Page 74 of Cinderella and the Daddy
Of course, it was a fucking trap. They lured her out and probably had eyes on her the whole time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to plant their surveillance equipment.
And I let her go.
"The parking lot," I say, pieces clicking into place. "They had access to the car while you were waiting inside."
"Oh God." Her face goes pale. "Luka, I'm so sorry. I should have told you about the text. I should have?—"
"Hey." I cup her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me. "You couldn't have known."
"I would never betray you," she whispers, tears starting fresh. "Never. You have to believe me. I'm with you, Luka. Completely. You and Leo and now..." She places a hand over her stomach. "This baby. You're my family now."
The fierce certainty in her voice, the way she looks at me like I'm her whole world—I believe her. Every instinct I have tells me she's telling the truth.
"I know," I tell her, and I do. "I know you wouldn't."
“I won’t talk to her again.”
"I need to end this," I say. "Charles, the whole damn mess.”
"Luka—"
"No. He crossed a line when he made you a target, and now..." I look down at her stomach, still flat but somehow already precious beyond measure. "Now he's threatening my family."
She grabs my arm, her grip surprisingly strong. "Charles may not be a good man, but he did take me in.”
"I'm going to talk to Charles. He called me and offered himself in your place.”
She frowns. “What? Why?”
I shrug.
Her mouth drops open.
"Charles? Sacrifice himself?" She shakes her head. "Luka, you don't know him like I do. The man who raised me isn't capable of that kind of selflessness. He's proven that over and over again."
Her certainty cuts through my confusion. "Then why?—"
"Because he wants something," she says firmly. "Charles doesn't do anything without calculating what's in it for him. If he's offering himself up, it's because he thinks he can gain an advantage somehow."
I study her face, seeing the hard-earned wisdom there. She lived with the man for fifteen years. She knows him better than anyone.
"You think it's a setup."
"I think Charles Tremaine has never sacrificed anything for anyone, including me." Her voice hardens. "When things got complicated with my foster placement, he could have fought to keep me. He didn't. When I aged out of the system, he could have offered me a real home. He gave me a job instead. And when youwalked into that garage, he could have stood up for me. He let Drew hand me over without blinking."
Each word drives the knife deeper into my understanding of the man who raised her. No wonder she's so guarded. The people who should have protected her spent years teaching her she was disposable.
"Charles can't be allowed at the compound," she continues. "It's too big a risk. For you, for Leo, for everyone."
Something warm spreads through my chest at her words. She's not just thinking about her own safety or even mine. She's thinking about my son. About our family.
"You're right," I tell her. "But I still need to deal with him."
"Just... be careful. Promise me you won't underestimate him. Charles might not be willing to die for me, but he's definitely willing to kill for whatever he really wants."
I nod, pulling her closer. "No one gets close to you or Leo. I promise you that."
"We need to get back," I say. "Leo will be wondering where we are. I’ve got him in the safe room with Tony. When I discovered you gone, and the tracker?—”
