Page 25 of Broken Hero
He nods and smiles at me. His smile is dazzling – if he weren’t so scary, he would be seriously hot. “Yeah, I do, unfortunately for you.”
I sigh. “What’s he done now?”
He looks around and notices everyone is watching us. “Is there somewhere we can go a little more private?”
He thinks I'm going somewhere alone with him? He must be out of his mind.
“No, I'm fine here. Let me guess - Dad owes you money? How much this time?”
He nods. “Got it in one. He owes six thousand, and he can't pay it. I know he’s come to you for money before, so thought I would come straight to the source.”
My jaw drops open. Six thousand pounds! That is it - I amdonewith Dad. It’s going to have to be tough love for him. Right now though, I have to worry about how I'm going to get out of this. “I don't have that kind of money.”
“You've settled his debt for him before.”
“Well yeah, and I’ve maxed out my credit card to do it. I work a nine to five job, and I have this part-time job too - do I seem like the kind of girl that would have that amount of money lying around?”
He shrugs. “Maybe not...maybe you’re a different type of girl? Perhaps we could come to some sort of arrangement?”
I go cold. He cant be suggesting what I think he is.
I hear a stool scrape and another and then another - before I know it, Declan is standing at one side of the guys, and the other firemen are standing near the leather jacket dude.
“You okay, Soph?” Declan asks me. His eyes are as hard as stone.
I nod. “Yeah, this guy knows my dad.”
I turn to the suit guy. “Wait a minute, how did you know I worked here - did he tell you?”
He nods and winks at me. “He did, yeah, with a bit of persuasion.”
My own dad sold me out.
I narrow my eyes at him. “Did you do something to him?”
He holds his hands up. “Nothing he didn't expect - don't worry, he’s fine, but he’s playing with the big boys now. He shouldn't have entered the game if he couldn't keep up with us.”
“If you touch my Dad...”
“What? What will you do if I touch your dad? If you like, you and I could talk about it over dinner? I'm sure we could sort something out.”
“Fuck off, I'm not a prostitute. Dad’s run up debt, that's on him, I told him I wasn't going to bail him out anymore, and I meant it.”
Declan stands even closer to the suit guy. His presence alone is intimidating, but the suit guy doesn't seem to care.
“Who the fuck do you think you are talking to her like that?” Uh oh, Dec does not sound happy.
“And you are?”
“The guy who is going to kick you out of here if you don't get out now. Leave her the fuck alone.”
Pete speaks up. “You mess with her, you mess with us - now you have a problem with her dad, take it up with him, leave her out of it.”
The scary guy turns to me. “Is that right? You're wiping your hands of your father?”
Oh shit, if I say yes what is he going to do to my dad? “I...”
“Yeah, that is what she’s saying,” Declan says in a low dangerous voice. “Now leave.”
