Page 38 of Daring to Surrender

“Good point. So talk to him.” Prez stood, indicating their meeting was over, leaving Dozer to scratch his head and wonder not only how the hell he was going to talk to the king but also what he was going to tell him that would keep him out of the dungeon. Hell, the real issue would be getting one very stubborn woman to fall in with their plans.

Dozer answered the question of how he was going to talk to the king by pulling up in the parking lot of the Stardust Diner and knocking on the car window of Janel’s security detail.

To say they jumped out of their fucking skins wasn’t even close to their overly dramatic reaction. Requesting they get the king on the phone caused a few raised brows and choice words.

When they handed him the phone, Dozer’s mouth was dry. What did he even call the man? Luckily, he didn’t have to call him anything.

“Is my daughter safe?” The king cut right to the point.

“Yes, sir, and she will stay that way. I give you my word. That’s why I insisted your men call you.”

“Then get on with it. Does this have something to do with the Kings of Chaos?”

Dozer liked a direct man. “You’ve heard of us?”

“Of course I have. Do you think I’d allow my daughter anywhere I hadn’t done a thorough investigation first? What has your club got to do with my daughter?”

“In your investigation, did you run across the Luciano family?”

The king didn’t reply. Dozer checked the phone to see if their call had dropped. It hadn’t. “Sir?” he asked.

“Yes. I know of them.”

Dozer got the feeling he knew them well, which made no sense. Did the family have far-reaching business? Interesting. When the king offered no other info, Dozer continued. “The oldest son, Demonte Luciano, has been seeing your daughter.”

“What the fuck!” the king barked, stunning Dozer with the intensity behind his curse. “Why didn’t my men step in?” he demanded.

“I can’t answer that. It’s been my observation that your men may be competent in your country, but here they don’t stand a chance.”

“Then she needs to come home.”

Dozer chuckled. “Sir, you know your daughter is stubborn. If she doesn’t want to come home, we both know there’s nothing we can do to make her.”

“Hmmm, you seem to have gained a certain insight into Janel in a very short amount of time. Exactly how close are you with her?”

“I told you, sir. She’s my neighbor.”

“Then why are you calling me?”

“While I don’t believe Janel is in any danger, Luciano has requested a meeting with our club’s president. Since he’s shown an interest with Janel, we want to guarantee her protection. We can do that best in our compound.”

“I’m assuming you mean without her security detail?”

“That would be preferable. Believe me, we are all the protection she needs.”

“You realize what you’re asking of me? My daughter is in a country without my protection for the first time in her life. And you expect me to stand aside?”

“I’m not telling you what the fuck to do, sir. But if you want your daughter safe, you need to trust that we have her best interest at heart. You say you know of the Luciano family, then you should know the dark dealings they are involved in.”

The king’s pause was long. “Keep her safe. Call me with updates. I’m sending additional resources should they be needed.”

“I’d prefer you didn’t. We can handle whatever they throw at us. I’ll call you if this changes.”

“Let me be very clear, Travis Justice. I hold you personally responsible for my daughter. Needless to say, if anything happens to her, they will never find your body.”

The phone disconnected, leaving Dozer grinning. The king was welcome to try. He was even impressed the man had discovered his real name. Then his jaw tensed as he noticed Walter turn off the lights in the diner. Now the hard part started. Getting Janel to go along with the plan.

CHAPTER 13

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