Page 24 of The Desperate Warrior

“What are you talking about?”

“Go and get my phone.”

“Your phone?” Nikki asked dubiously and then glanced back at the guy. “What’s this about? Do you know him?”

Urgency swelled like a tidal wave in Jules’s chest. “Just get my phone,” she ordered. “I need to call my dad. NOW!”

Chapter 7

The distant rumble of thunder drew Jules’s attention. Nikki was still out on her run. Hopefully, she’d get back before the rain started again. If not, then her cousin would get drenched. Oh, well. Nikki didn’t seem worried about it, so Jules wasn’t going to waste any energy fretting. Nikki had taken the mace and knew how to protect herself should the situation warrant.

She glanced at Dad, who was sitting across from her. Dad, a master negotiator, often used the art of silence as a tactic to get people to cave. Well, it wasn’t gonna work this time. She sat waiting for him to speak.

Several minutes later, the silence was getting to her. Maybe Dad’s tactic was working. “Spill it,” she ordered.

His expression remained impassive, his ankle slung casually over his knee like he was relaxing at a dinner party rather than bracing for battle. Of course he looked relaxed—he always did. The man could hold a poker face even in the middle of a hurricane.

“What were you thinking?” she snapped. “How could you buy Brock a house?”

“I didn’t buy Brock a house,” he said patiently. “I bought it as an investment. Brock’s just going to live there while he does this assignment.”

So that’s what she was to him … an assignment? Why was she not surprised?

“Honey, I’m just looking out for you. You’ve got to know—that’s all I’m doing. Everything I do is for you and Zoe. The two of you mean the world to me.”

Jules was grateful that Dad cared so much for her and Zoe. Still, he was crossing the line between duly concerned and overstepping.

When she called him earlier, she'd hurled out her words in disjointed phrases.

In a calm, collected tone, he informed her that this was a conversation best had in person. Fine. She preferred it that way. At least now, she could look him straight in the eyes while giving him a piece of her mind.

“How could you?” she hissed. “How could you meddle in my life like this?”

He held up a hand, voice calm and measured. “Honey, just hear me out.”

“I—”

“Let me explain,” he cut in.

Grunting, she clamped her arms over her chest, giving him a scorching look hot enough to burn through metal. “Fine. But you’ve got two minutes before I unleash.”

He leaned forward slightly, exhaling slowly like he was gathering his thoughts. “Let’s look at this analytically.”

“Seriously?” A cackle scratched her throat. “You really want to go with ‘analytically’ right now? Okay, fine. You want analytics? Let’s break this down. You brought back the guy who dumped me on my sister’s wedding day.”

“Hold it,” he said, raising both hands. “I had a long talk with Brock, and he regrets everything that happened.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you kidding me right now?” She heard the shrill edge in her voice. It was a dead giveaway that she was on the verge of losing. “You’re siding with him?”

“I’m not siding with anyone, sweetheart. I’m only trying to get you to see the full picture.”

“Oh, I see the full picture,” she fumed. “It’s crystal clear. I was devastated by how

everything went down with Brock. That’s why I left the wedding reception and made up an excuse to go home. If I hadn’t left early, then maybe I wouldn’t have had the car accident.”

He frowned. “Surely you’re not blaming Brock for that.”

“I’m not blaming him,” she snapped and then paused. “Okay—maybe I do blame him a little, but that’s beside the point. My feelings about Brock are my own business.” She eyed Dad, daring him to disagree.

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