Lori Foster - Men Of Honour

She turned and, in regal fashion, exited the room.

Molly didn’t realize she was holding her breath until Dare put a hand between her shoulder blades.

“Breathe, honey.”

She inhaled with a gasp. “Oh, my God, that was painfully awkward.”

Dare just shrugged. “If you thought so, then gird yourself, because I hear Bishop approaching, and given the weight of his stomping footsteps, it’s about to get worse.”

Now that Dare said it, she noticed the difference in her father’s usual metered approach, too. He came around the corner, but he wasn’t alone. He had one of the guards, and Kathi, with him.

For only a second his concerned gaze roamed over Molly, taking her in from head to toes. Something tightened in his face—concern for a daughter who had survived a kidnapping and severe treatment at the hands of goons? Molly just didn’t know. Often her father had been cold, but then, she’d never had her life threatened before.

Seeing that she was whole, Bishop quickly focused all his attention on Dare, a more deserving adversary.

Resentment brought the words to Molly’s mouth. “Hello, Father.”

All three of them glanced her way. Together, they made a potent triumvirate of animosity.

Dare laughed over their united front. “Should I consider this your idea of backup?”

The guard didn’t like that. His left eye twitched, and he made a point of showing his gun.

Softly, Dare taunted, “Try it.” Without breaking eye contact, he said, “I guarantee Bishop will get the first bullet.”

Kathi made sounds of alarm, her hand at her throat, her gaze going everywhere.

Bishop didn’t move.

Finally, the guard disengaged from his challenge. It was an amazing thing for Molly to see, but then, she’d known all along that Dare had that intimidating effect on people.

Expression severe, her father started to speak, and Dare silenced him with a look.

“You want this aired, Bishop, fine by me. Let’s open the windows and make sure the whole staff hears. But I had assumed you’d want some privacy—given your overriding concern for keeping things quiet.”

Impotent with rage, face distorted with displeasure, Bishop dismissed the guard with a raise of his hand.

The guard hesitated. “Should I stay inside, sir?”

He shook his head, and in a bid for privacy, said, “Take the rest of the day off.”

It was clear that the guard wanted to argue, but didn’t dare.

As he started away, Kathi frowned, moved with him and spoke quietly before returning to stand at her husband’s side.

Bishop’s gaze shifted to Molly again. “You’re back.”

“Yes.”

He hesitated, struggling with himself, but finally asked, “Unharmed?”

Kathi hugged his arm. “She’s well, Bishop, as you can see.”

Annoyance showing, her father continued to watch her. “She can speak for herself.”

“Yes,” Molly said. “Thanks to Dare, I’m okay.”

He nodded. To Molly, he almost looked relieved.

But now that the guard was out of range, he said low, “I can’t believe you came here, Molly. What were you thinking?”

Dare spoke up. “I brought her.”

Bishop looked at them both with disdain, but again gave his attention to Molly. “Do you have no shame?”

Molly did what she’d always done when faced with her father’s loathing. She squared her shoulders and donned an air of nonchalance. “I have no reason to be ashamed.”

“That’s not …” He inhaled deeply, looked away and then back again. “You’ll bring a scandal down on all of us.”

Molly curled her lip. “And that’s what matters most to you, right?”

“What the hell are you saying?” Freeing himself from Kathi’s hold, Bishop took a step toward her. Before she could blink, Dare was in front of her. He didn’t draw a gun, but he did take out his phone.

“You want to be an ass, Bishop, fine. I’m sure the FBI will be interested in investigating Molly’s abduction into Mexico and your probable role in it all.”

Kathi reacted theatrically. “Mexico?”

Bishop cursed as he pulled her back, signaling that he wanted her silence.

“No.” Inside his fancy suit, her father bunched and shifted and, knowing him as she did, probably worked up a sweat. “No, goddamn it, I do not want the law involved in this. Not because I have any involvement, but because—”

“It’s bad publicity. Yeah, I get it.” Dare shut his phone, and took a step forward to tower over her father. “Insult her again, give her so much as a dirty look, and I’ll make the call with the sole purpose of ruining you. Understand me?”

“How dare you?” Kathi whispered, sounding truly enraged. “You can’t—”

“Fine.” Bishop inched back from Dare’s quiet, controlled anger. To Kathi, he ordered, “Get some coffee. Bring it to the library.”

Kathi touched his arm. “Bishop, I don’t know about this. I don’t know about him.” She looked at Dare so no one would misunderstand.

“I’ll be fine.” He shrugged off her hand and stormed ahead, saying to Dare, “Come on then. Let’s get this over with.”

Dare slipped an arm around Molly. Near her ear, he asked quietly, “You holding on okay?”

She nodded with ill humor. “Typical day with my dad.” But she knew this wasn’t typical at all. Her father didn’t love her. He’d never loved her. For him, she was an inconvenience that he’d been saddled with, a daughter that forever disappointed him.

But now she had to accept that he might have had her kidnapped rather than continue to suffer her.

Her heart didn’t break, because long ago her heart had accepted that her father would never care. But she did feel shame—bone-deep shame for Dare to see how little she mattered to him.

They stepped into the large mahogany library. It smelled of lemons and leather and books. Lots and lots of books. As a child, Molly had been forbidden entrance to this room, which had of course made it all the more desirable.

Her love of storytelling had begun while disobeying her father and raiding his most cherished room.

Dare’s hand found hers. He laced his fingers through her own, gave her a gentle squeeze. She glanced up at him, and there was so much warmth in his gaze, so much acceptance and, oddly, admiration.

And then, right there in front of her father, Dare bent to kiss her. Molly knew what he did, and why: he wanted her father to understand, without a single doubt, that for Dare she was a priority.

How her father would take that news was left to be seen.

DARE SAT BACK ON the leather couch, his legs stretched out and relaxed, one arm on the back of the couch behind Molly. He hated putting her through this, but already he’d learned a lot.

Kathi wasn’t what he’d expected. Other than her damn mouth that could cut with sugary sweetness, she seemed soft and comfortable, not at all the rigid, uptight, perfectly coifed woman he’d expected.

Didn’t mean she wasn’t a bitch. She was.

And it didn’t mean he’d cut Bishop any slack, even though his wife wasn’t the trophy Dare had assumed she would be.

But maybe if he’d already misjudged Kathi, he’d made other misjudgments, as well. He’d have to think about that and strive to keep an open mind.

On everything, and everyone.

Bishop had taken refuge behind a massive desk where he held his peace while Kathi poured fragrant, gourmet coffee into china cups resting on saucers.

Both he and Molly declined the drink. Not that Dare would have let her consume anything offered by these people. They weren’t beyond poisoning.

The device on his key chain buzzed, and Dare lifted it out. After a glance at it, he said to Bishop, “Instruct your men to stay out of my car.”