Daddies Brat

I feel more than see their predatory gazes watch my every move. I don’t dare meet their eyes for fear of giving in and falling into their arms. Which would end up with me doing whatever the hell they want.

But I don’t get more than a few inches from either man.

Tomas tips my chin up. “Cute.”

I didn’t think I was being cute in the least.

“I guess we should tell her.”

I turn abruptly to stare into the eyes of Maksym. Dark hair encases a face pulled into a reserved expression. Tomas swears something in Russian and those kissable lips of his turn to flat lines. All three exchange hard looks overtop my head. Like what they are about to say both excites them and scares them in the same breath.

“Tell me what?” Now I’m getting scared.

Silence.

Stefan gathers my hands and draws them to his lips. He kisses the back of my knuckles one at a time and when he gets to the final one his black eyes lift to meet mine. In that second my world shifts. My feet are no longer on solid ground. I finally know why, too.

Stefan’s words flutter overtop my hands. His hold on me is solid as steel.

“We’ve purchased your life. You belong to us until we say otherwise.”

Was that a proposal? I’m not sure what the hell to say. So, I don’t. I turn on my heel and run as fast as my four-inch stilettos can carry me.

Stefan an hour before the gala

We were desperate for a way to tie her to us. And she didn’t make it easy. The weeks we spent apart felt like decades. At the two-week marker, I was ready to commit murder. Kill every fucker I could

find who had a bone to pick with the Cambridge family.

The way I calculated it I had a pretty good shot at eliminating the bastard who’s been harassing India. Something she held back from us during our times together. But who can blame her? We didn’t exactly let her know how serious we felt about her. Through her eyes, every time we left on business, we could have been doing anything under the sun. For all intents and purposes what we shared looked like hook-up sex and nothing more.

Misconceptions we will be rectifying before the night is over.

We spent the last few weeks killing ourselves trying to find a way to bring her back. And came up empty-handed every fucking time. Until a piece of information crossed our ears.

And then we knew we had her.

“Please, gentleman. Take a seat.”

Maksym and Tomas take Cambridge’s hand before I reach out. When my hand slides into his, our eyes lock and I let him know he won’t like what is about to transpire between us.

Maksym and Tomas take the leather chairs in front of the aging man’s large desk. We’re in the downstairs library a few paces from the front door. The walls are lined with countless priceless works of literature and a large fireplace to the right of the desk. Pictures line the mantel and several feature India standing with her parents in most and in others she’s with a man only a couple of years older than herself. They have similar smiles and the same shade of blue eyes.

Her brother. Part of me hates what we are about to do. The man has lost more than any parent deserves. But one evil to prevent a more devastating one is sometimes necessary.

“We have information you should know about,” Maksym starts. He stands and shoves his hands into his pockets. He never could sit still for too long.

Tomas picks up where our friend leaves off. “Information we believe you’ll be willing to pay for.”

Years of experience crinkle the older man’s face and dull the blue of his eyes, but I can tell he’s following the direction we’re leading him.

“I know who you are. I don’t do business with murdering criminals. And extortion is a little beneath you, don’t you think?”

“You can keep mouthing off and lose your only remaining child. Or shut up and listen. It’s that simple.” I hold his eyes and let him understand the seriousness of our words.

“I think you should leave.” He’s scared which is understandable. Our reputation is as fucked up as one can get. No sane person would ever entertain what we are about to demand from him, yet here we are. It’s just the way this messed-up world works.

“Let’s start again. We’ve already neutralized two threats to your daughter. Their names came across our desks mixed with death threats aimed at India. Because we know you are an honorable man we went ahead and took care of your problem.” I pause and let what I’m saying sink in. “She’s amassed several people who are not too happy about her coding work. I’m sure you’re aware.”

“I had no idea there was more than one.”

“Someone hired out help. We took care of the help, but there is still someone in the wings. We don’t know who. Yet. You’ll know after we do. Unless you would like to share something.”Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

He shakes his head. “I’ve had my teams on it for weeks now. They’ve found nothing so far.”

His face flusters with anger and fear.

“I’ve told her to leave it be. Her brother was smart to drop it. He got sick after that and I thought it would die along with him and then she picked it up. She never leaves anything incomplete. A trait she gets from her mother. India believes this code will be the next level of security that will put billions in everyone’s pockets and lock down everyone’s privacy the way it should be.”

“It will. And that is why you’d be surprised by who is willing to kill if she locks out people who make money off others’ information. You and your team can protect her only so far.”

“And what do you want in return for your favor?”

Staking such a public claim to someone as I am about to do for my brothers and myself is a whole new territory. Blood roars in my ears. Before anyone can see my hands shaking, I shove them into my pockets.

“Your daughter.” The words are heavy and thick in my mouth. When they fall, they detonate much like the bombs I intended them to be.

His face explodes in rage.

“What did you say?” His refined manners prevent him from cursing me.

“We are only here out of courtesy and respect for your daughter. After tonight, she will be coming with us. And you will help ease the idea to her. You can tell her it’s for her protection if it makes you feel better. But we killed for her, so she belongs to us now. Call it extortion, kidnapping. I don’t give a fuck. But she leaves here tonight with us.”

India’s father raps a knuckle on the hard oak of his desk. “No. I refuse.”

I chuckle darkly. I’m not about to stand aside and let this man get India killed. His ego is nowhere near the size of mine and it takes balls the bigger than this city to scare the filth threatening her into submission. Only under our care and protection can she be safe. A no from this man will not do.

“We are not negotiating, Mr. Cambridge.” In my world my word is never questioned. The last person who did will never utter another syllable. But the nervous father in front of me looks like he wants to fight my every word. I respect the hell out of that.

“You cannot have my only child. I refuse to give her up.” A pain I will never fathom until I hold my own flesh and blood in my arms crosses his expression.

“You gave her up the second you failed to protect her.”

My jaw tenses and beside me Tomas sighs heavily. Usually, he’s the one doing the talking and I stay quiet, but neither of us trusted Tomas to keep his anger in check tonight. He’s still raging about her father not doing something more to protect India in the first place. The way he grips the arms of the chair tells me he’s barely in check now.

“You think she’ll just willingly go with you?”

I shake my head, but it’s Tomas who speaks. “There’s no getting out of what you owe us. You can either tell her or we will. We’re not above taking what we want. Don’t push us.”

Tomas presses down on the plush leather to stand and India’s father follows suit. Tension hangs over the room. Only the crackling of a small fire in the hearth breaks the silence.

“Their names, damn it? I want proof. How do I know what you are saying is even real?”

He knows as well as I do that what we are saying is true, but I humor him.

I take my phone out and flip it around. With a couple of swipes, he’s shown the proof he needs. I put my phone back into my pocket. “We know this is only the start. There will be more and your team of by-the-book rent-abodyguards will never match our ruthlessness. Tell me I’m wrong.”

Silence.

“I didn’t think so.”

“You cannot play with the life of my daughter. I won’t allow it. She’s my flesh and blood. A Cambridge protects their own. I don’t need you. Why do you even care?”

India’s father follows us across the library. “Maksym. Care to answer the man?”

“Because we love her. And no one will stop us from protecting the woman we love.”

“Not even you,” Tomas adds.

With that, we take our leave. I step out of the library door and within seconds all three of us spot India on the staircase dressed like a queen. Our queen.

All we need to do now is convenience her we are her only hope for survival as she is ours.