He walks toward me, and a swirl of emotions battles inside my head. Every single one is more intense than the last. I shake my head, and he stops before getting too close.
I guess now is as good a time as ever.
“You need to find someone else to do this mission, Daddy.”
I refuse to look him in the eye, ashamed of myself for turning my back on my task and allowing myself to become so vulnerable.
Three months ago, if I had seen a child in the middle of the carnage, I’d have left her for the cleanup crew to handle and get to safety.
“The lies and secrets. I can’t do it anymore.”
A truth, but still a lie. I would never admit out loud that I’m feeling things I can’t comprehend in words. All I know is I’m protecting myself and Liam by staying the fuck away.
“If you want Brenner protected, then you find someone else to plant in his life.”
I turn on my heel, prepared to leave, hoping that I could have the last word and go find some sleep. My dad’s hand catches my shoulder, and he stops me.
“You’re falling in love with him.”
My first reaction is to lash out, to push away any notion of me falling in love with anyone. Instead, I raise my chin and square my shoulders before turning back to face my father.
“No,” I lie. “But if protecting him is important to you, he needs protection from me. I will break him, Daddy, and I will love every second. Collins and I are finished, and I’ve compromised the mission.”
“But you care,” he says.
The statement nearly throws me off balance, and if I don’t get a grip on who I’ve built myself to be, I’ll crumble in front of him.
“I care about you and what you want,” I say and walk out of the room.
I need to put as much distance as possible between my dad and me. His knowing eyes make me uncomfortable. He can always see how I truly feel despite the expert mask I’ve learned to wear.
Delaney catches me as I leave the office, pulling me to the side. We watch Dad walk by us like she won’t be updating him on the kid, anyway. I notice her cheeks blush pink, and my lips set into a thin line, judging her as she ogles my dad while he walks.
I snap my fingers in her face to get her attention, and she nearly jumps out of her skin, making me smile. I like Delaney, or I guess I tolerate her. She’s worked for my dad since I was a kid, and not even then did I miss her little fascination. I watch her fidget under my gaze, finding comfort in her discomfort.
I guess you could say The Omen was an attractive man. She’s not the only woman to fall at his feet, frothing at the mouth. His good genetics make him look younger than he is, and he keeps himself sharp and fit. Dad-bod does not exist where he’s concerned.
She’s around ten years older than my old man, with light brown hair she keeps in a chignon and deep brown eyes. Light freckles pepper her ivory skin, and though Delaney might be beautiful, I’ve seen the torment dad’s gone through with his current bitch of a wife.
It would take a lot to convince me you are good for my dad. This woman might play doctor to our wounds and keep our secrets, but this isn’t the life for her.
“Well, get on with it. What’s up with the parasite?” I ask. Her head snaps back at my nickname for the kid, but what else am I supposed to call her? Kids are parasites, aren’t they?
I cock my eyebrow, growing impatient as she stumbles over her words.
“Brooke is asking for the pretty lady painted in red,” Delaney says, putting a name to the parasite.
I start to brush past her. She grabs my arm to stop me. I look down at her hand in disgust, and she drops it. “Sorry. They took her from an orphanage. The police have had an Amber alert out on her. Oren ran off a hunch and looked through the recent missing children.”
I narrow my eyes—her job is to provide medical care, not give me a rundown on my men. “What are you getting at, Delaney? All I’m hearing is information I should get from my men,not you.”
Her throat bobs as she swallows, and she sighs before continuing.
“With trafficking rearing its ugly head around here, your dad wanted me to check her…”
“Was she?” I ask.
Delaney shakes her head, immediately filling me with relief. At least she wasn’t there long enough for something like that to happen.