“What? I don’t understand.” The shock that registered on her face broke Arabelle’s heart.
“I just. I need to be here…”
“You love him. The mafia man. You love him.”
She shook her head weakly.
“That’s not it. I have to stay; I have to do this thing.”
After a moment of silence, her gran nodded.
“You tell that man, if he hurts you, I will hunt him down and break his kneecaps with my cane. You tell him that.”
She stood and grabbed Arabelle, hugging her with more strength than she should have for someone so frail-looking.
“You tell him if something happens to you, he answers to me.”
She nodded, tears rolling down her face.
She couldn’t quite remember how her gran and Eddie left. She knew Alice and Jurgen helped them on their way. She knew they were staying in a small little hotel and she promised to visit them tomorrow.
She knew she had to take her father’s call and she waited until the last minute to do so.
“Arabelle. Listen to me. You might hate me. But I did the best thing possible for you. Every action I have taken, decision made, was always to give you, my daughter the best chance of living a life of grandeur or riches. Because you are my princess and you deserve it.”
“I was happy with the life I had, dad.”
“No. Your life is in danger. I made some bad deals with some bad people.”
“But you paid them off.”
“That was only a tiny insignificant portion of it. I was being blackmailed by a mafia unit linked with the Mexicans. They threatened to take you, Arabelle. I had to get you married and pregnant as soon as possible with the Knight brothers, those three brothers are the only three men in the world that could protect you from the Mexicans. I would do the same thing again.”
“So any of the Knight brothers could have been my husband?”
“Yes.”
She faltered and wanted to cry. Did Silas pick the short straw and that’s how he became her husband? No wonder he despised her.
“I aligned you with the best possible man from the best possible family to protect you. And that is why I will only give up the name of the unit that attacked Parker Knight’s wife once you’re pregnant. Carrying his baby is the only way to ensure you will be protected for the rest of your life. He won’t ever kill the mother of his child. He won’t ever stop protecting you either, whether he hates you or loves you.”
“Dad. Silas could have killed me. He could have tortured you in giving up the name.”
“He didn’t kill you yet, Arabelle. And a man like Silas is too cunning not to have done it already if…”
“If what? He cared for me? He hates me. And I don’t blame him. We’re extorting his family.”
“I’m protecting mine and the only way you will get that name from me is if you are pregnant with Silas Knight’s child. Or I will go to my grave with the name. I don’t regret my decision. Your life is more important to me than anyone else.”
“Dad, please. Just tell me the name. We don’t need all this. We can forget all this and just live in peace. Just tell me the name.”
“If I tell you the name, Knight will divorce you and you’ll be free for the Mexicans to take. That will never happen.” Her father started wheezing and she panicked.
“Dad,” she said but then he came back onto the phone.
“I won’t change my mind until you're pregnant.”
He disconnected the line. Her father meant what he had said. He’ll only give up the name when she was pregnant.