Page 74 of The Stolen Dagger
The armed men around my father shifted in frustration, tightening their grip on their weapons.
My father cleared his throat. “And why is that?”
His voice was hard, but I wouldn’t expect anything less after learning of the dagger’s significance. It was obviously important to him and his men.
And I was the only person who knew where it was.
“Because Adrian still has Pearl. She was my neighbor. She helped me leave him that night. That is how Adrian found me. He hurt her because of me—because of this dagger. If I don’t give it to him, he’ll kill her. I can’t let that happen.”
I refused to let anyone else get hurt because of me. Pearl should have never been involved in this at all. It was my fault she was in this mess, and it was me who was going to get her out of it.
“I see,” he said, and the suit he wore stretched as he crossed his arms over his chest and scratched at his bearded jaw.
My father wasn’t happy, but I refused to put Pearl in any more danger. I couldn’t do that to her.
And if Adrian knew I had given the dagger to my father, he might kill her to get back at me, just because he could.
So, I had to give the dagger to Adrian. There was no other option.
Then an idea popped into my head.
“Unless …” I started, disrupting the silence that had settled in the room, “I make Adrian think I am handing over the dagger just to ensure Pearl’s safety, giving you enough time to get your revenge on the man who stole from you.”
“Interesting proposal.” My father’s dark brow quirked. “And how do you suggest we do that?”
The pieces were still coming together in my head, but with a bit of help, I think it could work. I just hoped the man in front of me, desperate to prove himself as the father I once knew, wouldn’t disappoint me again.
“I have a plan,” I said, “but I’ll need your help.” I glanced atthe armed men who worked for my father and then to Mack. “I’ll need all of your help.”
My father nodded once. “I will agree to whatever plan you have, but I will ask for one thing in return.”
“The dagger? Yeah, I was going to give that to you anyway. I sure as hell don’t want it.”
A small smile quirked at the corner of his mouth, accentuating the subtle wrinkles there.
“The dagger, of course, but that wasn’t what I was going to say. After this is all over, I’d like to have a relationship with you as my daughter. I’d like to get to know the young woman you’ve grown into. I’d like to be a part of your life, if you’ll let me. I know I have a lot to make up for, but I’m more than willing to try for whatever you’re comfortable with.”
Well, I wasn’t expecting him to saythat.
The urge to tell him there was no way he would ever be a part of my life again was strong, but I could tell he meant every word he said just now. And I had to admit, there was a small part of me that wanted a relationship like that with him, too.
Unsure how to answer him in the midst of everything going on with the dagger and Adrian, I sucked in a breath to respond when he cut me off.
“You don’t have to answer now,” he said. “All I ask is that you think about what I’ve said. Take your time, but I will ask again when this is over, and the dagger is back where it belongs.”
I blinked away the tears that had formed from hearing the sincerity in his voice. I nodded my head in agreement.
I would think about his request, but first I had a dagger to retrieve and a psycho ex to ruin.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
KATHERINE
Past the tourist traps and bright lights of Las Vegas, I stood outside of a small two-story house in a suburban neighborhood just outside of the city a few hours after the talk with my father.
The house had white panel windows and a light blue exterior. Chrysanthemums lined the stone walkway up to the pale yellow-painted front door.
The overgrown lawn was patchy like it hadn’t been mowed in weeks, but other than that, it was exactly as I had remembered it.
