Page 100 of Protection (Mobsters + Billionaires 2)
My father walks through the door, and his hand briefly goes to his heart before he drops it back to his side.
“Why do you have it so dark in here, Madhuban?” he whispers in Hindi, flipping on the light.
“I just woke up,” I whisper back, unsure where this is going. “And I’m not familiar with this room.”
He nods. “I’m glad to see you've bathed. They had you in quite a state. I've brought you some clean clothes.”
Unsure of his intentions, I forgo the niceties and strip off the dirty clothing, quickly pulling up the soft cotton pants and shrugging into the airy long-sleeved shirt. I grab the dresser, swaying from the effort.
My father holds up the trash basket. “Here, throw those clothes away. They are beyond saving.”
I don't want to comply because they are the last clothes Anthony saw me in. However, I don’t know my father’s angle, and I can’t risk going against him now over something so small.
I place the clothes in the trash basket, and my father dips his head, a strange gesture for the man.
We stand there for half a beat, staring at each other.
Finally, my father clears his throat and whispers, “This is not my doing. I am not in control of my house right now. These men, these Russians, showed up with you a day and a half ago and forced their way in. They killed my guards and cut off the phones. Your mother and I are staying in our room with your two youngest sisters, and they have taken over the downstairs. I am glad to see that whatever they gave you has finally worn off.”
“Will you get into trouble for checking in on me?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. They have not stopped our movement inside the house, but we have not been able to leave or call anyone. I do believe that once it is known you are awake, they will want to interrogate you.”
I shiver. “What do they want? Is it the polymer? Are they mad that you have been stalling me at every turn?”
My father nods. “It is my belief they have been watching me for months now, so I've not been able to speak plainly with you.”
“I’ve had the same issue, but I got a little lucky with my security guy, and we have an unexpected ally.”
“Good. Good. I want you to know I was not the one controlling the agenda in Vienna. Despite what I said, the Indian government has no issue with manufacturing facilities having a high standard of human care.”
“That’s a relief,” I answer briefly, hoping to encourage my father to keep talking.
“But we cannot guarantee the safety of the data,” he says, his brows pinched in concern. “As soon as the first facility is up and functional, the Russian government will send in spies—or a private military force—to get that formula one way or the other.”
It’s exactly what Anthony had predicted.
“It’s because my IT guru is a genius and has made it impossible to steal electronically.”
My father nods. “You impress me. Both with the polymer and your defense of it. You have good people around you.”
My heart catches in my chest. My father has never complimented a single thing I’ve ever done.
Needing to quickly move past one of the more meaningful moments of my life so I don’t get bogged down in the emotion, I ask, “Is there nothing else that can be done on the diplomatic front?”
My father shakes his head. “The associate who joined us in Vienna? I have worked with him for many years, but something has changed. I believe he now belongs to the Russians, and I would not trust any deals he makes regarding the safety of these facilities.”
His associate was smooth, funny, and unyielding. In retrospect, I’m confident he was sent to ensure my father toed the line.
“So, what is our move now?” I ask, still boggled by the surreal elements of this conversation, namely that my father is speaking to me with whispered respect.
“Madhuban, you must know they're going to do whatever it takes to get the formulation of that polymer.”
“Then I am taking it out of play.”
“You do not know what these men are capable of. They will get the formula from you, and by the end of it, you may be missing a few things that are important to you. Fingers, limbs, people. Think of your sisters. I do not see a way out of this.”
“You say I've been here for a day and a half, is that correct?”
