Her silence was deafening. She didn’t argue, didn’t defend herself, just turned back to her glass and picked it up again.
I shook my head and walked away. There was nothing left to say.
My insides were tied into knots as I strode down the hall to the door of my father’s office. Anxiety churned in my stomach, and my fingernails dug into my palms.
I wasn’t a confrontational person, especially when it came to my family, but I simply had no choice. This was for my independence, for my future with Colt — it had to be done.
I pushed open the door and laid eyes on my father’s surprised face. Colt sat with his back to me and turned his head only slightly, as he had been expecting me after all.
“Hailey,” my father said in surprise, but there was already a hint of annoyance in his tone. “When did we stop knocking? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”
“Funny you should ask. Yes, something is definitely wrong.” My voice sounded a lot steadier than I felt.
“Is that right?” He raised his eyebrows, his piercing gaze focused on me. “I hope it’s important, because I was just having a crucial conversation with Colt here.” I didn’t miss the way his lip curled slightly as he said his name.
“You can stop acting. I know,” I told him coldly.
He recoiled, and something like panic flickered across his face, but it immediately disappeared behind his mask of arrogance.
“Interesting. So your little boyfriend told you about ourarrangement? I wonder … Did he also tell you his dirty little secret?” He grinned smugly.
I rolled my eyes, standing right next to Colt. “The folder? Yes. I know about everything. I also know that without Colt or a certain agreement that involves me, you’re completely screwed from a financial standpoint. There’s nothing you could throw at us that would give you an advantage or drive a wedge between us.”
With each word, some of his bravado faded, giving way to disgust and spite. He slammed his palm down on the shiny table.
“Watch it, you ungrateful—”
Colt cut him off. “I suggest you consider your next words very carefully. I can assure you that you no longer hold all the cards here. We do. And if you treat Hailey disrespectfully, I have no problem expressing my displeasure.” Definitely the wrong time to get turned on, but holy shit, that whole authority thing was fucking sexy.
A sneer spread across my father’s face, and he leaned back in his chair. “Let’s have it, then. What do you think you’ve got on me?”
I stepped closer to the table, Colt’s presence behind me comforting and reassuring. Still, my hands shook as I said, “First, you should know that none of the material you illegally obtained is still in your possession. Second, you may also be interested to know” — he tapped frantically on his phone, even though I was still talking — “that your source of information is no longer available. He was kicked off the team a few days ago.”
With each swipe across the screen, his expression grew more panicked, his movements more erratic. The colordrained from his face, and a thin sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.
“What have you done?” he asked tonelessly.
“Took something from you that you never had the right to possess,” I hissed back. “And while we were at it, we took some insurance with us.”
“Insurance?”His fingers drummed on the tabletop. Satisfaction flooded through me as he for once felt what it was like to have control taken away from him.
“Yes, insurance. I take it the nameMarkovmeans something to you? We know of your involvement with them. Try to drag me or Colt into your shit again, and you’ll have your own nice little cell in no time.” I shook my head. “The Russian mob?Really, Dad? Was our life before all this” — I gestured around — “really that bad that you couldn’t bare going back to it? That’s so sad.”
“You don’t know what you’re doing. Just use your head. If I don’t have any money, you don’t either!” he yelled.
“I don’t give a fuck!” I fired back, slapping the table. “Don’t you get it? The money was only ever of interest to you, I would have gladly given it up to get my family back. I’d rather work my ass off than live under the terms of your crooked deals. Not to mention, it’s sick to betray and sell your own daughter for your own gain. You disgust me.”
His face was no longer pale. Slowly but surely a blush of anger rose to it. He’d never liked being called out by others. “You’ve got it all figured out, don’t you?” he taunted. “Let’s see how long you make it before you come crawling back.”
“Don’t hold your breath. You can go fuck yourself. This” — I made a circular motion with my finger — “is the last time we’ll see each other as far as I’m concerned. Stay out of ourlives, and we’ll keep our intel to ourselves.”
“Fine by me.”
I scoffed, in a way reeling from his willingness to unceremoniously let his only daughter and child walk away with no prospect of reconciliation. But it also gave me the final push I needed to put this behind me.
“Goodbye,” I said, turning around and grabbing Colt’s hand to pull him out of the room behind me. Without so much as a word, my father let us go.
Just before we crossed the threshold, Colt pulled me to a stop as he turned back to him and spoke in the coldest voice I’ve ever heard come out of his mouth. “If you know what’s good for you, this will truly be the last time we see each other. You underestimated me once. Don’t make the same mistake again. I will do anything for Hailey and to keep her safe.”
