Page 62 of Knot a Tie
He will be as soon as I start talking, though.
Jason, Daddy tells me is his name, closes the door and sits down opposite me, while Daddy stands in the corner, his arms folded.
“What is this about, Rayne?” Daddy barks out.
“I wish to report a crime,” I say again. “Yesterday morning…”God, was it only yesterday, “…I was run off the road on the way to London from my house and abducted.”
“WHAT?” Daddy roars, his arms dropping to his sides as he marches forward, his face furious and red.
“I’m fine,” I say to calm him down, but there is no chance of that. He blusters and expostulates, swearing and carrying on as a dad would do, not the Chief Justice.
“I’m fine!” I shout over his yelling. “Look, all good in the hood.” I stand up and make a show of how fine I am. “But I wouldn’t have been if it hadn’t been for Richard St. Stevens. He saved me. He risked his own life to get me out of the situation and I thank God he did, because if it wasn’t for him, I would be mated to a super-pack of nasty alphas, chained up and gang raped.”
That stops my father’s tirade dead.
I continue into the silence as Jason hastily starts writing all of this down, now that things have proven worthy of his time.
“Richard St. Stevens saved my life and fought bravely while his brother’s pack, theSt. Stevenspack, got me to safety. I have been staying with them this last day to recuperate from my ordeal, but also to keep you safe, Chief Justice Halstead.” Calling him ‘Daddy’ now probably would go against my credibility.
“Me?” he spits out.
“Yes, you. They targeted me to get to you, we believe. I may have been held up for ransom at some point or worse, just used for my position with you. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you running to come and get me, putting yourself at risk, nor did I want to come home and have them potentially follow me. Mick Savoy and his men were at the centre of this plot, and I can prove it. They still have my phone and with my testimony, we can convict them and send them to prison where they belong.”
I inhale deeply and then sit down, my hands on the table, shaking from the confrontation and the reliving of what happened to me, whatcouldhave happened to me if Richard hadn’t been there.
“Richard St. Stevens,” Daddy growls, that seemingly the only thing he has taken in. “Is a criminal and belongs in prison with the rest of them.”
“Not in my book,” I state firmly.
“You lied about where you were and what you were doing,” he accuses.
“I had to. Did you not hear a word of what I just said?”
“Rayne,” he snaps. “I am your father. It is up to me to protect you, not the other way around. Jesus wept!” He turns around and punches the wall in a previously unseen display of rabid temper.
In the next second, he lunges towards me, hauling me to my feet and throwing his arms around me. “My baby girl,” he whispers. “What did they do to you?”
“Nothing,” I choke out as he squeezes too tightly. “Because of Richard.”
He holds me at arm’s length and grabs my wrist. The one that Richard bit. “They tried to possess you?” His disdain is overpowering.
“No, Richard did it to save me. I gave him my permission.” I pull my arm back.
“Richard,” he sneers, shaking his head. “And the rest of them? The St. Stevens pack? What have they done to you while you’ve been in their house?”
“Nothing. They have been lovely and welcoming. They haveprotectedme. I know you contacted them about a mating. I choose them. Along with Richard. He belongs with his pack. I know you’ve blackmailed him, and I won’t stand for it!”
I bite the inside of my lip. I hadn’t meant to reveal all of that yet.
“You won’t stand for it?” he bellows as Jason takes the opportunity to slip out, so he isn’t a party to this family brawl. Doesn’t matter. He has what he needs to arrest Mick.
“No, I won’t,” I growl. “He is my future mate. They all are, and I will not sit here and have you rip that away from me. I’ve given you everything you need to arrest Mick and his men and leave Richard the hell alone. He is coming back to his pack and to me. End of story.”
“Rayne, you are walking on thin ice here, my girl. You don’t tell me how it is. I tell you.”
“I don’t think so. I know all about your little manipulations over the years, Daddy,” I say, grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. “All the gifts and cars to keep me in line. Well, no more. I am twenty-one next week. I’m adult enough to know what I want and to accept responsibility for my own actions. I will be mating with the St. Stevens packincludingRichard, and there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it. I know Mum will agree with me when I tell her everything as soon as I leave here.”
“He signed a contract,” Daddy says quietly. “I can have him thrown in jail right this second for breaking it.”
