Chapter 114
Chapter 114
I don’t respond at first. Not because I don’t have anything to say, but because I’m chewing on the oddity of it. My first real encounter with my plafonds father is at my clubs of all places A part of me considers slipping out, maybe grabbing my coat, my keys, and heading to the reception, I could offer to i him somewhere more neutral, somewhere polished and quiet with real napkins and overpriced steak, someplace that isn’t soaked in sweat and bourbon. But if Jade’s description of the man’s mood is even half true, Daniel Mercer isn’t here for small talk and cutlery.
I glance at the comer of the room where the plush alien toy is still slumped on the couch and then back to Jade.
“Let him in,” I say. “Keep it discreet.”
Jade nods. He knows what that means. No strippers on poles between here and the entrance. None of the shirtless dancers or the neon signs that flash Deep Dive Fridays down the hallway. The clean path, the corporate face of the club. Just in case Daniel’s carrying holy water in his pocket.
Once Jade slips out, I lean back in my seat and scrub a hand over my face. What could he possibly want? And how did he find me? Probably through June, Sloane’s grandmother. She mentioned frequenting the club in her younger years.
I let my eyes drift toward the ceiling, jaw tightening. Is this one of those “you’re not good enough for my daughter” speeches? Because that’s the kind of
chaos that would make me go home tonight and take that daughter of his hard against the nearest wall–just to make a point. That whole family needs to learn when to back the hell off.
Minutes pass.
Then I hear it. The distant murmu’s voice,
the soft tap of leather soles against marble floors, and finally, the opening of Suffice S
Jade walks in first, eyes darting back, holding the door open for the man who follows.
Daniel Mercer is in a navy wool coat, which he doesn’t bother to unbutton. His salt–and–pepper hair is neatly combed, his glasses perched on a nose too rigid to suggest warmth. He walks in like he owns the room. Or like he wants to dismantle it piece by piece.
“Want me to hang around, boss?” Jade asks.
I shake my head once. “It’s alight. You can leave.”
Daniel’s eyes follow Jade as he retreats, and only when the door clicks shut does he step further inside.
“Mr. Mercer,” I say. “Please have a seat.”
“It’s Daniel,” he replies, already lowering himself into the leather chair across from me. His eyes stay locked on mine.
“What can I do for you, Daniel?”
He exhales through his nose and folds his hands on his knee.
“A lot of things,” he says. “For one, I’m glad my ex–wife is doing away with that man who brought me in here. I don’t need that around my daughters. And to find out he works for my daughter’s boyfriend? That doesn’t sit right with me either.”
I blink slowly. So, that’s how we’re playing this? Right to the point?
“I’m here to tell you, man to man, to leave Sloane alone. She’s brilliant and has a big future ahead of her. She deserves better than this underground life. And she’s fragile. You’re going to destroy her.”
There’s a beat of silence.
And then I smile.
I’d expected this. Hell, I’d fantasized about it–just to prepare. But the reality of hearing the words spill from his mouth makes me want to laugh, Not because it’s funny. Because it’s predictable. And somehow, still insulting.
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Chapter 114
You didn’t even start with a hello,” I say.
“There’s no need for pleasantries, Mr. Hartley.”
“Knox, please.”
“Whatever. I just need the assurance that you’ll leave Sloane alone, and I’ll be out of your hair.”
flean forward, resting my forearms on the desk. “The thing is, I don’t want to leave your daughter alone, Daniel.”
He narrows his eyes. “Are you getting a laugh out of this?”
“Are you not?” I ask. “Your daughter’s a grown woman. Capable of making her own decisions. What makes you think she needs you to intervene?
“Because she’s impulsive. She always has been. When she’s hurt or cornered, she grabs the nearest thing that feels like safety. That’s what you are. A bad decision that looks like a rescue. She did this as an adolescent, a teenager, and now, as an adult. I let her be friends with your brother even though i hated it, but I draw the line at her dating you.”
At the mention of Finn, I stiffen.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I say, voice flattening. “But you came all this way for nothing. It’s a shame you’re not more welcoming. I was actually thinking we could hang out. Do some future father–in–law and son–in–law bonding.”
“You’re not marrying Sloane,” he snaps. “That would only happen over my dead body.”
“Now don’t give me ideas. I’m a bad man after all.”
I have to admit it’s kind of sweet, though–this whole protective dad act. A man who actually gives a damn about his kid. Too bad all that love and fatherly devotion is aimed at screwing my happiness over.
Daniel adjusts in his seat.
“I met your ex–wife, Soraya,” he says.
That takes me off guard. “Why would you do that?”
“I figured she wouldn’t be on good terms with you. So I went to her.“,
I sit back, pulse ticking a little faster.
“About what?” I ask.
“A man like you probably didn’t declare all his assets or accounts during the divorce. She’s more than happy for me to help her sue you. You don’t want the law poking around in your finances. Bet they’ll find some not–so–lawful things if they look deep enough.”
“Are you threatening me, Daniel?”
He shrugs. “Just using an old trick I learned from my mother. She was a professional in divorce settlements. I don’t support what she did, but the strategies stuck. In her case, the husbands always ended up settling. But in your case, I simply want you to let Sloane go. She’ll be heartbroken for a few weeks. But she’ll survive. If she could survive her mother leaving, she can survive you. And let’s be honest, her life’s gotten a hell of a lot more dangerous since you came into it. If you care about her at all, you know what the right thing is.”
I study him. I don’t even think I’m mad at him. This is a man who believes he’s doing the right thing, saving his daughter. But then there’s Sora She got two million after she signed those papers, and she’s still miserable? Now she’s teaming up with Sloane’s father just to twist the knife a little Pathetic. I’ll be having a word with her soon. But for now, I’ve entertained this man long enough.
I lean forward again, voice low. “You should leave.”
“Don’t play hardball,” he says. “This can go smoothly.”
Chapter 114
“Should I call security? I assure you, the ones here are not nice.”
He rises. “I’ll leave. But I’m giving you a week. Do the right thing. Expect to hear from me otherwise.”
I watch him walk toward the door, I should let him go. But the words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.
“You know,” I say, “some of you parents will do anything to make your children hate you.”
Daniel pauses but doesn’t turn.
“You obviously love your daughter,” I continue. “And yet, this is what you do? Try to make decisions for her? Is there some kind of curse that takes over some of you when you become parents? Some spirit that forces you to ruin the best things in your children’s lives?”
Now he turns. “Don’t talk to me about parenthood until you become a parent yourself. Whatever decisions we make, we make them to protect our kids.”
“You’re going to lose her,” I say. “Just like you lost her mother.”
He pulls the door open and slams it behind him.
Silence fills the room again, but my pulse doesn’t slow.
I look down at my phone. There’s a message from Sloane:
‘When are you coming home? We need to talk.‘
But below it, there’s another message. This one is from one of her bodyguards.
‘Thought you should hear this, boss. Happened a while ago between your brother and your girl.’
There’s an audio file attached.
I don’t hesitate.
I press play.
And as the recording unfolds in my ear, as Finn’s voice mixes with Sloane’s in a conversation, I feel the burn rise up my neck. I don’t wait for it to end before I push my seat back and stand up.
My jaw is clenched. Hard.
Because whatever I just heard…
…it’s enough to draw ammo from all the sources of my anger.
AD
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7 Chapter 115
