Page 7 of Taken By Him

He clears his throat and nods. “Yes, well, I have associates that help from time to time.”

“You’ll be sending the agreement over then. Confirmation that the terms have been seen to?”

He flicks his gaze to Marcin, then back. Maybe I should wait while he fetches the documents now.

“I’ll have them to you by the end of the day,” he promises.

“Good.”

“She’s ready,” Christopher returns, poking his head into the office.

I take a look at Marcin. A father should have some reaction to his only child being carted off in the middle of the night. He has none. A figure of stone watching me from behind his damn desk.

“We’ll be going then. Do you want a moment alone with her?” I ask. Shouldn’t a father say goodbye to his daughter? If my sister were in Kasia’s place—I don’t finish the thought. Joseph Staszek would never allow such an arrangement for his daughter.

“No. I’ll speak to her tomorrow. Once she’s settled.” He pauses. “I don’t want to keep you waiting any longer than you have,” he adds. Maybe he senses his reaction isn’t normal.

“I’ll let you know when she’s...settled,” I say, marching from the office.

Kasia stands at the foot of the staircase. One of my men already has her bag in his hands, waiting for my instructions. I wave him off, and he scurries out to the car to put her things away.

She’s changed out of the too-tight dress that barely covered her ass into a pair of black yoga pants and a white t-shirt. The neckline has been torn out, so the shirt is angled. Her left shoulder sticks out. Her hair is loose around her shoulders, the long locks in thick waves. She’s washed off the makeup. There’s a subtle beauty to her. Natural. The dark lashes and red lipstick overshadowed it. She looks better this way.

“Ready?” I gesture toward the front door.

Her brown eyes widen a fraction. Did she think this was all a game? A bluff?

She casually glances down the hall to where her father is still inside his office. Disappointment crosses her features, but it’s only a flicker. Quickly hidden behind a blank expression.

Oh, sweetheart, you can’t hide from me that easily.

She raises her chin and marches out of the house. It’s the walk of the condemned.

Accurate for the moment.

Chapter Four

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