you finally run, you’ll have a window of time where he doesn’t know you’re missing. ”
Holy hell, this was actually happening. She could start to imagine a real future of her own. “What happened to faking my death?” she whispered. There was no one near his vehicle, but she wasn’t going to push her luck.
“We need to explore all options. Also, in case your brother planted a listening or tracking device in here,” he said, motioning to his truck. “We’re not discussing anything inside.”
She nodded because she’d found listening devices in her place years ago.
After destroying them over and over, she’d gone to her brother and made it clear that she wasn’t putting up with that invasion of her privacy.
Then she’d gotten the best security system and cameras to make sure it didn’t happen again.
So yeah, she could believe that her brother or even Logan or her father had planted something in the truck. “Okay.”
She couldn’t look backward anymore, couldn’t live this way anymore. Even if she had to start over with a new name in a new place. Maybe even a new country. It was time to take back her life.