“Dad!” Mia gasped.
“William,” both Joseph and Holly said sternly.
“You want my head of security off the job?” the duke asked Joseph and Holly, all prim and dignified and pompous. “I want your hothead G.I. Joe gone.” He glared at Zeke. Even across time zones and an ocean and through a screen, it was a hate-filled glare. “I refuse to pay him, and I am sick of worrying about Mia’s tender feelings. This is life or death, Mia, so buck up and deal with your ex-boyfriend being by your side night and day because that is what will happen now. Goodbye, American.”
There was a pause as all four of them stared at the screen in semi-shock, and then Mia exploded.
“I don’t know what lies Blaine has been feeding you, but I refuse—refuse—to go anywhere near that lying prat. Zeke is my choice, and Zeke is the one who will defend me. I’ll pay him myself.”
“I don’t need or want anybody’s money,” Zeke interjected. His voice was too growly, but he was ticked. “I’m here for Mia, end of story. I won’t leave her side no matter what.”
The duke’s eyes widened at their passionate declarations. “So you are sleeping with him?” her dad asked coldly.
The way he said that made Zeke’s skin pinprick as righteous indignation filled him. Zeke had stupidly questioned her because of Lewis’s line to upset him, but how could her own father think that of her? It made his stomach churn. He’d apologized earlier for believing Lewis, and obviously that guy was a liar. Zeke tried to stay in control, but if he and her dad had been in the same room, the duke would be slammed against those windows, his perfect suit coat wrinkled in Zeke’s hands. His free hand was balled into a fist, and he was clutching Mia’s hand too hard with his other. He tried to soften his grip, but he could hardly stand to sit here.
“You always get their allegiance, don’t you, love? Every man. Falling at my little girl’s beautiful feet.” The duke was so demeaning that Zeke wondered if Mia hadn’t had a worse childhood than he had. “They don’t even want my money or my power. They just want you and your—”
“Stop speaking. Now,” Zeke commanded in his captain's voice. The Duke had said far too much already.
The duke leaned back against his chair and actually looked cowed.
“Thank you,” Mia said softly to him. She looked back at the screen. “You don’t know me, at all. Maybe if you’d spent more than ten minutes at home while I was growing up, it would be different. You think you love me in your own twisted way, but I don’t care about your power, your money, or your status. I’ve never been the proper daughter you wanted, ‘seen and not heard,’ and I don’t care about your approval because it’s an impossible goal. I am finished speaking with you. Ship your men home. We don’t need or want them here. Zeke can take care of me and the Deltas care about me and are more like family than you’ve ever been to me.”
Mia reached over and clicked the end call button.
Nobody moved for half a second. Then Holly turned and gathered Mia in her arms. She rocked her as if Mia were a small child. Mia still clung to Zeke’s hand, but her other arm wrapped around Holly’s back. The worst part was when Zeke saw tears trailing down Mia’s soft cheeks. He wanted to be the one comforting her, but he’d never comforted anybody in his life.
The memory of when Rachel’s dog had died popped into his head. Millie. Good dog. Nice dog. Zeke had no idea why she’d sobbed about it. Then she’d been mad at him for weeks because he hadn’t even tried to comfort her.
He pushed away that memory. It didn’t matter now. He’d messed up with Rachel. How could he not mess up with Mia? He wanted to comfort her, but he still wasn’t sure how to do it.
Joseph met his gaze over the women’s heads. His blue eyes were solemn. He felt awful for Mia, just as Zeke did.
The women pulled back and Mia wiped at her tears. “I’m sorry. He’s not usually that awful.”
“Is he close to that awful?” Holly asked.
“He’s always judgmental, arrogant, and impossible to please, but he’s never accused me of something the way he did. Claiming I get men’s allegiance because I sleep with them. I don’t know what’s gotten into him. I mean, obviously Lewis has fed him a bunch of lies. But that doesn’t excuse him for being an absolute prat. Oh, my mum is going to have his hide.” That made a small smile appear on Mia’s face.
“She absolutely will. I wish I could see that.” Holly looked at Zeke. “Mia’s mum is the feistiest lady and yet so endearingly loving. She’s the only one who can put that pompous Duke in his place. Sorry, Mia.”
“Don’t apologize to me. I think the same. What she sees in him, I’ll never know.”
“She loves him. And he’s good to her. You should’ve seen them back in college. They were desperately in love. Then the duke just got so … busy and important and full of himself.”
Mia’s mouth twisted. Zeke hated how demeaning her dad’s words and looks had been to her. He wanted to fly to England and teach the guy a few lessons. But sadly, he’d have to be respectful because the duke was still Mia’s father.
A door opened upstairs and Lewis strode out onto the balcony. They all stared up at him. Zeke wasn’t sure what the others were doing, but he was glaring more forcefully than the duke had dreamed of glaring at him a few minutes ago.
Lewis looked grimly at them and then resolutely marched across the balcony and disappeared on the stairs.
Mia leaped to her feet, ripping her hand from Zeke’s. Zeke wouldn’t let her face that guy alone. He stayed by her side as she rushed across the main area. Joseph and Holly were at their heels.
Lewis strode into the main area and held up his hands. “Please ...”
Zeke stopped himself from knocking the guy to the wood floor. Barely.
“I want to …” Lewis cleared his throat and spit out, “Apologize.” It sounded like the word was poison on his tongue.