e downed the remnants of it and turned back to him. “The little bird was wrong . . . as far as I could tell.”
Plant the seed and keep them occupied. She knew this info would drive her father crazy.
Her father’s eyes narrowed, and his lips tightened. “Where did you get that intel?”
Good question, she thought.
Jaden shrugged her shoulders and ignored the tightness that swept across them as she set down her empty glass. She needed one helluva massage to rid her body of the dark energy that was tying her up in knots.
“A conversation with a man at the bar a few nights back. He got loaded, I got some information,” she answered truthfully. “Doesn’t matter though, the intel didn’t pan out.”
“Interesting,” he said, more to himself than anyone else. “Benicio, call the driver.” He nodded to her, his eyes narrowing. “Clean yourself up and for God’s sake let out your plaything. I can smell his fear from here.”
Alarm rifled through Jaden, but she relaxed when she realized he must have sensed Tank. She, too, could smell his fear though it was overshadowed by embarrassment.
Her father walked toward the elevator and paused as the doors slid open, his profile sharp against the lit interior.
“You will stay the course, little pet, or the consequences will be swift and hard. The portal is our only agenda. It’s the key to everything.”
He walked past Benicio, entered the lift, and turned, his eyes piercing as they focused on her. “Kragen Black has requested a meeting. You will take it. He’s here and is expecting you for dinner. Dress well for him and do whatever you must to secure his allegiance.”
Jaden nodded but remained silent, trying to keep the disgust she felt to herself. He had called her a whore, spoken of his shame, but was the first one to pass her off as nothing more than a prostitute when the situation presented itself.
“If I sense a hint of betrayal, I will kill you.”
I love you too, Daddy. The little girl voice rushed through her brain, and she shook her head slightly, pushing back at memory lane until there was nothing but heavy silence.
The doors slid shut, and Jaden felt her energy leave in a rush.
Her teeth began to chatter, and she wrapped her arms around her body, trying to seek what little bit of comfort she could. But she was empty, tapped out, and as she closed her eyes, a single solitary tear escaped and slowly made its way down her face.
It slipped over the swelling flesh where her father had struck her, and she wiped it away angrily, relishing the pain that rippled along her skin as she touched the tender area.
Pain was good. It gave her something to focus on instead of the pile of shit her life had become. And the pile was getting larger every day . . . so big that it was becoming a physical entity.
At night, when she was alone in bed, it would press against her chest, hold tight, and drown her in sweat and fear. Not so much fear of the unknown or of dying, but the loneliness, the absolute knowledge that she had no one else.
Not really. Nico and the others were there for her when she needed them, but none of them belonged to her.
That ship had passed and left her a long time ago. Three years to be exact.
You gotta stop thinking about the future.
The doors to the balcony slid open behind her, and she exhaled slowly. She was no longer alone. Guess it would have been too much to ask for Julian to just straight up disappear.
“I see Daddy Dearest has some anger-management issues.”
Her mortification was now complete. Obviously, Julian had watched the entire exchange. Every painful detail.
“Cheap entertainment here at Night Sky Resort,” she tossed at him lightly, glad the tremors that bounced around inside her didn’t find their way out vocally.
She didn’t turn around, even when she felt the heat of him at her back. In fact, she found herself weakening, her flesh aching for a warm body.
An image flashed in her mind, of his arms wrapped around her tightly, providing the comfort and strength she needed.
She felt herself waver, her feet barely able to hold her body upright.
“Your father might be a total fucking jerk, but he’s right about one thing.”