Chapter Two
Her heart still hadn’t settled since the two brutes found her and dragged her here. At first, she thought either her father or Rizzo’s men had finally found her. When they talked about taking her to the Macleans, she was still fearful but not as much as before.
She’d been working hard to try to get her sisters and mother out of the house, but her father had them in lockdown until she was found. There were only a few people besides her sisters and mother she trusted in the house, and they’d been working diligently for the women’s escape. They had to do it without getting caught because if they did, they’d be dead. Then Faith would have no help or hope at all, and she’d feel guilty for the rest of her life. Both men had been her grandfather’s most trusted men and had always cared for her, her mother, and her sisters.
Her grandfather had been a well-respected person in the community, even though the majority of dealings had been shady. There was never a time he dealt in anything that would hurt an innocent person. After her grandfather died and her father had taken over, things changed. The family lost respect when her father had taken over and started the business of human trafficking.
She once heard him say it was the quickest and easiest way to make money. There was no merchandise to buy because you just took whoever you wanted off the streets, and bad people paid high prices for most of them.
Her feelings for her father died when she found out what a monster he was. But she wouldn’t stop fighting until she had her family with her.
Her first look at this Maclean took her breath away. He had dark hair like her own but with a mahogany tint to it, and it was very short. His eyes were a deep, dark brown that seemed to see right through her, and it unsettled her.
There was a knock at the door.
“Bathroom,” he said.
She rushed into the bathroom and closed the door until only a sliver of light could get into the room.
“Come in, Alastair.”
“Hey, what’s this dilemma you need help with, brother?”
She surmised this was the head of the family, and she started to shake. What if he decided to give her back to her father to prevent a war between the families?
“Our guys found Faith Moretti in one of our warehouses and brought her to me. She’d been there for several days.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Alastair asked.
“No.”
“Why was she there?”
“She was hiding because her father was marrying her off to Gabriel Rizzo.”
“Goddammit. What the hell kind of father is he? The man is sick. Fuck, both of them are—her father for putting her in the situation and Rizzo because he’s a psychopath.”
“I agree.”
She heard a chair creak and a minute of silence.
“Where is she now?” Alastair asked.
“Faith, come here.”
She took a deep breath, stiffened her spine, and walked out. Jesus, they were both freaking handsome and very large.
Alastair stared at her from across the room in shock.
“Fuck, I don’t know what to say, but I’m sorry.”
Her heart fell, and her stomach twisted as she nodded. “I understand. It might mean a war between our families. If I could just get a ride…”
“No, you misunderstand me,” Alastair said. “I’m sorry you had to grow up with a fuckwad for a father, for one.”
A surprised laugh burst from her. “Yes, he is a fuckwad.” She grinned.
The men chuckled.
“Our first order of business is we have to hide you.”
“She’s staying in my room.”
Alastair nodded. “After we get you safe, I think we need to bring Dad into it.”
“I thought that, too,” Graham said. “He’s dealt with both families in the past.”
“The fewer people that see her, the better.”
Graham nodded. “It’s just you and me who know who she is. Tommy and Ford brought her to me, but they thought she was a teenage boy.”
“Well, you’re certainly not that.” He turned to Graham. “I would have loved to have seen your face.”
Graham laughed. “Yeah, I was a bit shocked.”
“Tell those guys not to say anything about the kid until you check into the security of the building or something.”
Graham nodded. “Good idea. How will we get her up to my room without being seen?
“She’ll have to stay here until nighttime. There are too many people around during the day.”
Graham looked at her. “You okay to stay here? I’ll lock the door, and you have food and a sofa where you can try to get some rest.”
“Yes. There are also a million books to read if I get bored.”
Both men laughed.