Page 64 of Royal Flush

“Let’s just say the entire situation reeks of a book being written.”

“I don’t understand. What are you getting at?”

I’d been questioning why and how it was possible for Jasmine to find her way to my island. Now, either she was more devious than I’d originally believed, attempting to find the very black book that could destroy her father, or someone was hoping she’d manage to unravel me to the point I’d spill all my secrets. The odds otherwise were equal to being hit with an asteroid. However, if the second hypothesis was more to the point, there was a huge list of questions for which it would take time to get the answers to.

Either way, the laughable coincidence was enough to keep me on edge and glad I’d decided to keep her as mine.

At least for a little while.

“Your daughter suddenly appeared on my island. Or I should say one of two resorts owned by the Royal brothers. Now, while you can continue to act as if you have no clue about my family and our lives, I don’t buy it. My father was a prudent man, highly protective of his business and his family. That included keeping tabs on his enemies. I suspect he considered you one of those over the years.”

“What are you insinuating now?”

“I don’t insinuate. What I’m telling you is that either you convinced your daughter to seduce me for information gathering purposes or she’s doing this on her own, which I do find curious.”

My father would laugh at me, saying I was doing nothing more than tossing out spitballs, but it was a surefire way of unraveling mysteries.

And knowing when someone was lying to you. The mere thought of someone insulting his daughter and a man who’d acted his entire life as if he hadn’t cared immediately came to her defense. However, in the process of doing so, I caught a glimpse of something in his eyes, a look indicating he was indeed hiding something significant. Once we were safely in residence on the island, I’d find out all about his good friends.

My guess was he had a network of them.

After he snarled, I threw up my hands, conceding the point. “No offense but there are far too many oddities revolving around myself, your daughter, and the reason for her near abduction.”

He was furious with me but decided it was better not to antagonize me any further. Good choice. I didn’t hesitate to snap a man’s neck when he tried to push me into a corner.

“She’s a good girl. She’s not like that. She isn’t out to get people. Why would she care if I was in danger? She hates me. Hell, she hates her mother.”

He had no clue what his own daughter was looking for.

“She doesn’t hate you. She’s confused by the life she’s been forced to live. But she also refuses to accept you running her life.”

“Like you’re going to do?’

The man was pushing me. It was time to get out or have a murder on my hands.

Now he scratched his head, another sheepish look crossing his face. “Forced. Fine. Let her hate me. She’s allergic to peanuts and the secretions of some tropical plants. We found that out the hard way on one of very few vacations we took. She adores thriller movies and muscle cars.”

He was a mixture of incensed and frustrated.

As well as riddled with anxiety.

“Muscle cars?” Now that was a surprise.

He nodded, even giving me a sheepish look. “That girl could tell you about everything from a GTO to a nineteen-seventies Trans Am. I have no clue where that started but she is a walking encyclopedia.”

I was quite fascinated by how varied her tastes were. There was much more behind her cool façade than people understood.

Including hurt from being ignored.

My entire body tensed. I pulled out the keys to her Mercedes. “Well, this might not be a muscle car but given its expense, I’m sure you’ll want it back. It’s parked just outside the hotel of the charity function.”

He caught them in one hand, nodding. There was an entirely different expression on the man than before. I’d broken through some solid rock barrier, not that I really gave a shit.

There was a series of mysteries and secrets that were all intertwined together and as ruthless of a man as I was, I had no intention of placing her life in the middle.

“You’ll take care of her?” he asked again, as if I’d changed my mind.

“With my life. In turn, I’ll wipe out your debt, which might buy a little time but I’m going to make a strong suggestion that you get your affairs in order. You made too many mistakes, Ambassador Sinclair. Now, they are coming back to bite you. Make no mistake, Mr. Sinclair. You have as many enemies as my family does, and not all of them will provide you with advance notice before they strike. I’d suggest hiring additional security guards if I were you.”

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