“I don’t give a shit, asshole.” I stomped on his foot as hard as I could then shoved my elbow back into his side, but he held me so close that it had no momentum behind it.
“I like you. But then I already knew that.”
“Well, I don’t like you.”
He laughed. “I don’t want you to. That would be dangerous for us both. Plus, my advantage would slightly diminish if you did.”
What a bastard.
With his chest hard against my back, he guided me to the car. He was gentle as he pushed me against the side of it then bent and picked up his phone, which he’d obviously dropped when I ran.
Water dripped from the device and I bit my lip when I saw the shallow puddle it had landed in.
He wiped it off on his pants, fiddled with it a second then sighed. He opened up the backing and took out the SIM card then dropped the phone on the ground and smashed it with his heel. The plastic cracked under the force.
I glanced off to the side. Maybe I could lose him in the woods. I was smaller and—
“Run again and respect or not, my knife will be the one chasing you next time.” He kicked his busted phone into the bush. “And I never miss my mark.”
I raised my chin and crossed my arms over my chest. “What do you want with me?” I hesitated then added, “Kai.”
He grinned when I said his name. It was a slow forming grin as if he was pleased with me. “I don’t want anything from you.” He paused as if waiting for me to do something. I didn’t. “Except your complete cooperation, of course.”
“Why are you doing this? Why are you threatening my father?”
“The less you know the better. Keeps you alive.” I swear my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. “And I’d prefer if you lived.”
“Why? You obviously brought me out here for a reason.”
“I did.”
“Are you going to tell me?” Fear catapulted to another level while I waited for him to tell me, or not. Either way it wasn’t good.
“I’ve been put in a difficult position.” Did I care? Well, I did if it meant he had to kill me. “I wanted to keep you clear of this, but your father has made that impossible.”
“If he says he needs longer for whatever he is doing for you, then he does. My dad doesn’t lie.”
“I never claimed he was lying.”
“Then why not give him more time?”
He shrugged. “It’s not my call.” Then as if something came to him, a flash of amusement hit his eyes. “Perhaps, you can help him.”
“Me?” I probably knew enough, but I had no intention of assisting in whatever illegal drug my dad was making. And I was pretty damn certain it was illegal and that was why he’d never mentioned it to me—for years. “I’m not experienced enough.”
“Oh, I think you are, London.” My breath hitched as he stepped closer so he was a mere arm’s length away. God, he sounded so certain. What pissed me off was that he was right. I’d do anything to help my father. “And if he doesn’t have something ready for us in a week, there will be consequences.”
I stiffened. “What kind of consequences?”
“If I told you that, then you’d have time to prepare for the… unpleasantness.”
Holy shit. What the fuck? Who was this guy? “Will you kill him?” My stomach lurched as I said the words.
He watched me for a second not saying anything and I held my breath waiting for his answer. “That isn’t my decision to make.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. Kai seemed like the type of guy who did whatever he wanted.
I was calling the police the second he let me go. I didn’t care what he threatened me with. He couldn’t get away with this. Whoever he was or whomever he worked for, the police could deal with it and my dad and I could go in protective custody or something.
The warm breeze played with his dark, thick strands causing them to fall in front of his right eye. He didn’t bother to push them away as his eyes narrowed in on me.
“I can see your brilliant mind working hard at trying to come up with something, but there is nothing you can do here. If you decide going to the authorities is a wise choice, then by all means. Except know it will snowball into something you and your father won’t like. Consequences, London… and there is nowhere you can hide where you can’t be found.” He sighed. “I’d rather this end nicely for you.”
My fingernails curled into my blouse so hard I heard a tear. I believed him. I believed every terrifying word out of his mouth. But I had to help my father. He was all I had left. No other family. No close friends since all I did was focus on school. I’d had my nanny, Lila, who lived with us after my mother died until I was eighteen. Lila hadn’t been much of a communicator as her English was poor. But she loved to cook and let me do what I wanted, which was spend time with my head buried in my books. When I was eighteen and started university, she moved back home to Sweden and I never heard from her again.