by Tijan
This place was impressive and intimidating to some.
The sprawling mansion had a pool behind it and three barns on the property. One was for the horses, and one was all mine as my personal dance studio. I was yearning to be there right now. I needed to dance off these nerves, pull walls of steel around me because I knew Nate Monson wasn’t going to give a flying fuck about this place. It wouldn’t scare him one bit. So my edge over my enemy was taken from me simply because of who he was.
Sensing a presence next to me, I said, “He was furious, Duke.”
He made no sound.
I glanced over.
He was looking out the windows with me, his hands in his pockets. “We’ll see.”
“He’s connected.”
“We’ll see.”
This didn’t feel right. None of this felt right.
“He’s bringing a doctor.” I sighed. “He was so mad.”
“You already said that.”
God. My dad was so cold. If only there’d been a break in his voice—any softness, any gentleness, anything—but there was none. This was his play. He said to throw the news at Nate, then sucker punch him with the custody papers. It was the words he used. I followed his suggestions almost to the letter. In the original plans, Duke wanted me to get him drunk first, but I hadn’t gone through with that part. I didn’t have it in me, but I considered it.
And I hated myself for it right away. If Monson had never put it together, a part of me would’ve looked at Nova years from now and known what we did was wrong.
“I’m saying it again because I really don’t have a good feeling about this.”
“We’ll see.”
I turned to him. “Are you kidding me? This was all your idea. Sucker punch. Those were your words.”
He glanced at me sideways. “I told you to liquor him up first.”
“If I liquored him up first, then he could come back at us with a lawsuit. You know that.”
I felt like my stomach was trying to chew itself out of me.
“We both know that the paternity test will come back positive. He is Nova’s father. Maybe we should work something out with him—” The words slipped out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying out loud.
“He’ll take her away!” His words were fierce, his face irate. “He lives clear across the country, and he’s her only living parent. We do this now while we have a fighting chance to keep her, or we’ll lose her…forever.”
“She’s family—”
“He’s her parent.”
I sucked in a breath and straightened my spine. “I’m her parent. I quit my career to raise Nova. She’s mine. She’s been mine for the past six months. She’s all—” I couldn’t breathe. Emotions were clogging me. I swallowed them and forced myself to continue. “She’s all we have left of Valerie, and she’s mine now. She’s my little girl. She’s your granddaughter.”
This was the world we lived in… or the world Duke Royas lived in. He either won or lost. There was no leeway and no middle ground. If we didn’t win, we lost Nova completely. He would forbid me to see her, and that was if Monson was even amenable.
The second we got Nova, he had declared her father “the enemy.”
And not to his credit, but Nova wasn’t of his blood. She was mine, through the mother that I shared with Valerie. And even though I was Nova’s godmother, my half-brother, Graham, and half-sister, Calihan, were, too, so I didn’t know why I’d been named as the one to take over actual guardianship of Nova instead of them. They all had the same mother and father while I’d been the outlier our entire lives.
As soon as I was born, I only remember a few trips to see my other “family.”
I was Duke’s daughter.
That was what I’d been all my life. Then I was Duke’s dancing daughter. It was all I’d ever known.
But Valerie picked me. Me.
I had to hold onto that.
“You need to get yourself together.”
I lifted my head, and an SUV was speeding down our driveway. Two cars. A smaller car was behind the first, moving at a slower pace.
The first was going fast enough to alarm the horses, making them run off into the pasture.
“I thought you said he was alone.”
“The doctor?”
My dad’s face was grim. “There are two people in the first vehicle.”
I looked, squinting to see better.
He was right.
Two males in the front seat.
Panic flooded me. “You think he already lawyered up?”
My dad didn’t respond, waiting until the SUV got closer. A low curse came from him. “That’s Mason Kade.”
Recognition hit me hard. For a bit, I was flummoxed.
We knew of Monson’s connections, but seeing the famous footballer now getting out of the SUV with just as hard of a look on his face as he turned to the house was a whole different experience.
I asked, my head starting to swim, “Isn’t his father James Kade?”
James Kade was powerful in the corporate world. He was connected.
Judging by my dad’s silence, I knew he was uneasy at this turn of events.
I looked at him, feeling like I was sinking underwater. “You didn’t take his connections seriously, did you? It was in Carl’s file.”
“The Monsons are in the Hollywood crowd. They’re nothing. And Carl exaggerates.”
Carl didn’t exaggerate. He never does.
My dad had made a mistake.
Anger pierced me, hot and fiery. “You decided to start this before we even knew the guy. If we lose Nova because of that decision, I will hate you for the rest of my life.”
He looked me square in the face. “If we lose Nova, I’m thinking neither of us will want to be spending Christmas—or any other day of the week—together for a long time.”
His words were so smooth, but the threat was a punch to my face. His sucker punch to me.
There was the Duke Royas ruthlessness. I’d seen it enough, experienced it enough, but I’d never had so much to lose because of it.
The doorbell rang.
8
Nate
Duke Royas was a dick.
Noted that immediately.
He had the same dark hair and dark eyes as his daughter did, and he stood in front of us wearing a business suit. He kept himself in shape. The file said he was sixty-four, but he looked forty-eight. He kept his hand held in front of his stomach with the face of his Rolex pointing toward us.
And Quincey Royas was furious with her dad.
She had bags under her eyes, and she was no less dressed up. She was in one of those pantsuits for women, her trousers flowing softly. I looked her up and down. Today, she was wearing fancy-looking, open-toed sandals. I figured they’d be the kind other women would swoon over. Her jacket was open, made of white silk, and another cream-colored top underneath, one that dipped to show some cleavage.
Why was I noticing this shit? Their whole getup said money and superiority—except for Quincey’s eyes. They said she was terrified and furious all at the same time, and both emotions were strong enough that she wasn’t hiding either now.
None of this was surprising since I got a more detailed file from my PI an hour ago, along with the assault and battery that the husband dished out on Valerie when Nova had been in the house. But that aside, I went over what else the file summarized about the two standing in front of me.
The relationship between father and daughter was more that Quincey was a possession of her father’s, barely allowed to see the mother she shared with Valerie. Or more likely, my PI guessed, Duke used emotional manipulation to cause Quincey to pull away from her mother’s family under the guise it had been her decision.
I read the files on Quincey’s mom and that side of the family. Stephanie and Guy Robertson. They came out smelling like roses compared to these two. There’d been a separation, and the relationship started up with Duke Royas, which was when Quin
cey was conceived. That relationship ended while she was still pregnant, and Stephanie Robertson went back to her husband. A nasty custody battle ensued after her birth, and Duke won Quincey. Stephanie had Valerie a year later, followed by another girl. Both Stephanie and Guy were physically healthy and attended church every Sunday. Guy was a banker, while Stephanie worked part-time at a local boutique.
I knew Quincey’s older half-brother. I hadn’t been close to Valerie’s family during our casual relationship, but I liked Graham. He was a solid guy from the little bit we did know him. And I say we because Mason knew him as well.
Graham wasn’t like what I was getting from here.
This was a huge estate, not a home. Dead people lived here, and I knew it’d be over my dead body that my daughter was raised in this environment.
If she was my daughter.
I was starting to hate thinking like that. I wanted to know. Now.
We stepped inside, and Mason shot me a look. The doctor was behind us, waiting for our go-ahead.
I could see Mason was getting the same vibe, and in that look, we both knew where the other stood.
I would raise hell and heaven to get my daughter out of here.
“Gentlemen.”
“Where is Nova?” Introductions could wait.
Quincey glanced to her father, who didn’t look at her. He was first studying Mason before turning to me. “She’s not here.”
“What?” Mason’s eyes went flat.
I stepped forward, lowering my tone. “We have the doc here to verify she’s mine. I think before we do any sort of talking, that piece of information needs to be settled first.”
“She’s your daughter—”
“I need to see proof.”
He bristled now because I’d ruffled his feathers. His tone was ice cold. “Why would we lie about something like that?”
Mason’s tone was dry. “You’d be surprised the games we’ve dealt with.” His tone was also flat.
Duke let out a small sigh but nodded. He said to Quincey, “Perhaps you could make the call—”
“I’ll go outside and direct the doctor myself.” She’d slapped on a mask before pressing her lips firmly together, stepping around Mason and me, and heading out the door. She never grabbed her purse or phone, just went right outside.
Duke’s mouth flattened, but he regarded us as if a mosquito had been in his eye. “While I wish you weren’t Nova’s father, you indeed are. From what my PI could unveil, Valerie didn’t have an active sex life. She was with you before she was with Nico. There’d been no other partners for her, and since there was already a test done for the husband and that showed he was not Nova’s father, the end results are what they are. Nova is your daughter, though I wish she wasn’t.”
Fucking. Ass. Hole.
Mason and I shared a look.
I was struggling to keep from punching this motherfucker.
He saw that and stepped forward. “How about we start our sit-down.”
Duke raised his head.
Mason clipped out, “That’s not a request.”
Duke’s eyes flashed, showing the ego on this guy. He did not like being told what to do in his own home.
I moved forward. “I’m guessing you’d like us to sit somewhere back here? Considering you don’t have chairs in your entryway.”
I glanced back, seeing Mason waiting for Duke to follow. Duke was glaring at me. Mason was grinning at me. I loved it.
After a second’s hesitation, Duke Royas trailed and then led the way.
He showed us to a formal dining room, and we sat after a lady came out and took our drink requests. Nothing for Mason and I. Royas ordered a bourbon.
Then we waited.
It wasn’t long before Quincey returned, sitting and saying, “Nova is with one of our nannies right now. I called ahead and told them the doctor would be coming. They’re prepared, and I gave your doctor directions. They aren’t far, but we thought the adults should converse before you meet Nova for the first time.”
Right. Because this was going to be fucking uncomfortable.
I didn’t care.
The room was designed for that effect, but this didn’t affect me. Maybe another person, but not me and not Mason. The large chairs looked like they could be thrones. A table that stood at an uncomfortable height when you were sitting down. The room was closed off except for three doors—the hallway entrance and two servant’s doors.
Not one, but two servant’s doors.
No shame to those who use staff, but the vibe I was getting here was that the staff was definitely beneath the lord and lady of the manor.
“Where’s my daughter?” Fuck it. I was acting on the sentiment that she was mine.
My question cut through the room.
Mason sat up, readying.
And Dick and his daughter shared a look.
The Lord Dick was peeved at my bluntness.
He hadn’t even met Logan yet.
He cleared his throat, leaning forward. His hands were folded together, and he rested his arms on the table. “I think we should get to know each other a bit.”
Mason hid a grin, looking at his lap.
He knew the shit that was about to happen. I’d been barely restrained all day—hell, half the night, too. That was a lot of hours to sit and stew since we were now smack dab at four in the afternoon.
Leaning forward, I mirrored his posture and lowered my head. My eyes were locked right on him. “Your daughter came to me. Told me someone whom I’d had an on-again, off-again relationship with for years was dead. Informed me I had a daughter, laid down a birth certificate for proof, then slid a paper across for me to sign away my rights in the very next statement. Sign her away like it was as simple as signing your name on a credit card receipt. Thanks for your meal, sir. Please remember to tip.” I was just getting started. “You—and her—declared war in that move. You’ve been prepared for this meeting. I’m guessing that’s why it took you six goddamn months to notify me. I’m still playing catch-up, but according to what you’re saying, I have a daughter. I’ve not seen my daughter, and I want to see said daughter. I’m within my legal rights to call the police if you don’t make that happen.”
He was getting red in the face, and he opened his mouth—
“He’s right, Duke.”
Duke Dick cut his gaze to his daughter.
Duke. She called him Duke.
I shared a look with Mason because that said a lot, though a strained relationship between a parent and a child was nothing new for either of us.
She added, “He never signed.”
“Valerie asked for you to take Nova in her will—”
“A will. I’m not her biological mother. He is her biological father.”
Duke Dick’s eyes were threatening to bulge out.
I was guessing the Lady Daughter wasn’t supposed to speak back to him in front of the adversary. Or maybe I was being a judgmental asshole?
No.
I was right.
She turned to me, swallowing before taking a deep breath. She looked as if she were about to step into a tank filled with sharks, and not only that, but she was being asked to cut her carotid before she took that first step.
Her head folded to her lap before she lifted it back again. Her shoulders had a slight slump to them. “As you know, Nova is not currently here. We had thought a sit-down between all of us should happen first, but I understand your need to see your daughter.”
I made a low sound in my throat. “Call right now. Once the doctor is done, they can come here right after.”
Her eyes slid toward her father.
Christ. She didn’t want to fight him.
I gave him a look, too, and he was going to fight it. I knew it then. He was going to fight every step I made. And he had the financial means to do so.
“Fine.” I had to relent, at least for now. This was going to be harder than I initially thought. I wanted a moment to regroup. “Bring her to
the hotel.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, Mason shoved back his chair and stood. Both of them were taken aback by the abruptness of it but not me. I was following him in less than half a second. We were both itching to get out of that house.
Duke Dick didn’t follow us out. He was still sitting when we left the room.
She followed us to the door.
Mason opened it, heading outside.
I reached for the door but stopped and turned to her. “If you don’t follow through, I will call the police.” My eyes went over her shoulder before turning back to her. “Do not fight me on this.”
She swallowed, but she raised her chin.
Her eyes went from being dazed to a fire being lit.
She reached for the door, too. Her hand closed just above where mine was, and she forced a gritted smile at me. “Safe travels back to your hotel, Mr. Monson. I’ll be in touch when we’re coming to the hotel.”
Mason shared a look with me as soon as I was outside.
The door shut behind me.
He said, “There are cameras.” His eyes flicked upward.
I got his message.
Anything we said, they could potentially hear.
Sighing, I ran a hand over my face, feeling like I aged five years just being inside that house.
As soon as I closed the door behind me, Mason said one statement under his breath.
“We need to call Logan.”
I agreed.
9
Nate
There was a knock, then the door burst open. Logan walked in and dropped his bags. “I have arrived!” He came in with a gust of crisp cold air as well.
Mason and I were on the balcony, and Mason stood. “Here we go.”
He led the way into the room.
It was hitting me now that Mason and I hadn’t hugged when he showed up. It’d been a situation when I needed him, and he came. Immediately. He was there to help. The hugs had been later, but Logan took two steps, bypassed his brother, and wrapped his arms around me.
“How are you?” He squeezed me hard and tight, then stepped back, leaving his hands on my shoulders. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to give you crap or make you feel guilty for calling Mason a whole day before me. I get it. I’m a lot, but I’m here now. And we’re going to get this shit sorted. Got me? I’m your personal pit bull.”