Alex was out for two reasons. The first being she’d promised Ian she’d always go to him first, and she meant to keep that promise. The second being that Alex would find her father and beat him within an inch of his life. As appealing as that thought was—and Riley refused to dwell on what kind of person that made her—she couldn’t allow him to ruin his career and his life over her. He’d done enough for her over the years, and she wouldn’t repay his friendship and love by knowingly destroying him.
Which left Ian. Without a doubt, she knew he’d react the same way as Alex, and she wouldn’t put him in that position either. Both men had too much at stake professionally, both were public figures, and both deserved more than to lose everything because her father had tripped their anger.
In her heart, she didn’t believe Ian would care if her father did his best to humiliate him in public, but Riley would. She also couldn’t subject his family—his mother and sisters especially—to her father’s hostility and venom. They didn’t deserve the fallout sure to come from Ian being associated with Riley.
God, she hated the man. He was forcing her to lie to Ian, the one thing she didn’t want to do. She mentally replayed her conversation with Ian. “You either trust me or you don’t. You either instinctively come to me first or there is no us. On that, I can’t compromise.”
She honed in on the word ‘first.’ She promised would come to him first, which implied she’d go to him over Alex. She was parsing, she knew. Playing word games to justify not telling him about her father’s call and threats. Word games were all she had.
She couldn’t go to him about this, not because she didn’t trust him, but because she did. She trusted him to take care of things, to either kill her father or agree to pay him off. She couldn’t allow the former, and the latter? She shook her head. She might be learning to accept things from him, but this was out of the question. Her father would only keep coming back for more, over and over again. He’d never be out of their lives. She shuddered at that.
Somehow, Riley needed to handle her father herself. No matter how scared she was, and her stomach cramped with pain at the thought, she needed to handle him alone.
She played with the necklace dangling against her chest, finding small comfort as she touched the pendant, and thought about how to proceed.
What to do.
The idea, when it came to her, was simple. It also devastated her. But most important, it would buy her time and protect Ian and his family from her father until she could figure out a more permanent solution.
FOURTEEN
Ian’s stomach grumbled.
He glanced at his computer screen, his gaze on Riley’s instant message window that he kept up and available to him at a moment’s notice. He thought of the day he’d taken her in his office, and his cock hardened immediately. Sex or food, he thought wryly.
Ian: Hungry?
She didn’t answer immediately, so he gave her some time to return to her desk.
He called the private investigator he’d put on Riley’s father and left the man another voice mail. Ian understood it took time to compile information, but dammit, he wanted answers now.
A few minutes later, with no word from Riley, he decided to go find her. He’d had lunch with her all week, and though they hadn’t explicitly discussed today, she’d have let him know if she had a meeting.
He walked through the offices, which were mostly empty, as it was lunchtime, and stepped into her private domain. She wasn’t around. He figured he’d leave her a note and go grab something in the cafeteria. Maybe she’d come find him and they could share a quickie for dessert. At her desk, he looked around for a piece of paper, his gaze immediately coming to rest on a notepad.
Cash-In Pawn Shop was scrawled in her handwriting.
Ian narrowed his gaze. What the hell would she need to hock and why?
Her father.
Ian didn’t know what was going on, but he’d bet his life it had something to do with that bastard.
He pulled out his phone and saw missed calls from earlier that morning. His half brother had called twice. No message.
Shit.
He hit redial, and Alex answered on the first ring.
“You’re a hard man to get a hold of,” Alex said.
Ian scowled. He’d have to get his phone checked. “What do you want?”
“I have the report on Riley’s father. I thought I’d share.”
Ian narrowed his gaze at his half sibling’s unexpected overture. “Go ahead.”
“Douglas Taylor has been living on the streets for the last two years. He lost his job and then his house to the bank when the market crashed a few yea