“Okay.” Hope sat with her hands in her lap, aware that Blake was standing directly behind her, which helped her peace of mind. She wondered how he had snuck past her walls so quickly. The fact that she trusted him already was amazing.
She relaxed when Faith came into the room, headed toward her, and sat. They clutched each other’s hands as the men talked around them.
“I’m scared, Faith,” Hope said.
“Me, too, but I trust these guys. They won’t let anything happen to us,” Faith said.
“What if our father brings an army of men?” Hope asked.
“It’s taken care of, girls,” Blake said behind her.
“The show’s about ready to start,” Duncan said.
“Girls, we want you to show as much fear as possible. We want them to think they’re taking you,” Blake said.
Hope felt an overwhelming feeling of panic and started crying. Faith whispered to her and put her arm around her.
When she heard her father, her stomach tightened unbearably, and she felt bile creep up her throat.
Her father walked in, followed by another man. He looked ordinary and nothing like the sadist she knew him to be. He was on the slim side, and if she didn’t know what a monster he was, she would have thought he was handsome.
“There are the two little cunts,” her father said as he faced the other man. “I told you, Rizzo, this family wouldn’t want to fight with ours.” He turned to Angus. “You’re a smart man, Angus. Our two families would have destroyed yours if you didn’t comply.”
“If you remember, Lorenzo, I’m the one who called you,” Angus said. “I’m too weak and old to have to deal with an all-out war.”
She could tell Rizzo was nervous and wanted to laugh. She just prayed this worked the way Blake said it would, and her father would be feeling some pain very soon.
When her father said he’d like to take them home, she gasped.
Hope thought he was going to take her until Alastair stopped him. Fortunately, they didn’t have to stay in the same room as her father and Rizzo. She struggled when Blake pulled her out of the room and stopped them several feet away from the office.
“Let’s go, girls. I want you as far away from them as possible.” He took her hand and led them up the stairs to Beth’s room. Once there, she could do nothing but pace.
“Baby, everything’s going to be okay,” Blake said as he grabbed her from walking past him again.
She pressed her forehead against his chest and let him soothe her. But she knew she wouldn’t be able to relax until her father and Rizzo were gone.