“I had a job to do, Priest.”
“It was a simple hit. You didn’t have to do it.”
“You didn’t know about the shipment of young girls, did you?” Target asked. “You ever wonder why Cleo was moved from one care home, and suddenly placed in another with no idea how she got there?”
Priest frowned.
Target chuckled. “That’s right. It was hard to find all of Cleo’s information. I’ve been accused of a lot of things in my life, and many of them are true, but not caring for my daughter, not loving her, that is the biggest lie of all. Cleo’s mother died because of me, because of what I do. We had Cleo at this point, and I knew I couldn’t take care of her, so I placed her in a care home, not far from where I had an apartment. What I wasn’t prepared for was … your hit. He was a man who liked underaged girls, and the care home where I’d placed her was rounding up the young girls. They did this every so many years and made it look like an escape pact. In reality, they were sending them off to their fate. To be used. To be raped. To be put to work.” Target stopped, and Priest knew this was hard for him. “I know it wasn’t my hit, but my little girl’s life was in danger, Priest. I would do anything for her, and I did. I killed all of them, got the other girls to a safe place, and then I placed Cleo where she’d be better taken care of.”
“But she wasn’t,” Priest said. “There is no logic to what you did.”
“People have found out who she is, and look what has happened,” Target said. “Her life is in danger, and there is nothing I can do to stop it. All I wanted to do was take care of her. Like I promised her mother.”
Priest knew that Cleo’s life was never going to be the same again. Not just because of Target, but also himself. Even though he was a member of the Killer of Kings, that didn’t mean he didn’t also have a reputation that meant people would happily kill her.
“Why are you telling me this?” Priest asked.
“I saw the way you took care of her. You’ll protect her, but I need to talk with my daughter. Help her to understand.”
“You’re asking me for permission?”
“I’m showing you respect, but don’t push my buttons, son.”
“I’m not your son.”
Target smiled.
Priest hated him. That was never going to change.
What he could do was put up with his bullshit for Cleo’s sake. That was the only thing he could truly do. “Wait here. I will go and get Cleo,” Priest said.
He had to break the news to her that her life was bound to his. That there was no way she was going to make it out alive, and he hated that. Hated that he couldn’t offer her a safer life. Boss probably could. That man had a way of making people disappear, and not just to kill them either.
Cleo was sitting on the sofa, Harb on one side of her, Bain on the other. Three men guarded the room.
Priest cleared his throat, and Cleo looked up and saw him. A huge smile covered her face, and she got to her feet and rushed toward him.
“You’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
Cleo nodded and quickly tucked her hair behind her ears. Her smile was wide, but he saw the tears in her eyes. “Something’s wrong.”
“Can we talk?” Priest asked.
“Yes, of course we can talk.” She smiled.
Neither man looked up as Priest guided her out of the room. He found a small alcove and tucked her up inside it, protecting her.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Cleo asked. She set her forearms on his chest, clutching at his shirt. He loved the feel of her hands on him.
“I’ve just spoken with your father,” he said. “He wants to see you.”
“Oh.”
“This is up to you, Cleo. If you don’t want to see him, then you don’t have to. If you do, I’ll be close by. You don’t need to worry.”
She pressed her lips into a thin line. “Do you … do you want me to see him?”