Page 93 of Controlled

“He’s not involved.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Yeah, so did I. I headed to the house, furious that I had to cross over a bloody sidewalk to get to my own front door. I’d had many an attack over the years, none of which had been at any one of my residences. Not that it was rare. A man’s home was his castle, and the place most easily allowing an enemy to secure a kill. More so than out in public. That was a little-known fact.

I walked inside, hating the deathly quiet more than I ever thought I would. The doctor was just coming down the stairs. I waited until he was in the foyer. “How is she?”

“Lucky. Other than a few bumps and bruises, you got to her in time. She’ll need rest but she’ll be fine.”

“Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate you coming so quickly.”

“You gave me no choice, Creed. Try and remember you can’t own people.”

“And try and remember who pays your salary and sent your kids off to college.”

Hissing, he took long strides toward the door. I stood shaking my head until he’d left. As soon as I headed toward the stairs, a sense of her presence caught my attention. She was standing on the second-floor landing, staring down at me with hatred in her eyes.

“You really do believe you own the world. Don’t you, Creed?”

Even though I’d saved her life, something had happened to make her believe all I’d been doing was using her. “We need to talk, Bella.”

“Never. Just stay away from me.” She flew back up the stairs, not wasting any time.

I had to admit right now my patience was running low but being controlling would only push her away.

When I reached the door, I was surprised not to find it locked. As I walked in, I noticed she’d headed out to the balcony. After what she’d been through, that she felt safe doing so was a surprise.

As always, she sensed my presence, tensing the moment I moved into the fresh air. We both stood in silence, staring out at the water that had almost pulled us to our deaths. There was no easy way of talking to her about details.

“Your father is dead.”

“My father.” Bella didn’t react right away other than to repeat what I’d said, but her body stiffened. “You killed him.”

“No, Bella. I did not. I wasn’t certain the man was your father until I had Kane run a DNA test. He found out the results just before the attack.”

She closed her eyes, her body swaying. She was forced to grip the railing. “Who attacked us? Who killed him?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out. Your father had enemies in New York, his power feared but given his release from prison, it would seem he had full intentions of taking up where he left off.”

“So he knew I was his daughter?”

“If I had to guess, I’d say yes.”

“I overheard you and Kane. I’m nothing but a pawn. You used me. To get to my father? To gain more power, including in New York. I knew what you were doing, preening for the cameras. You were taunting him into showing his face.”

The woman wasn’t completely out of touch with the way crime syndicates handled their business. Finding the best way to answer her was tough.

She spun around, launching herself in my direction. I was forced to grab her arms, keeping her from hurting me or herself.

“You were using me.”

“I wasn’t using you, Bella. However, I have my share of enemies who would stop at nothing to take down my family. That includes you. You were almost taken from me. Do you know what that did to me? Do you have any idea how I felt when you slipped beneath the water? As if I couldn’t breathe. As if life meant nothing any longer. I will hunt the person responsible down.”

“And what? You’re going to kill them?” she hissed. “That’s the only way you can handle business by killing people? Tearing them apart? Blood? Violence? Hunting? Is that all you’re made of?”

I allowed her to jerk away, storming toward the opposite side of the balcony. The tension was something I hated.

“I never wanted to hurt you, or have you hurt,” I admitted.

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