Trapped by Lies (Truth or Lies 3)

“Because as much as you pretend to be cruel, you aren’t. You didn’t actually sell my daughter, and you are too much of a pussy to hurt her.”

I press my foot into his neck, shutting him up, but I’m careful not to leave any visible markings. I don’t want Kai to know I roughed up her father before I let her meet him.

I study him and realize he’s bluffing. He knows nothing about the game. He didn’t trick me into selling Kai to Milo. He’s not working with Milo. He knows nothing. He’s just pretending to know something in order to stay alive.

Fucking pussy.

“Listen to me. If it were up to me, I’d kill you right here on the floor of this grungy office and never think about you again. But it’s not up to me. You’re Kai’s father. And I know the decision has to be hers.”

He tries to speak, but I dig my boot in deeper.

Self-control. Keep it together. Don’t give into the anger.

“This is how it’s going to go. At dawn, Kai and I are going to board this yacht so she can get her questions answered. You will not let her know you and I spoke. You will answer all of her questions, honestly. You will apologize for everything bad you have ever done to her. You will be a father. You will promise to protect her from now on and never hurt her again. And you will promise to stay out of her fucking life. Do you understand?”

I ease my foot from his throat.

He coughs.

“Or what? You’ll kill me? You already told me you wouldn’t do that for Kai’s sake.”

My face reddens as the anger explodes through my body. “I will kill you if you don’t do as I command. I’ve fucked up plenty of times where Kai is concerned. I’ll deal with her wrath if I have to. But I vowed to not let any man hurt her ever again. That includes you.”

He scowls. “You wouldn’t. You are too much of a pansy.”

I shrug. “Maybe. Maybe I wouldn’t kill you.” I press my boot harder into his throat, no longer caring that it will leave a mark. I watch his face turn purple and blue from lack of oxygen. And then I lean down close like I’m telling him a fucking secret.

“But there are worse things than death. Just ask your daughter about that.”

I release him and watch as the bastard wiggles on the floor, begging for oxygen. I only gave him a few seconds of what he put his daughter through and he could barely handle it—the coward.

I walk to the door, ready to return to Kai who I had to leave sleeping naked in my bed to come talk to this asshole.

“You think you got everything figured out,” Mr. Miller says.

I turn as I reach the door. “I do.”

He shakes his head. “You don’t know nothing. You don’t know the fucking truth. You don’t know the pain coming both of your ways. There is so much you don’t know, boy.”

Old feelings stir when he calls me, boy. The only other person that ever called me, boy, was my father. And I hated him for it.

I slam my fist into his face, watching the blood spurt from his nose as I do. So much for not letting Kai know I was here. She’ll know the second she takes a look at her father. But I’m done hiding secrets from her, and I don’t regret one second of my time with her father.

13

KAI

“ARE YOU READY?” Enzo asks me, as I roll up my sleeves on the buttoned-down shirt I decided to wear.

I wanted something that made me feel powerful, as an equal to my father and Enzo, but I’m not sure it mattered what I wear. I have huge butterflies bouncing around in my stomach.

How can I ever be ready to face a father who sold me?

I nod when I finish rolling my sleeves up, revealing enough of my scars, but not too much.

I want answers.

I want an apology.