My Dad’s Billionaire Enemy

by Winters, Bella

  “Awwwww, come on, you know me.” Leroi gestured to the dance floor beneath our balcony. “I don’t need her, especially not when there’s plenty of ladies to go around here.” He winked at a couple who were looking up at him, then gestured for them to join us.

  “You need to loosen up a little bit.” Noah nudged me gently with his elbow. “If you spend all night brooding, you’ll get wrinkles.”

  “He’s right,” Gilles chimed in. “Everything went perfectly smoothly. It’s only a matter of time before everything falls into place.”

  “Yeah boss, even Misha knows how to have fun.” Leroi gestured to where Misha was dancing with a petite green-eyed chick. She was laughing, and he seemed to be pretty into her, which was a new thing for Misha. “Let’s not ruin the good vibes.” He winked at me, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

  Sure, normally my idea of a good time was just drinking and picking up a lady or two. But at the moment, I wasn’t in the best mood.

  I watched as Leroi, Gilles, and Noah flirted with some girls, eventually leaving to go order them drinks. That left me all alone until a thin hand rested itself on my shoulder.

  I knew I was safe here, but my body was still tense and so it took all my effort not to flip the woman over my shoulder and onto the floor.

  “I’ve never seen you around here before,” she said, her voice high like a bell. It was nothing like Aurora’s voice—all soft and melodic.

  “Maybe that’s because I don’t really come here much,” I growled. “I was trying the place out, but I don’t really know if I’m seeing much worth coming here for.”

  She circled me, her hand trailing on my chest until she came into full view.

  She looked exactly like the type I might have gone for before. She was tall, with a thin hourglass figure and porcelain pale skin. Her hair was a pretty ash blonde, and her eyes were bright blue.

  But in this light, she just seemed wrong. Her makeup looked unnatural, and I couldn’t help but think of how different Aurora was when I looked at her.

  Aurora was all soft lines and curves. Her skin was one of the most beautiful shades of brown I had ever seen, and her hair was full and natural. I wanted to see those amber eyes looking up at me in adoration. I wanted to hear those pretty plump lips speak my name.

  Had I been right to leave her all alone? She was probably uncomfortable, maybe I should have set her up in one of the guest rooms. I certainly had plenty to go around, and they could be made safe and fortified.

  The only problems would be the windows, which I wasn’t about to change out or unnecessarily bar. It would draw too much attention.

  I was interrupted from my train of thought as the woman rested her hand on my thighs, leaning so close to my face that I could smell her minty breath.

  “Perhaps I could show you. There are a lot of things here worth staying for.” She leaned even further forward so that her cleavage was on full display, and I had to resist the urge to turn away.

  Normally I would be delighted. A little fling was usually just what I needed after a tough job. But now? I just wanted to be done. I felt a pull back home, back to the basement where I was keeping Aurora. There were things that I really should be explaining to her.

  “Not tonight,” I said, standing and brushing her aside. “I need a drink.”

  “Shall I join you?” She asked a pout on her pretty pink lips.

  “No.” I pushed past her, not even caring to look back. I already knew what the look on her face would be—disappointment. But she would move on and find another man to toy around with.

  I reached the bar without talking to anyone. Several people tried to approach me, but I glared at them and moved past quickly. I was not in the mood to talk to anyone else. I just wanted to go home right now.

  As I was about to order myself a drink, my phone buzzed angrily in my pocket.

  I smiled to myself as I pulled it out and answered. I’d been expecting him, and it was a wonder that he’d taken this long to call.

  “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just blow your brains out right now,” Samuel Kline said.

  “Oh, you finally called.” I rested my elbow on the bar, nodding at the bartender to get me a drink.

  “Of course I called, who do you think I am, a fucking idiot? Your signature is all over this. Which other fool would kidnap my daughter?”

  “I never said you were an idiot.”

  “You’re on thin ice Malcolm. Thin. Ice.”

  “Look, Samuel, I know you’re angry—”

  “You don’t get to call me Samuel. Who do you think you are, kidnapping my daughter like that? You shouldn’t involve her in this; you know she’s innocent.”

  “I’m Malcolm fucking Astor and don’t you ever forget it. Don’t try and act all high and mighty about your daughter either, it was you who decided to not tell her the truth. Look, I know Liam thinks he has you all figured out, but I know you won’t act with your daughter’s life in the balance. Sure, you might be able to take out one of us, but you know what my Four are made of, and you know you couldn’t get through all of us, much less through the security to rescue your daughter. And maybe Liam will promise you that if you kill me he’ll rescue her, but you know what Liam is like. Why would he do that when you’d already done everything he needed you to do?”

  “You don’t know me, Malcolm. I could take you out right here and now.”

  “Is that so?” I took a cautionary look around the club. “Because you don’t seem to be here at the moment, Samuel.”

  “If you so much as fucking touch a hair on her head—”

  “Now wait, no need to get so angry.” I took a sip from the glass of wine that the bartender handed me. “If you want to make sure that she’s alright, I’ll show her to you. Hell, I’ll even let you talk to her.”

  “And how exactly do you intend to do that? I’m not about to set foot inside your house. I know your twisted games, and I’m not about to play them.”

  “No games here, Kline. If we can call, we can certainly video chat. I’ll show you that she’s safe, let her say whatever she wants to say to you, and then you stop breathing down my neck.”

  “I don’t know if I can promise that.” He sounded less angry than he had a moment ago, but I could understand where he was coming from. His last living family member had been taken by me, and he had no idea when he would see her again.

  But he also wasn’t being truthful with his daughter, and it was his fault that she was mixed up in all this, to begin with, so my sympathy didn’t reach that far.

  “Well, look, either you video chat or not. Either way, you’re not going to take the hit, and you know it. Now it’s just a matter of negotiating with Liam.”

  “He’ll never negotiate with you and you know that.”

  “Then I guess this will be the last time you see your daughter, yeah? Better savor it.” I hung up before he could yell at me any more, and took another sip of my wine.

  I couldn’t help the grin that crept onto my face. Things were finally getting interesting.

  Chapter Six

  Aurora

  It was a while before more footsteps came, but come again they did.

  This time, it sounded like there was more than just one person, and my heart lodged itself firmly in my throat.

  I couldn’t imagine what that man wanted with me, and with more of them… I had no idea what their plans were, and I didn’t want to dwell on the possibilities.

  I was still blindfolded, and so I did my best to listen. It was the only sense I had left that I could use to my advantage.

  “Aurora, we have a surprise for you!” one of the voices said. It was younger-sounding than the man from before, more enthusiastic too.

  “Aurora,” came a voice that I recognized, though it was distorted as if coming through a phone. It was my dad’s voice.

  “Dad?” There was more panic in my tone than I had intended for, but it was rising in my chest no matter what I did. “Dad?”


  “Aurora, it’s me. I’m glad you’re safe.”

  “Dad…” Tears were welling up at the corner of my eyes. I didn’t know if I had thought that I would ever be able to talk to him again.

  “See, just as I told you, Samuel,” the voice of the man said. “She’s safe.”

  “Don’t worry Aurora, you won’t be here for long. I’ll rescue you from these asshole criminals.”

  There was a chorus of laughter in response to my dad’s words. They were sick. All of them.

  “That’s hilarious, coming from you,” the man said. “She really doesn’t know who you are?”

  “As if you’re one to talk, Malcolm,” my dad hissed. “You better not touch her.” So that was the man’s name. From the sound of it, there were still more people that I didn’t know, but it was still good to have at least one name to put to a voice and a face.

  “Oh, I won’t. But your self-righteous behavior isn’t going to get you anywhere. You might as well tell her who you really are.”

  “Dad, what are they talking about?” I asked, confused.

  “Nothing Aurora, don’t worry I’m coming for you—”

  Whoever was holding the phone hung up before my dad could finish speaking.

  “That’s enough of that,” Malcolm said. “I can’t listen to him lie to you for another second.”

  “My dad has never been anything but truthful.” I spat at the ground, hoping to at least reach somewhere near his feet.

  “You don’t know the first thing about your father.” Malcolm’s voice was right near me as if he was whispering in my ear. I felt his hot breath on my cheek, and it unsettled me.

  A pit was forming in my stomach. Sure, I didn’t know much about what my dad did, or where he had come from, but I had never dug too deep because he was all I had. And to think that somehow he might be mixed up with these criminals….

  Even the fact that he had known Malcolm’s name, that he had called him on the phone, it pointed to him being involved somehow, however much I wanted to deny it.

  Gentle fingers touched my face as the blindfold was lifted away. I blinked in the sudden light, examining the men who surrounded me.

  Malcolm, who was, in fact, the man from the Humane Society before, knelt in front of me, and four others stood behind him.

  A black man with a well-built body and a stern expression stood right behind Malcolm, and next to him was a man with long, wavy hair and a smile. He looked younger than the rest of them.

  A tall, Russian-looking man with buzzed hair stood by the door, his arms crossed over his broad chest. Slightly in front of him was a shyer looking man with glasses and grey-blond hair.

  But Malcolm, Malcolm was the most stunning of them all.

  I was unsettled by how attracted to him I was. His piercing blue eyes were looking into mine with concern, and his dark silver hair was tousled and effortless. He was so much older than me and looked only a little younger than my dad, but he was the most striking man I had ever seen.

  If only he wasn’t evil. If only he hadn’t kidnapped me.

  “You’re sick, all of you,” I said, and spat in his face.

  Malcolm wiped away the spittle from his eyes, not so much as flinching.

  “Is that what you think of me? Well, you’re quite mistaken, dear Aurora. You see, as much as you don’t know the first thing about your dad, you also don’t know the first thing about me.”

  “I know that you kidnapped me. And that makes you a criminal.”

  “Mmmm, I see, but have I touched you, dear? Have I done anything particularly cruel? You may not currently be the most comfortable, but this is also one of the safest rooms in the house, and I have a lot more hospitality to share.

  “I also kidnapped you for a perfectly valid reason, and I will make sure that no harm comes to you while you are in my custody.”

  “Well, isn’t that reassuring.” I gave him a look that I hoped would convey exactly how I felt about being in his custody.

  Malcolm stood, looking away from me and back towards the others.

  “Leave us,” he said.

  “Malcolm, are you sure?” one of the men asked.

  Malcolm looked me up and down. From the way his gaze traveled over me, I had a feeling I knew exactly what he was thinking. And… part of me wanted it too.

  “Yes, there are some words I’d like to have with her,” he said, shooting the man who had spoken a stern glare.

  “Good luck boss,” Another of them said with a wink. I could only imagine what was going through his mind.

  “Call us if you need anything,” the man by the door said, his voice deep.

  Once they had left, Malcolm turned back towards me.

  “I’m assuming you’re not planning on escaping anytime soon?”

  “In your dreams.” I spat at him again, but he still didn’t flinch.

  “Even if you did try, you wouldn’t get far. That door is always locked and guarded, and there’s no other way out from this room.” He pointed to the door they had come in through, and then to another door on the adjacent wall. “That there leads to the bathroom. As I hate dealing with accidents, and I’m sure you don’t want to embarrass yourself, I’d like to untie you.”

  “Suit yourself,” I said with a shrug, but I was shaking.

  “If you’re good,” he continued, “I’ll have someone bring down something a little more comfortable for you, and some food. I would say I’ll move you into one of the guest rooms, but you haven’t exactly had the best attitude and I would be worried about you ruining the decor.”

  “I bet your decor sucks anyways. What kind of taste would a criminal even have?”

  He knelt beside me and withdrew a knife from his pocket. I flinched, fearing the worst, but he merely started to cut through my bindings.

  “For your information, I do have good taste in decor. And even if I didn’t, I can afford to hire an interior designer.”

  “I bet it’s with blood money,” I muttered under my breath.

  “What was that?” Apparently, he had heard me. My wrists were free now, and he set to work on my ankles.

  “I bet it’s with dirty money, you monster.” I was still shaking as I said the words. I couldn’t help but be aware that he was holding a knife and was quite a bit stronger than me.

  When he finished cutting me free, he put his knife away and stared me down. “You don’t even know the first thing about me, or where my money comes from, or what I do with it.”

  “I know you hire thugs. And I know you kidnapped me. And I know you’re threatening my father.”

  His eyes darkened with anger.

  “For your information, sweetheart, it was your dear daddy that threatened me first. And I don’t stoop low enough to hire thugs. I have real men, friends, who are loyal to me.”

  “There’s no way someone like you even knows what friends are. I bet they follow you because they’re afraid of you.”

  He bristled at my words, and his hands gripped me by the shoulders.

  “Don’t you dare.”

  “Dare what? Say the truth?”

  “Sweetheart, you have been lied to your entire life, I doubt you even know what the truth is.”

  “Oh yeah? I know that you’re a lowlife who’s kidnapped me and is keeping me in his basement like some—”

  My train of thought, my words, were stopped when he kissed me.

  Or perhaps that wasn’t quite accurate.

  It was in anger that he slammed his lips against mine, cutting off the rest of what I was about to say. And it was in anger that he pulled me to him, gripping my shoulders in a way that I knew would leave bruises.

  I resisted him for a second, but then I was kissing him back just as angrily.

  It wasn’t giving in, no, that term was too soft and compliant for what I was doing. I was unleashing my anger upon him with my lips and my tongue, continuing the argument with my mouth instead of my voice.

  It wasn’t sweet, it wasn’t good, b
ut it tasted amazing despite all that.

  To have him kissing me, to be kissing him back, it was better than I’d had in a long time.

  But it was also wrong. I knew that. I couldn’t be attracted him, couldn’t be involved with him. He was a criminal, and I was putting myself in danger just by kissing him back.

  Even then, I couldn’t resist.

  He broke away, just as quickly as things had started, and stormed off, slamming the door behind him.

  I didn’t know why I was so attracted to him.

  I was left stunned, still sitting on the floor, my discarded bindings around me.

  To leave so suddenly, especially after that kiss….

  I knew it was messed up that I was attracted to him and that I enjoyed that kiss, that I had been thinking about kissing him before he kissed me, but there wasn’t much that I could do about it.

  All I could hope was that I got ahold of my senses before they landed me in a worse situation. He was a criminal, after all.

  “Malcolm! Malcolm!” I called out, hoping he might come back. There was a possibility that I could plead with him. Maybe he would let me talk to my father again, or we might even come to an agreement.

  “Malcolm!” But there was no response, and my cries echoed around the room. My throat was hoarse, and I realized it was a lost cause.

  Instead, I took stock of my surroundings.

  The room I was in was sparse. There was no furniture except a mattress with some basic bed linens, and the floor was made of concrete. There were two doors. I knew one led to the outside world, but it was locked and guarded. The other Malcolm had told me led to a bathroom.

  There weren’t any windows, but there was an air vent high on one wall, opposite the bathroom door.

  I thought that maybe it might lead somewhere. But, it was too high up for me to crawl in, at least not without the help of some other furniture.

  They probably weren’t dense enough to leave anything in the bathroom that could be moved, but I would check that later.

  For now, I wanted to examine the vent. See if I could gain any useful information, and gauge what kind of height I would need to reach in.