Chapter Twenty-Eight
Elise
“Start talking,” my father said as soon as we were alone.
There was no room for hesitation, no hint that he would accept my explanation. There was only the raw expression of his disapproval.
“What exactly are you doing with him?” he demanded, his questions deploying in a rapid, strategic sequence. “How long have you known him? Where did you meet him? What specific details have you disclosed about our infrastructure?”
The implications cut deep. This wasn’t a father asking about his daughter’s heart. This was a man who saw threats everywhere. My chest ached with the familiar weight of it.
“We met at the garage. I was having my car fixed,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “And before you get upset, I didn’t tell him about anything we’re working on. All he wants—”
“What have you told him, Elise?” he cut in again.
The lie burned in my throat, but I lifted my chin. “Enough. I told him enough that he deserved to know exactly who he was dealing with.”
His dark eyes flashed. “And you honestly believed bringing him here was a good decision?”
For a moment I felt that old hope flicker. He’s always respected my judgment on the systems. Maybe he’ll respect me on this too.
“He’s telling you the truth,” I said, my voice growing firmer. “His brother really is marrying the daughter of Cody Burke.”
“Do you think I care?” His voice sharpened. “What I’m struggling with right now is how he fooled you into bringing him here. I thought you were smarter than that.”
Something raw and fierce flared in my chest. “I am.”
“Clearly you’re not or you wouldn’t be arguing with me.”
“I’m not arguing. I’m asking you what happened back then.” My voice rose despite myself. “And what has you so afraid you threw Brady out rather than listen to him?”
“There is nothing he could say that I’d want to hear.”
“Why?” I challenged. “What happened between you?”
A dangerous silence cracked through the room. I saw the fracture in him, but I didn’t back down.
“It was a long time ago,” he said firmly. “And not something I want to talk about.”
“I do,” I said. “Because from where I’m sitting, it looks pretty important.”
That shattered the last of his control.
“This conversation is over,” he snapped, stepping closer.
“But stay away from the Hollistons. All of them. The people they choose to surround themselves with, the toxic society they belong to, that insufferable world. It is entirely engineered around bloodlines, unchecked power, and total control. No matter what he tells you, you’ll never mean anything to them. ”
The words landed like blows. I swallowed hard.
“They might allow you to feel temporarily welcome,” he continued.
“They might manipulate you into believing you are actually good enough to stand beside them. But you will never be one of them. And the exact second you attempt to cross that boundary, they will crush you without a thought. Stay away from Brady Holliston,” he commanded, eyes locking onto mine.
“Stay far, far away from his entire family. You need to look me in the eye right now and promise me you will never have anything to do with him again.”
The demand hung between us. All the years of believing he was protecting me crashed against the truth I’d been living these past weeks.
“No,” I said softly, the word trembling but certain. “I know they hurt you, but it was thirty years ago. And Brady isn’t his father.”
The reaction was immediate. Raw fury twisted his features. “You don’t know what they did to me. And it doesn’t matter, because it didn’t ruin me. It birthed a better me.”
He kept going, voice shaking with the force of old pain, detailing the betrayal in fragments that still carried thirty years of venom. I listened, heart breaking for the father who had carried this alone for so long. But I also heard what he wasn’t saying.
When he finished, I spoke through the ache in my throat.
“I’ve always admired you. I thought you were brave and brilliant.
But this fortress . . . is it just somewhere to hide?
And if so, what are we hiding from?” My voice cracked.
“I’m not happy here, Dad. The compound, the walls, the constant vigilance.
I’ve spent my whole life trying to be near people without knowing how to connect with them.
Sitting in that garage waiting room with Mrs. Donnelly, bringing my car in for nothing just to be around someone .
. . I was so lonely. Brady sees me. He makes me laugh.
He makes me want more than this. For the first time, I feel like I’m choosing my own life instead of hiding in yours.
” Tears burned my eyes. “I care about him. And he cares about me. That is the only reality that matters to me right now.”
“You’re making a critical error,” he said, voice flat. “They will never accept you into their world.”
I shook my head. “I don’t need anyone to accept me. I need more than life in this compound. Try to understand.”
I stepped back, turning toward the door.
“Elise.”
His voice cracked. “Don’t go.”
I closed my eyes for one agonizing second, the physical ache threatening to drag me back. “I’m sorry, Dad,” I whispered. “But I have to.”
Then I walked. The heavy security doors opened and sealed behind me. By the time I reached the final gate, the Nevada heat hit like freedom and loss all at once.
I crossed the asphalt and threw myself into Brady’s arms. He caught me without hesitation, holding me like he never intended to let go. In that moment, with his warmth around me and the sound of his steady heartbeat, I knew I had chosen right.