Page 49 of Midnight Danger

Ash stared at me and I nodded to the drawer beside him.

A secret staircase led from a panel beside the window in this apartment to another hidden panel in the back of the wardrobe in my apartment. My thumbprint on the scanner opened the door to allow us all in.

Voices echoed from the living room as we silently prowled closer.

“Ten million is a lot of money. Think about it,” Dad said.

“I’ve already told you that money has nothing to do with what Zee and I have. We’re having a baby. Do you really expect me to walk away just because you wave cash under my nose?”

“That could buy you your own law firm,” he argued. “I’ll have a contract drawn up that gives Xavier full custody of the child.”

The tension in my jaw radiated through my body until my temper snapped. “Enough!” I roared, stomping through the door. “Are you fucking serious?”

Dad and Cassandra’s eyes turned to me in shock before Dad’s narrowed at Cassandra in accusation. “You said Xavier was out.”

Her brow furrowed and she fiddled with the hem of her top. “He was.”

“I own several floors of this building,” I retorted. “There are escape routes built in between rooms. What the fuck are you doing, Dad?”

“Saving you from making a mistake. I’ve been in negotiations with some of the other families we’re associated with about brokering a marriage between our families.” He straightened and folded his arms across his chest.

Jordan and Ash stepped out, their expressions serious. “I assume this includes most of the families?” Ash asked.

“It makes sense to consolidate our interests,” Dad replied defiantly.

“Cassandra’s father was a member of the Council,” I pointed out.

Dad stared at her. “She would have been eligible if she’d been raised in our world. But she’s spent years forging her own path and becoming feral and detached from our mission.”

Cassandra gasped and stepped back as if he’d slapped her across the face with his insult.

“Fuck this,” I muttered, suddenly tired when not ten minutes ago I was complaining about being an insomniac. “Get out, Dad.”

He eyed me. “No. All the arrangements have been made. You can cancel your little gathering on Friday. I’ve already spoken to the relevant parties tonight. At this dangerous time, we need all our assets together.”

I would never put a hand on Dad, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t let Jordan or Ash do it. My gaze moved to them and I motioned they remove him with a jerk of my chin. Without thinking, I tugged Cassandra against me, my chin on top of her head. “I wanted you to be a part of our lives, Dad. That can’t happen if I don’t trust you.”

Cassandra relaxed, her arms slowly moving around my waist. Did she really think I would walk away from her?

“There will be no cancellation of my plans. The only amendment will be your absence. Get him out of my sight.”

Jordan and Ash flanked him to usher him to the door.

“I haven’t finished what I wanted to say,” he hissed.

“You’ve said enough,” Ash replied in a low voice. “Zee’s spent years broken because your trophy wives pawed him from an early age. Could you just not have been happy that he found someone he wanted to be with?”

Jordan pushed him from the room, but I’d already turned my back on what was happening.

“What gathering did he want you to cancel?” Cassandra asked in a low voice.

I groaned and arched my back to peer down at her. “I guess it isn’t a secret anymore. We’re getting married on Friday. Megan helped me pick you a dress based on what you had talked about growing up.”

She stared up at me without blinking.

“The renovation on our house is nearly complete, and I had a nursery added to the plans.” Now I was starting to ramble. “You can pick all the colour schemes for the rooms when the builders have finished.”

I swallowed, trying to think of something else to fill the awkward silence.

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